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Harudi Formation
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Harudi Fm base reconstruction

Harudi Fm

Period: 
Paleogene

Age Interval: 
latest Lutetian to Bartonian


Province: 
W.India Kutch Basin

Type Locality and Naming

OUTCROP. Named after Harudi village. [Original Publication: Biswas, S.K. and Raju, D.S.N. (1971) Note on the rock stratigraphic classification of the Tertiary sediments of Kutch Quart. Jour. Geol. Min. Met. Soc. India.]

Synonyms: This formation has earlier been named variously like Nummulitic Group (Wynne, 1872); Kirthar Series (Sen Gupta, 1964; Poddar, 1959; Tewari, 1957). A thick sequence of bedded white foraminiferal limestone overlying the argillaceous formation forms a very distinct lithounit in the Tertiary succession of Kutch.


Lithology and Thickness

Continental marl. Consists of splintery shale with yellow limonitic partings in the lower part and calcareous claystone and siltstone with occasional layers of gypsum and carbonaceous shale in the upper part. A 0.76 m thick ferruginous, gypsum-rich clayey marlite with large diameter (1 to 2 cm) Nummulites obtusus is characteristic marker bed within the formation. The bed is extensive. [Figure 1: Photoplate of Middle Eocene sequence, Harudi Village (after O. catuneanu, A. Dave (2017)]

[Figure 2: Lithology of the Panandhro mine section showing the position of samples that yielded foraminifera, the foraminiferal assemblage, age, and the planktic foraminiferal zones (after Saraswati et al., 2014)]

[Figure 3: Lithology of the Matanomadh mine section showing the position of samples that yielded foraminifera, the foraminiferal assemblage, age and the planktonic foraminiferal zones (after Saraswati et al., 2014)]

[Figure 4: Geological Map of South Western Kutch (after Biswas and Raju, 1973)]

[Figure 5: Chart showing the sample position, faunal frequency, the diversity of foraminfers and ostracods, paleobathymetry and comments based on comparison of relative sea-level curve with eustatic charts in the type Harudi Formation.


Lithology Pattern: 
Continental marl


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Lower boundary is disconformable and is fixed at the top of the laterite bed at the top of the Naredi Fm. It is estimated on missing biostratigraphic zones that hiatus of ~7 Myr (extending from SBZ12 to SBZ15) exists between the Naredi Fm and Harudi FmS

Upper contact

Conformably overlain by the Fulra Limestone Fm. Contact is placed at the base of lowest massive foraminiferal limestone bed containing characteristic saddled to undulated Discocyclina, D. sowerby.

Regional extent


GeoJSON

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Fossils

Planktonic foraminifera: Truncorotaloides toilensis, Oubulinoides beckmanni, Turborotalia frontosa, Nummulites obtusus, N. acutus. Nannofossils are Brarrudosphaera biglowi, Discoaster barbadiensis, Bilies. Invertebrates: Xomcus, Porocidaris and Cidaris.


Age 

The lower part of the Harudi Formation is devoid of age marker foraminifera. Nummulites obtusus, occurs ~8 m above the base. The planktic foraminifer Orbulinoides beckmanni occurs ~2 m above the occurrence of N. obtusus. It is the zonal taxon of the planktic Zone E12. There is a gradual change in foraminiferal assemblage from the lower part of the Harudi Formation with low abundance of shallow marine foraminifera to the upper part with diverse assemblage of benthic and planktic foraminifera. There is no evidence of any stratigraphic break within the formation. Calcareous nannoplanktons of Bartonian age are also recorded from the formation (Singh and Singh, 1991; Jafar and Rai, 1994). The estimated dates of 41 - 42.5 ±2 Ma by Sr isotopes for the lower part of the Harudi Fm (Ravikant and Bajpai, 2010) approximates the estimated age of Lutetian - Bartonian boundary at 41.2 Ma (see Gradstein et al., 2012). Gingerich et al. (2001) have logically correlated the Harudi Formation with the Pir Koh Fm (Bartonian age) of Rakhi Nala (Pakistan). Most evidences thus converge to the Bartonian age of the formation. At the most, the lower few meters of the succession may questionably be latest Lutetian (corresponding to SBZ16) in the absence of any age-control. It is estimated on missing biostratigraphic zones that hiatus of ~7 Myr (extending from SBZ12 to SBZ15) exists between the Naredi Fm and Harudi Fm. The laterite-ized paleosol at the top of the Naredi Formation corresponds to the break in sedimentation and exposure of the depositional substrate (Banerjee et al., 2012a). (Source: Saraswathi, P.K. et al., 2016).

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Lutetian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.35

    Beginning date (Ma): 
45.61

    Ending stage: 
Lutetian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
0.7

    Ending date (Ma):  
43.14

Depositional setting

Littoral to lagoonal in the lower part, and inner to lower part of middle shelf. Cyclical, transgressive phase of deposition. A sharp rise of paleobathymetry by an order of 40-50m immediately above the obtusus beds.


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information

Refer figure for sea-level changes.


Compiler:  

D.S.N Raju