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S.K. SHAH
Department of Geology, University of Jammu, Jammu (India)
(Accepted for publication June 29, 1981)
ABSTRACT
Shah, S.K., 1982. Cambrian stratigraphy of Kashmir and its boundary problems.
Precambrian Res., 17 : 87--98.
INTRODUCTION
H I S T O R I C A L REVIEW
Proven Cambrian rocks are known in the northwestern part of the Kashmir
basin (Pohru Valley), where they are fossiliferous and overlain conformably
by Ordovician sediments. They also pass downwards into a thick sequence
of what could be late Precambrian lithologies. In addition to this area, rocks
of probable Cambrian age are also known in various anticlines within the
Kashmir basin. Such important occurrences are in Liddar Valley (Shah,
1972b) and Pit Panjal, where both Ordovician and Silurian are fossitiferous
and the underlying rocks can be presumed to be Cambrian, and in the Sindh
Valley, where the entire Lower Palaeozoic is unfossiliferous and the occur-
rence of Cambrian is, therefore, uncertain.
The present work, however, deals only with the undoubted fossiliferous
Cambrian of Pohru Valley (Fig. 1).
G E O L O G I C A L SETTING AND L I T H O S T R A T I G R A P H Y
The Cambrian rocks in Pohru Valley are exposed as a part of the folded se-
quence involving Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian over which are resting
the Panjal Volcanics of Permo-Carboniferous age with a distinct angular un-
conformity. Bulk of the outcrop width of the Lower Palaeozoic comprises
the Cambrian. Ordovician and Silurian are exposed only within two synclines,
the Marhaum syncline and Shamsabari syncline (the latter being outside the
scope of the present study). Cambrian passes downwards into Ptecambrian
and the entire sequence rests on a schistose basement (Salkhala Formation),
the contact being usually a faulted one. The lithostratigraphic succession
is given in Table I.
The Marinag Formation is relatively deformed, compared to younger units,
and is also metamorphosed to some extent. It is scantily fossfliferous and
contains only meandering trials which could be of Precambrian age. To-
wards its upper part it shows a lateral and vertical passage into the Lolab
Formation, the contact being gradational. The Lolab Formation has a con-
siderable outcrop width in the Lotab Valley where it is repeated due to
89
~ ~ , ~ ~ ~ [] Q U A TERNA~'Y
- _ z_------ -...----------------------, -
. . . . . . . .
%.
Fig. 1. Geological map of the Pohru Valley, northwestern Kashmir, showing the distri-
bution of Cambrian rocks.
tight and often isoclinal folding. In the absence of well-marked faunal hori-
zons in the lower part, the folding and inversion can be resolved only by
sedimentary structures and schistosity relationships.
The Sagipura Formation is a facies variant of the upper part of Lolab
Formation into which it shows a lateral and vertical passage. It does not ex-
tend towards the northern part of the Cambrian basin where Lolab Forma-
tion has a direct and conformable passage into the overlying Nutunus Forma-
tion. The Nutunus Formation, despite its relatively small thickness, is highly
fossiliferous and shows a complete development of middle and upper part of
90
TABLE I
Litho-stratigraphic succession of Lower Palaeozoic of northwestern Kashmir (after Shah,
1968)
FAUNAL SUCCESSION
The assemblage zones shown in Table II can be demarcated in the differ-
ent sections (see also Fig. 2).
BIOSTRATIGRAPHY
Lower Cambrian
TABLE II
Lower Cambrian
(1) Rusophycus--Cruziana Zone
Locality: Kalaruch and Putshai in Lolab Valley
Formation: Lolab Formation
Ichnofossils: Rusophycus, Cruziana, Monomorphichnus, Diplichnites, Kupwaria,
Phycodes, Planolites etc.
(2) Redlichia Zone
Locality : Ridge to the west of Putshai
Formation: Lolab Formation
Trilobite fauna: Redlichia noetlingi, R. cf. knjazevi, Tungusella obesa
Shelly fauna: Botsfordia granulata, Neobolus
Middle Cambrian
(1) Solenopleura--Tonkinella Zone
Localities: Turkapur in Zachaldor section and Kandi
Formation: Nutunus Formation
Trilobite fauna: Solenoplura, Ptychoparia, Tonkinella, Hundwarella
Shelly fauna: Hyolithids and obolids
(2) Tonkinella--Anomocare Zone
Locality: Turkapur, Zachaldor, Kandi, Nutunus
Formation: Nutunus Formation
Trilobite fauna: Tonkinella, Hundwarella, Anomocare dimotum, A. hundwarense,
A. perfuntum, Ptychoparia dardpurensis, Anomocarella, Lisania, Peronopsis,
Acadagnostus
Shelly fauna: Obolids
(3) Anomocare--Bailiella Zone
Localities: Zachaldor, Kandi, Nutunus, Magam
Formation: Nutunus Formation
Trilobite fauna: Anomocare suspectum, A. perfuntum, Anomocare sp., Bailiella
sejuncta, B. frangtengensis, Holocephalina wadiai, H. wakhalooi, Conocoryphe reedi,
Luia sp., Bailiaspis sp. Pseudoperonopsis, Peronopsis, Pentagnostus, Hypagnostus
Shelly fauna: Obolids
(4) Bolaspidella Zone
Locality : Magam
Formation: Trahagam Formation
Trilobite fauna : Bolaspidella sp.
Upper Cambrian
(1) Chuangia Zone
Locality: Magam
Formation: Trahagam Formation
Trilobite fauna: Chuangia transversalis, Chuangia sp., Blountia, Dictyites, Cedaria,
Labiostria, ? Iranoleesia, ? Geragnostus, ? Leptoplastus
(2) Dikelocephalites Zone
Localities: Magam and Trahagam
F o r m a t i o n : Trahagam Formation
Trilobite fauna: Dikelocephalites flabelliformis, Dikelocephalites sp., Damesella,
Blackwelderoides, Olenus, Bowmania, ? Geragnostus
92
ZONESLITH©
UNITS TRAHAGAM
SECTION
0 NUTUNUSMAGAM
SECTION
21 sEcT,oN
PUTS~IAIKANDI &~lispide/la
SECTION7 : ~ :~/liel/a
" ~-~b
Jb).'omocare
• !~nkioella
K
rungmella
Oed/~c~b
. A4eanderin9
Fig. 2. Biostratigraphy of the Cambrian o f Kashmir from various sections in the Pohru
Valley.
of trace fossils o f arthropod origin below the Redlichia Zone. The species of
Rusophycus correspond to the resting expression of Cruziana carinata k n o w n
from the Lower Cambrian of Spain (Seilacher, 1970). While the stratigraphic
significance o f Rusophycus and Cruziana is still open to question, the cor-
respondence is significant because Redlichia is k n o w n to start only in the
middle part of Lower Cambrian. Obviously, the beds below it should also
be a part of Lower Cambrian. There would be some justification in correlating
a part of pre-redilichid sequence bearing Rusophycus etc. to the Fallotaspis
Zone, since b o t h are overlain b y the Redlichia Zone. The Precambrian--
Cambrian b o u n d a r y m a y then be below the zone bearing Rusophycus, though
its exact identification can only be possible if the T o m m o t i a n Stage is iden-
tified. This part of the sequence needs an extensive search for skeletal
(archaeocyathid and brachiopod) or microfloral assemblages for identifica-
tion o f this stage, and of the Precambrian--Cambrian boundary.
Towards the upper part of Lower Cambrian, the faunistic evidence is again
lacking above the Redlichia Zone. A b o u t 200 m thickness of barren rock
(upper part of Lolab Formation or its facies variant, the Sagipura Formation)
overlies the Zone before the first appearance of Middle Cambrian trilobites.
As discussed below, the lower Middle Cambrian fauna is absent, hence the
barren rock represents upper L o w e r Cambrian and lower Middle Cambrian.
The upper Lower Cambrian part of it could be equivalent to the Lena
Stage of Siberia or upper part of the Issafenian Stage of Morocco.
Middle Cambrian
CAM B R I A N
LOWE~ [ M,O~L~ ! UPPE~
5o/enop/eura i Chumngia
Tonkinella ! B/ountia
-- p ! Irano/eesi#
AflOmOC~e • " ' ; ~
i Lablostria
Flundwarell# i"
R~dl i c h i a ! ?,Leptoplastu$
,,, ,,,
Pt¥chop~ri#
8o~'e
Tungus~/a
Conocoryphe i Oi.. ¢tyiteS
B#iliell# i P. Ger#gnostu$
8ailiosPis ..IP. . .DJmesella
.
Black welder oide $
L uia
- --- Olenu$
Holoceph#lina : OlkelocephMite$
Anomocar(=lla
L i#en~a
Hy?pagn o s t u s
•
p Peronopsss
A ca dognost us
Bola= >idello
Upper Cambrian
these two genera are new and do not correspond to any Chinese species, but
their generic characters are clear and undoubted. These occurrences would
indicate that Damesella and Blackwelderoides extend into Upper Cambrian
and are not restricted to the upper part of Middle Cambrian which is the
stratigraphic position of these genera in China. However, in Australia also
these genera are known to extend in Upper Cambrian.
The upper part of Upper Cambrian does not contain any fauna in the
only section where it is completely exposed (Trahagam). The DameseUa
bearing beds (Dikelocephalites Zone) are overlain by a thick sequence of
alternating shale and limestone (Trahagam Formation) which towards the
top bears a Middle Ordovician fauna (Rafinesquina, Leptaena, etc.). Thus,
the boundary between Upper Cambrian and Ordovician cannot precisely be
fixed at this stage. The genus Saukia reported earlier (Reed, 1934) is a
ptychoparid collected at a much lower stratigraphic level and is an incorrect
identification. To date in fact, nowhere in Kashmir have any taxa which
definitely belong to the upper part of the Upper Cambrian been reported.
REMARKS ON PALAEOGEOGRAPHY
CONCLUSIONS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
T h e a u t h o r t h a n k s t h e U n i v e r s i t y G r a n t s C o m m i s s i o n , N e w Delhi f o r
p r o v i d i n g financial assistance f o r t h e p r o j e c t u n d e r w h i c h this w o r k was
carried o u t .
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