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Kunihar Formation
Click to display on map of the Ancient World at:
Kunihar Fm base reconstruction

Kunihar Fm

Period: 
Tonian

Age Interval: 
(972 Ma)


Province: 
N.India Lesser Himalaya

Type Locality and Naming

Simla (Shali Basin), After Kunihar Town. [Original Publication: Srikantia, S. V. and Sharma, R.P. 1976.Geology of the Shali Belt and adjoining areas. Memoirs Geological Survey of India, 106 (1), 31-166.]

Synonym: Basantpur Fm (it is a local facies variation)


Lithology and Thickness

Claystone. Shale, siltstone, stromatolitic limestone forming reefs; 450 m

[Figure: Kunihar Fm photomicrographs (provided by O.N Bhargava & Birendra Singh)]


Lithology Pattern: 
Shallow-marine marl


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Conformable with Bandla Fm

Upper contact

Conformable with Chhaossa Fm (as a local variation of the Basantpur Fm)

Regional extent

Local facies of the Basantpur Fm, developed around Kunihar


GeoJSON

{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"MultiPolygon","coordinates":[[[[76.86,32.93],[76.28,33.02],[76.81,31.7],[77.38,30.95],[79.23,29.66],[80.13,29.32],[80.37,29.97],[79.78,30.1],[78.44,31.25],[77.6,31.59],[77.56,32],[76.86,32.93]]]]}}

Fossils

Stromatolites


Age 

For graphics purposes, inserted as upper part of Basantpur Fm; however, it is a facies transition.

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Tonian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.65

    Beginning date (Ma): 
818.00

    Ending stage: 
Tonian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
0.7

    Ending date (Ma):  
804.00

Depositional setting

Kunihar Fm is a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate succession deposited in a setting with a proximal siliciclastic peritidal and a distal carbonate rimmed shelf. Transition of carbonate ramp (Basantpur Fm) to rimmed shelf (Kunihar Fm) is attributed to three primary elements: (i) Steady rise in sea level with decreased siliciclastic influx, (ii) Surge in microbial activity increased stromatolitic colonisation, (iii) Aggradation of stromatolitic carbonates caused steepening of the reef margin.


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information

Thorie et al. 2020.


Compiler:  

O.N. Bhargava & Birendra Singh. Age estimates based on A.J. Martin, 2017. A review of Himalayan stratigraphy, magmatism, and structure. Gondwana Research 49 (2017) 42–80.