Om N. Bhargava

Panjab University · Department of Geology

Four ichnospecies of Bergaueria Prantl 1945, namely B. perata, B. hemispherica, B. prantli, and Bergaueria isp., are described from the lower Cambrian Koti Dhaman Formation of Nigalidhar syncline, Lesser Himalaya. The records of Bergaueria Prantl, 1945 from the Himalayan Cambrian sections indicate it abundantly occurs in lower Cambrian successions...

The Ordovician-Silurian trace fossils from the Takche Formation exposed near the Gechang locality, Parahio Valley, Spiti region, Himalaya are described. Following trace fossils were found in the Takche Formation: Arenicolites isp., Aulichnites parkerensis, Archaeonassa fossulata, Catenichnus isp., Cochlichnus isp., Cruziana furcifera, Cruziana gold...

Trace fossils assemblage comprising Bergaueria perata, Cruziana problematica, Ctenopholeus kutcheri, Diplichnites isp., Monomorphichnus bilinearis, Monomorphichnus multilineatus, Palaeophycus tubularis, Psammichnites gigas gigas, Psammichnites gigas arcuatus and Treptichnus pedum being described for the first time from the Cambrian Parahio Member (...

82 publications by Indian geoscientists pertaining to the Proterozoic–Phanerozoic have come out during the last four years (2020–2024). Guide Books for the IGC 2020, GSI publication on the Precambrian sequences and a publication on the evolution of the Lesser Himalaya provide glimpses of regional geology. Other publications deal with geochemistry,...

In the northwest Himalayas, the Cambrian sequences forming part of the Tethyan Himalayan Zone are well preserved in the Zanskar and Spiti regions. In the present work, we critically examine the geologic, stratigraphic and biostratigraphic aspects of the Cambrian Kunzam La Formation exposed in the Zanskar (i.e., in the Niri-Tsarap Chu and Kurgiakh v...

Limestones of the Takche Formation (Spiti, Himalaya) are characterized by normal marine fauna and flora typical for the Late Ordovician. The flora is represented by algae, mostly by receptaculitids and dasyclad green algae. Var- ious calcareous microorganisms such as calcitarchs, Rothpletzella and Girvanella are present. There are some dif- ference...

A low diversity trace fossil assemblage that includes Bergaueria perata, Bergaueria hemispherica, Bergaueria isp., Dimorphichnus obliquus, Monocraterion isp., Psammichnites gigas circularis, Psammichnites gigas gigas along with arthropod scratch marks, are for the first time, recorded from the Cambrian Kunzam La Formation exposed between the Charan...

Our international team has worked with regional experts to compile details on nearly every geologic formation of the Indian Plate from Proterozoic through Quaternary. This suite of nearly 1000 sedimentary and volcanic formations includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, plus all offshore sedimentary basins that hav...

A dense population of Rosselia socialis referable to as the Crowded Rosselia Ichnofabric (CRI) was found in a 1.67 m thick amalgamated coarse hybrid sandstone of the Gechang Formation (Permian) at Guling locality in the Spiti region, Himalaya. CRI is confined to 6-7 cm of the uppermost part of the hybrid sandstone of the Gechang Formation and indic...

The Kunzam La Formation (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4 to Wuliuan, Miaolingian) in the Zanskar region of the Tethyan Himalaya preserves Psammichnites traces in abundance. Their study in a biostratigraphically well-dated Cambrian section in the Zanskar region resulted in determination of three zones of Psammichnites. Stratigraphically, the Psammichnite...

An integrated litho- microfacies and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Takche Formation (Ordovician– Silurian) has been carried out in the Pin Valley, Spiti region. Ten lithofacies were identified in the Takche Formation, i.e. (i) siltstone- sandstone facies, (ii) sandy limestone facies A, (iii) sandy limestone facies B, (iv) sandy limestone f...

Our international team, in collaboration with numerous regional experts, has compiled comprehensive details on geologic formations within the Indian Plate, spanning the Proterozoic to Quaternary periods. This compilation encompasses nearly 1000 sedimentary and volcanic formations across India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar...

This chapter enumerates important unresolved problems for gaining the attention of geoscientists working in the Himalaya. These can be classified under stratigraphy and palaeontology, sedimentology, tectonics, magmatism and geochronology, metamorphism, mineral deposits, palaeomagnetism, glaciology, and geomorphology.

Part of Outreach program. Meant for laymen and schoolchildren

36th IGC Field Guide Book

We present lithostratigraphic correlations, paleocurrent analysis, general pattern of sedimentation, regional setup, tectonics, and the basin configuration of the Ediacaran-early Cambrian in the Lesser Himalayan zone (LHZ). The Ediacaran-early Cambrian sequences from the west to the east are preserved as Hazira Formation in Hazara, and as the the T...

Geoseismological observation pertaining to Kinnaur Earthquake of 19 January, 1975

The Palaeogene in the Lesser Himalaya of the western sector is represented by the Subathu and Dagshai formations-two subdivisions of the Sirmur Group. Several aspects of these two formations are enmeshed in Was it continuous from the Indus Suture zone to the Sub-Himalaya and even extending to Jaisalmer or two separate (iv) Was the sedimentation fro...

Cover page of 2nd Edition of Geology of Himachal Pradesh

Litho-microfacies and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Takche Formation (Ordovician-Silurian) in the Pin valley, Spiti region, Himalaya; leads to the identification of ten lithofacies i.e. siltstone-sandstone facies, sandy-limestone Facies A, sandy-limestone Facies B, sandy-limestone Facies C, sandy-limestone Facies D, calcareous shale-siltst...

We present trace element compositions and rare earth elements (REEs) analyses of the Cambrian Series 2-Wuliuan (Miaolingian), Kunzam La Formation from the Sumna Valley, Spiti, Tethyan Himalaya, in order to identify the provenance, tectonic settings and depositional environment in the region. The trace elemental ratios (Th/Co, Th/Sc, La/Sc, Cr/Th) a...

The gneisses and associated metasediments and intrusive ca. 1860 Ma Wangtu Granite, designated as the JeoriWangtu-Bandal Gneissic Complex (JWBC), formed the basement for the oldest Lesser Himalayan rocks, when India was part of the Columbia supercontinent. A mega rift extending over the entire length of the present Himalaya developed around ca.1800...

The ‘Alwar Quartzite’ has been extensively used in several stone-built monuments in Delhi (capital city of India) and states of North India. Several monuments of Delhi in particular, built during the ‘pre-Sultanate period’ (eleventh century or earlier) to the British Raj in the late nineteenth century, have extensively utilised the Alwar Quartzite...

Abundant, though moderately well-preserved, specimens of Pagetia sp. are recorded along with the ptychopariid Xingrenaspis dardapurensis from a new stratigraphic level which lies above the Oryctocephalus salteri biozone in the Spiti region (Himalaya). This occurrence of Pagetia in a higher stratigraphic level (higher than the Oryctocephalus salteri...

Trace fossils are abundant in the Cambrian Kunzam La Formation in the Lahaul and Spiti regions of the Himalaya. All previously known records belong stratigraphically to the upper part of the Cambrian Series 2/Stage 4 to the Miaolingian Series. In the present work, 15 ichnogenera comprising 26 recorded ichnospecies come from the lower part of the Ku...

A 153.48 m thick section of the Kunzam La (Parahio) Formation exposed on the right bank of the Sumna River (Spiti), Himalaya (India), yielded Cambrian trilobites from two stratigraphic intervals. The lower interval yielded the trilobites Xingrenaspis cf. X. dardapurensis and Kunmingaspis stracheyi with a few brachiopods. This interval falls within...

Describes Carbonate buildups in the Himalaya ranging in age from Mesoproterozoic (Riphean) to Rhaetic-Lias

Describes the microfacies of Mesoproterozoic stromatolitic bodies of huge dimensions resembling the reefal buildups

We welcome the discussion on trace fossils, depositional environment and paleogeography of the Upper Tal Group (upper lower Cambrian) (Lesser Himalayan) by Landing and Geyer. The discussion by Landing and Geyer emerged due to their: i. erroneous correlation of the rocks (and their ages) of the Tal Group exposed in the Mussoorie/Garhwal and Nigalidh...

The term Parahio was used by Reed (1910) for upper part of a fault-truncated Cambrian sequence in the Parahio Valley-a tributary of the Spiti river. Complete Cambrian succession, excellently developed in the vicinity of the Kunzam La, was termed Kunzam La Formation, a term which has been adopted in all recent text books and also in various publicat...

The Heritage Stone Subcommission (HSS), under the aegis of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), accords “Global Heritage Stone Resource” status to stones used in architectural heritage sites that are particularly important for local cultures and traditions. The Proterozoic slates of Himachal Pradesh have been used extensively in t...

The yellow-colored limestone of Jaisalmer, famous as golden stone, has been extensively used in the architectonic heritage of western India. The architectural heritage, built of this limestone, imparts an exquisite character to Jaisalmer city, which is popularly known as “The Golden City.” The Jaisalmer Fort built using Jaisalmer Limestone, locally...

The Oryctocephalus indicus biozone (Wuliuan, Miaolingian) is recognised in the Sumna Valley, in the southeastern part of the Spiti region in the Himalaya, on the basis of the first appearance datum (FAD) and last appearance datum (LAD) of Oryctocephalus indicus. The biozone is ~5.6 m thick (17.8 to 23.4 m) and contains the trilobites Oryctocephalus...

A shallow marine transgression during the lower-middle Ordovician resumed the sedimentation with a prominent conglomerate horizon. The conglomerate horizon is absent in the Byans (Kalapani) and Bhutan sectors. The lower Ordovician siliciclastic sediments are succeeded by siliciclastic-algal-coral buildups during the Katian, indicating deepening of...

In the Indian Himalaya, the Cambrian sequences are exposed in the Lesser and Tethyan Himalayan zones (LHZ and THZ). In the LHZ, the Cambrian biozonation is available at four stratigraphic intervals, i.e., at ~542-535 Ma, ~524-513 Ma, ~516 Ma, and ~512 Ma. In the THZ, the Cambrian biozonation exists broadly at two stratigraphic intervals, i.e., ~514...

Trace fossils Arthrophycus cf. A. brongniartti, Asterosoma ludwigae, Bergaueria perata, Cruziana semiplicata, Cruziana furcifera, Curvolithus simplex, Diplichnites gouldi, Monomorphichnus lineatus, Phycodes circinatum, Phycodes palmatum, Phycodes rarus, Palaeophycus striatus, Planolites isp., Rusophycus leifeirikssoni, Rusophycus petraeus, Rusophyc...

The rocks in the Himalaya range from Paleoproterozoic to Recent. However, only a rudimentary palaeoclimatic information is available from the Himalaya succession. In fact, no specific and significant study to interpret past climate, save in the Upper Siwalik and Quaternary, has been attempted. Based on published information an attempt is made here...

The rocks in the Himalaya range from Paleoproterozoic to Recent. However, only a rudimentary palaeoclimatic information is available from the Himalaya succession. In fact, no specific and significant study to interpret past climate, save in the Upper Siwalik and Quaternary, has been attempted. Based on published information an attempt is made here...

Integrated Sedimentological, Ichnological and Sequence Stratigraphical Studies of the Koti Dhaman Formation (Tal Group), Nigali Dhar Syncline, Lesser Himalaya, India: Paleoenvironmental, Paleoecological, Paleogeographic Significance.

Integrated ichnology, sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the Lower Quartzite Member to the Arkosic Sandstone Member of the Koti Dhaman Formation (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4), Tal Group, Nigali Dhar Syncline, Lesser Himalayan lithotectonic zone are presented. Trilobite traces of Gondwanan affinity i.e., Cruziana salomonis, Cruziana fascicula...

Warm-water Dasycladaceae algae Mastopora and Cyclocrinites were for the first time recorded from the Takche Formation (Upper Ordovician–lower Silurian), Parahio Valley, Spiti, India. They are preserved as external and internal moulds of the non-globular or possibly bulb-like cortical skeleton showing flattened thalli with a high degree of compactio...

Refinement of the Cambrian biozonation in the Parahio valley, Spiti region (Himalaya) leads to the demarcation of the stratigraphic distance between the Haydenaspis parvatya level (Series 2, Stage 4) and the Oryctocephalus indicus Biozone (base of the Miaolingian Series, Wuliuan Stage), which has been a subject of debate. The present work suggests...

An avoidable controversy regarding the stratigraphic nomenclature of the Lower and Middle Palaeozoic formations of Spiti−Lahaul and Zanskar have been raised on poorly defined evidences and parameters particularly regarding terms Batal, Kunzam La, Thango and Takche, without valid facts to substantiate their claim. The argument that the Parahio valle...

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The Kunzam La (Parahio) Formation along the Shian section of the Pin Valley was previously interpreted as containing Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary trace fossils, but re-examination of the Shian section shows that the oldest part of the section belongs to the late part of Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4, which contradicts the previous interpretation. The t...

Stratigraphic sequences, major hiatuses, Lithology, thickness and rates of sedimentation of litho units of the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic of India

An assemblage of trace fossils comprising Asteriacites stelliformis, A. quinquefolius, Biformites insolitus, Helminthoidichnites? isp., Lingulichnus isp., Lockeia siliquaria, Palaeophycus tubularis, Planolites isp., Protovirgularia isp. A, Protovirgularia isp. B, Protovirgularia isp. C, Psammichnites isp., Rusophycus isp., and Treptichnus isp. from...

Additional Cambrian Series 3, Stage 5, trilobite fauna comprising Peronopsis sp., Eosoptychoparia cf. Spinosa Gaotanaspis cf. pingzhaiensis and Gaotanaspis cf. transversa have been recorded just immediately above the known Oryctocephalus indicus biozone (Cambrian Series 3, Stage 5) in the Parahio valley section (Spiti region). The FAD of Peronopsis...

Well-developed Subathu succession is exposed in the Bilaspur tectonic Unit in the Sub-Himalaya. The Late Thanetian marine transgression across the Himalayan Foreland Basin (HFB) was from west to east over a peneplained basement with depressions that controlled the sedimentation. The sea first spread along the northern and southern margins and later...