Introduction

The Mesozoic rocks ranging in age from Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous are particularly
well developed in Kutch, where they exhibit a complete succession and a total thickness of 600ft. These
rocks are regarded as the oldest and the most important stratigraphical formation in Kutch. These
sedimentary rocks represent a phase of marine transgression along the western part of India during the
Jurassic Period. The individual rock beds appear to have been deposited under a relatively shallow stretch
of marine water and exhibit a gentle slope towards the sea. The enormous thickness of the sedimentary
column is probably due to the gradual sinking of the basin along with the deposition of marine sediments.

In Kutch region, the Jurassic rocks are exposed in three anticlinal chains of ridges trending in
east-west direction. The northern chain comprises the islands of Patcham, Karrir, Bela and Chorar. The
middle chain consists of the most prominent ridge extending for about 193km from Habo in the east to
Lakhpat in the west. The southern most chain forms a 64km long Katrol – Charwar range in the south of
Bhuj.

Lithology

Characteristically the Mesozoic succession of Kutch region has been intruded by various sills and
dykes which are genetically related with the overlying Deccan Traps. The basal conglomerate of the
Patcham Formation contains pebbles of crystalline rocks, suggesting a Precambrian basement for the
Mesozoic succession of the region.

Classification

The Jurassic sequence of Kutch is divided into four main divisions, as follows –

UMIA FORMATION - 3000ft

KATROL FORMATION - 1000ft

CHARI FORMATION - 1200ft

PATCHAM FORMATION - 1000ft

(Including Kaurbet beds)

Stratigraphic Succession (after Shastry and Mamgain, 1971)

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 Formation (age) Subdivisions Leading fossils

Deccan Traps

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Unconformity~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~

Umia Post - Aptian Bhuj beds Palmoxylon, Ptillophylum

(Umia plane beds)

Sandstones and Shales

Aptian Ukra beds Australiceras, Tropaeum

Marine Calcareous Shales

Upper Neocomian Umia beds – barren sandstones Unfossiliferous

and shales

Valanginian Trigonia beds – barren sandstones Trigonia

Upper Tithonian Umia ammonite beds Virgatosphinctes, Umiaites

Katrol Middle Tithonian Upper Katrol Shales Hildoglochiceras, Heploceras

Gajansar beds Belemnopsis, Streblites

Lower Tithonian ` Upper Katrol Sandstone (barren Mainly unfossiliferous

sandstone)

Middle Kimmeridgian Middle Katrol Sandstone (red Torquatisphinctes, Katroliceras

sandstones)

Lower Katrol Shale (s.s.t, shales, Aspidoceras, Torquatisphinctes

marls)

Upper Oxfordian Kantkote Sandstone Epimayaites, Prososphinctes

(Bimammatum zone)

Chari Upper to Lower Dhosa Oolite (green and brown Mayaites, Dhosaites
Oxfordian oolites)(Transversarium zone)

Upper Callovian Athleta beds (marls and gypseous Metapeltoceras, Peltoceras

shales)

Middle Callovian Anceps beds (limestones and Kinkeliniceras, Hubertoceras

shales)

Rehmanni beds (yellow Reineckeia rehmanni, R.

limestone) tyranniformis, Shivajiceras

Lower Callovian Macrocephalus beds (shales with Macrocephalites, Bellemnites,

calcareous bands, with golden Dalicocephalites
oolite – Diadematus zone in the

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 upper part)

Patcham Lower Callovian Coral bed Macrocephalites, Procerites

Lower Callovian to Shelly Limestone Macrocephalites, Trigonia

Bathonian

Kuarbet beds Corbula, Eomiodon, Trigonia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Unconformity~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Precambrian basement (not exposed)

Lithological Description

Patcham Formation

The formation is named after the type section, the Patcham Island of the Rann. The rocks are best
exposed in the Patcham, Khan and Bela Islands of the Great Rann of Kutch. The formation represents a narratic
facies of transgressive sea comprising a 300m thick succession of dark pisolitic limestones, yellow sandstones and
olive green shales overlying by nodular fossiliferous cherly limestones and marls. The lowest bed, seen here in
Khera, is known as Kuarbet beds. It is made up of principally of limestones and some sandstones and shale and
constitutes a total thickness of about 100ft. This formation is as a whole rich in limestone.

Chari Formation

This formation takes its name from a village 50km NW of Bhuj. It conformably succeeds the
Patcham Formation and consists of about 400m thick succession of sandy limestones, marls, calcareous and sandy
shales and oolitic limestones. The formation represents five groups.

The lowest is the Macrocephalus beds are made up of shales, calcareous bands and oolites. It can
be subdivided into several zones by means of the ammonite fauna. The upper part of the middle division of this
group contains a few layers of ‘golden oolites’ constituting the Diadematus zone, which is calcareous oolite, the
grains of which coated with thin films of ferric oxides giving them a golden colour. Above this occur, dark shales
and sandy shales with calcareous and ferruginous nodules.

The Rehmanni beds overlying the golden oolites are composed of dark shales and sandy shales
with calcareous and ferruginous nodules.

The Anceps beds lies above the Rehmanni beds are consists of limestones and shales. This
horizon contains Perisphinctes anceps.

White limestone marls and gypseous shales occurring above the Anceps beds are known as the
Athleta beds. The topmost beds of Chari Formation are the Dhosa oolites, composed of green and brown oolitic
limestone.

The lithology of the formation of relatively deeper water facies represents a change in the
depositional environment from a transgressive facies.

Katrol Formation

The Katrol Formation succeeds the Chari Formation presumably with an interrupted deposition
demonstrated by the presence of pebbly beds in the basal part of the succession (Rajnath 1932). The Katrol
Formation is named after the east-west trending Katrol Charwar range in the south of Bhuj, comprising of about
750m thick shallow marine succession of shales, limestones, sandstones and sand grits. The Formation includes the
Kankote Sandsotnes, Katrol beds proper and Gajansar beds in the ascending order, and range in age from Upper
Argovian to Portlandian. The oldest division is known as Kantkote sandstone. It indicates a horizon below the
Katrol beds proper.

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 The overlying Katrol group is subdivided into three parts, of which the lowest portion is composed of
sandstone, shale and marls. The middle Katrol group is composed of red sandstones. The upper Katrol lies above
middle Katrol division, composed of gritty sandstone but contain no fossil because it is tapped by gritty sandstone.
The Gajansar beds formed the uppermost horizon of the Katrol Formation.

Umia Formation

The Umia Formation succeeding the Katrol Formation, with a slight unconformity is composed of mixed
rock facies of marine and continental origin. It is 900m thick and consists of sandstones, conglomerates and shales,
and considered by Arkell as similar to the Nubian Sandstone of Egypt, which is partly of Lower Cretaceous age.
The Lower part of the succession is composed of Umia beds. The bottommost horizon made up principally of
shales, called formerly the Jamia Shales, really form part of the Gajansar beds. They are better called as the Upper
Katrol Shales. The Umia bed consists mainly of barren sandstone, with fossiliferous intercalations. The ammonite
bed lies above Jamia Shales is composed of sandstone and oolites and characterised by presence of remains of
numbers of ammonites. Trigonia beds are overlain above Ammonite beds. It comprised of sandstones and
conglomerates.

Unfossiliferous sandstones, about 1000ft thick, lie above the Trigonia beds and these together constitute the
Ukra bed, which comprises about 23m thick succession of greenish sandstone, calcareous shales, grits and marls.
Ukra beds are followed upward by a fossiliferous horizon of sandstone and shale. This horizon is known as Umia
Plant Beds. The overlying Bhuj beds contain sandstone and shales, and are probably estuarine. They contain
Ptillophylum and other plants closely related to Jabalpur Formation, and are presumably of post-Aptian age. The
regression which was taking place here seems to be contemporaneous with the transgression of the Trichy Coast.

The Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks in Kutch are overlain in some places by Deccan Trap lava flows;
with a distinct unconformity. In certain regions, they are overlain unconformably by younger rocks of Tertiary age.
The workers in the field of Indian Stratigraphy are of the opinion that the Jurassic rocks of Kutch and the Salt Range
were deposited under marine transgression over a vast area. The geosynclinals basin in Himalayan region appears to
have witnessed a regression of sea during the same period.

Palaeontological Description

Patcham Formation: The lowest beds of Patcham Formation, seen near Khera, Kuarbet beds which yield a rich
pelecypod fauna (Corbula lyrata, and other species, Eomiodon, Protocardia, Trigonia etc) and corals. The only
ammonite found in these beds was a Stephanoceratid.

Overlying the Shell and Coral limestone are the Patcham Beds proper. They are characterized by the
presence of Macrocephalites triangularis, Sivajiceras congener, etc.

Chari Formation: The Chari Formation contains five groups. The lowest is the Macrocephalus beds, which have
yielded a rich collection of Callovian ammonites and gastropods. They chiefly yield ammonite - Indocephalites
diadematus. The species of Nucula and Astarte are also very common in the Macrocephalus group. The lower
portion of this bed is the Rehmanni zone in which Macrocephalites persists and Phylloceras and Lytoceras begin to
appear; Idiocycloceras and Subkossmatia are characteristics, as also some Terabratulids and Trigonias. Anceps beds
succeeding the Rehmanni zone contain ammonites, brachiopods and lamellibranches. The Athleta beds above them
composed of white limestone with a similar fauna. The topmost bed of the Chari Formations are the Dhoja Oolites,
very rich in Oxfordian fossil assemblage like Mayaites maya, Epimayaites polyphemus, Perisphinctes
indogermanus, Peltoceretoides semirugosus, Paracenoceras kumagunense, Evaspidoceras waageni, and some
teribratulites. The Dhosa Oolites contains the late Macrocephalitids such as Mayaites, Epimayaites and Dhosaites.

Katrol Formation: This formation includes the Kankote Sandstone, Katrol beds proper and Gajansar beds. The
Kankote Sandstone indicate a horizon below the Katrol beds proper and the chief fossil being Epimayaites
transience, Prososphinctes virguloides and Torquatisphinctes torquatus of Upper Oxfordian Age. The lower and
middle Katrol Beds Proper contains Oppelides and Perisphinctids (Taramelliceras, Glochiceras, Streblites,
Aspidoceras; Torquatisphinctes, Pachysphinctes, Katroliceras, Subplanites, etc.) but the upper part tapped by gritty
sandstone so it is generally devoid of fossils. The Gajansar beds contain a fauna in which appear species of
Glochiceras, Phylloceras, Belemnopsis etc. The Katrol succession has also Mioflora and other plant fossils.

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 The microfaunal record however suggests an uninterrupted phase of sedimentation between the Katrol and
the Chari Formations.

Umia Formation: The bottommost horizon of Umia Formation is Jamia Shales really form part of the Gajansar
beds. They contain Haploceras elimatum, Hildoglochiceras spp., Phylloceras, Belemnopsis etc. and are of
Portlandian Age. The Umia Group consists mainly of barren sandstones with fossiliferous intercalations. The
Ammonite beds are green oolites with abundant ammonites some brachiopods and corals. Large Virgatosphinctes
are characteristics but Aulacosphinctes, Ptychophylloceras, Umiaites and Micracanthoceras also occurs; other
fossils are Acanthorhynchia, Lobothyris and Trigonia retrorsa. The Trigonia beds are characterized by Trigonia
ventricosa and T. crassa. The Umia group is therefore Upper Tithonian and Neocomian.

The Ukra beds contain Australiceras, Cheloniceras, Tropaeum. It also contains remains of plants so this is
known as Umia Plant Beds. The overlying Bhuj beds yields abundant plant fossils including Philicales,
Cycadophyta, Conifers etc. The Saurian remains of Pleisiasaurus indica have also been reported and also contain
Ptilophyllum. The plant fossils are closely related to those from the Jabalpur Formation of Post Aptian Age.