Machhal Fm
    Period: 
    
  
  
      Cambrian    
    
    Age Interval: 
    
  
  
      early Cambrian
    
    Province: 
    
  
  
      NW Himalaya Kashmir Basin    
    Type Locality and Naming
Machhal village (Kupwara district, NW Kashmir) and Wannar-Surigam section (Lolab Valley); Raina and Razdan, 1975.
Lithology and Thickness
Argillaceous sediments (+ Limestone + Chert); Zilant Gali Member (Slate, phyllite); Brasul Member (Limestone, argillite + chert + tuff). W to E thickness varies from 700 to 200 m. Thickness: 200-800 m.
    Lithology Pattern: 
    
   
  
  
      Clayey limestone
    
Relationships and Distribution
Lower contact
Unconformable with underlying Ramsu Fm
Upper contact
Conformably overlain by the Lolab Fm
Regional extent
GeoJSON
      {"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"MultiPolygon","coordinates":[[[[76.46,33.21],[75.58,34.05],[74.97,34.3],[74.17,34.3],[74.09,33.87],[74.39,33.24],[75.71,32.87],[76.46,33.21]]]]}}    
    Fossils
Small shelly fossils (SSFs) microfauna (Coleoloides typicalis Walcott); Acritarch: Protoxphaeridium; Granomarzinata ; Kildinella ; Lophospaeridium; etc. (Kumar et al., 1984) Algae: Sphaerophycus ; Gunflintia ; Myxococcoides ; Palaeonacystis etc
Age
     Age Span: 
    
          
    
  
  
        Beginning stage: 
    
  
  
      Fortunian    
    
        Fraction up in beginning stage: 
    
  
  
      0.0    
    
        Beginning date (Ma): 
    
  
  
      538.80    
    
        Ending stage: 
    
  
  
      Cambrian Stage 2    
    
        Fraction up in the ending stage: 
    
  
  
      0.5    
    
        Ending date (Ma):  
    
  
  
      525.00    
    Depositional setting
    Depositional pattern:  
    
      
    
   
  
Additional Information
    Compiler:  
    
  
      Birendra P. Singh (2009; Chapter 5 in Dr. Raju's Indian Plate stratigraphy monograph; ONGC Bull. 44, no. 2)