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Arumberia and associated fossils from the Neoproterozoic Maihar Sandstone, Vindhyan Supergroup, Central India

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Abstract

Three types of microbial mats, one body fossil and one unnamed form are reported from the Maihar Sandstone, the youngest lithostratigraphic unit of the Bhander Group (Upper Vindhyans). These are Arumberia banksi Glaessner and Walter, Arumberia vindhyanensis n. form, Rameshia rampurensis n. group and n. form, Beltanelliformis minuta McIlroy, Crimes & Pauley and Form A. Arumberia and Rameshia are considered as organosedimentary structures formed by the interaction of microbial community with the siliciclastic sediments. They flourished in shallow marine tidal setting. On the basis of the presence of Arumberia, an Ediacaran age is suggested for the Maihar Sandstone.
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Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India
Volume, 53(1), June 2008: 83-97
ISSN 0522-9630
ARUMBERIA AND ASSOCIATED FOSSILS FROM THE NEOPROTEROZOIC
MAIHAR SANDSTONE, VINDHYAN SUPERGROUP, CENTRAL INDIA
S. KUMAR and S.K. PANDEY
CENTRE OF ADVANCED STUDY IN GEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF LUCKNOW, LUCKNOW-226007, INDIA.
E-mails: surendra100@hotmail.com (S. Kumar); sangeology@yahoo.co.in (S.K. Pandey)
ABSTRACT
Three types of microbial mats, one body fossil and one unnamed form are reported from the Maihar Sandstone, the youngest lithostratigraphic
unit of the Bhander Group (Upper Vindhyans). These are Arumberia banksi Glaessner and Walter, Arumberia vindhyanensis n. form, Rameshia
rampurensis n. group and n. form, Beltanelliformis minuta McIlroy, Crimes & Pauley and Form A. Arumberia and Rameshia are considered as
organosedimentary structures formed by the interaction of microbial community with the siliciclastic sediments. They flourished in shallow marine
tidal setting. On the basis of the presence of Arumberia, an Ediacaran age is suggested for the Maihar Sandstone.
Keywords: Arumberia, Microbial mats, Ediacaran, Maihar Sandstone, Vindhyan Supergroup, Central India
INTRODUCTION
The Precambrian calcareous rocks are well known for
the preservation of microbial mats as stromatolites, but their
presence in the siliciclastic rocks has gained attention only
after their discovery in the modern siliciclastic sediments
(Davis, 1968; Bauld et al., 1992; Noffke et al., 1997; Schieber
et al., 2007; Gerdes, 2007). Identification of microbial mats
in the siliciclastic rocks is difficult in absence of definite
clues for their morphological manifestations though
attempts have been made to identify surface features in
modern sediments which owe their presence to microbial
activity. Schieber et al. (2007) have summarised the available
information about interaction of microbial mats with
siliciclastic sediments both from the modern environmental
settings as well as from the ancient rocks. Eriksson et al.
(2007) have considered microbial mats as sedimentary
structures albeit of a complex organo-physico-chemical
origin. In the present paper the microbial mats are considered
trace fossils which are produced by interaction of microbial
community and environment of deposition. In the
Precambrian which represents about 80% of the time span
of earth, the microbial community evolved with time since
Archaean. This evolution in Precambrian is well manifested
in producing varied morphologies in carbonate sequences
in the form of stromatolites; many of which are time
controlled. Similarly the microbial community must have also
produced mat structures in the siliciclastic sediments some
of which might have been time controlled. However, not
much information is presently available on these structures.
One such organo-sedimentary structure is Arumberia
Glaessner and Walter reported from the siliciclastic
sediments and considered to have been formed by the
interaction of sediments with microbial mats. It has a
restricted distribution in the late Neoproterozoic (Bland,
1984; McIlroy and Walter, 1997). The paper describes
Arumberia and associated fossils from the Late
Neoproterozic Maihar Sandstone, the youngest
lithostratigraphic horizon of the Vindhyan Supergroup,
Maihar area, district Satna, Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) and
discusses its significance in biostratigraphic correlation and
in suggesting age.
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
The Vindhyan Supergroup occupies 1,66,400 sq km in
Central India constituting the largest Proterozoic basin in India
(Fig. 1). In addition about 40,000 sq. km is concealed under the
Gangetic alluvium in the north (Srivastava et al., 1983). It extends
from Deri-on-Son, Bihar in the east to Hoshangabad (M.P.)
and Chittorgarh, (Rajasthan) in the west. In the southern and
southwestern parts, it is covered by the Deccan Traps.
Representing deposits of an intracratonic basin, the Vindhyan
Supergroup attains a huge thickness of more than 4 km. The
rocks are represented by sandstones, shales, limestones,
dolostones, conglomerates and porcellanites. The rocks are
unmetamorphosed and least disturbed. The rocks, in general
show excellent preservation of sedimentary structures,
stromatolites, carbonaceous mega fossils and microfossils
(Auden, 1933; Valdiya, 1969; Singh, 1976; McMenamin et al.,
1983; Prasad, B., 1984; Kumar, 1980, 2001; Venketachala et al.,
1996; Kumar and Srivastava, 1997, 2003; Prasad, 2007, Prasad
et al., 2007; Misra and Kumar, 2005; Sharma, 2006).
The Vindhyan Supergroup has been subdivided into four
groups; in stratigraphic order these are the Semri Group, the
Kaimur Group, the Rewa Group and the Bhander Group. Each
group is further subdivided into different formations (Table 1).
The Semri Group is generally referred to as the Lower Vindhyan
and the Kaimur, Rewa and Bhander Groups have been clubbed
as the Upper Vindhyan. The Bhander Group is the youngest
group of the Vindhyan Supergroup and has been subdivided
into four formations in the Maihar area, Satna district, M.P. In
stratigraphic order these are the Ganurgarh Shale, the Bhander
Limestone, the Sirbu Shale and the Maihar Sandstone (Table
1). The Maihar Sandstone is the youngest stratigraphic horizon
of the Bhander Group, which shows gradational contact with
the underlying Sirbu Shale (Fig. 2, 3). It has also been referred
to as the Upper Bhander Sandstone (Bhattacharyya, 1993).
The Maihar Sandstone forms well developed scarps in the
southwestern, eastern and northern sides of Maihar township
and always forms a cap rock (Plate I-a). The Maihar Sandstone
84
is about 50 to 60 m thick and is represented by sandstone,
siltstone and subordinate shale. It shows excellent preservation
of sedimentary structures including mud and dessication
cracks, large and small scale cross bedding (Pl. I, fig. b), flaser
and lenticular bedding, parallel bedding, wave and current
ripples, interference ripples, primary lineation, flute cast, current
Table 1: Lithostratigraphy of the Son Valley Section, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (modified after Auden, 1933; Bhattacharyya,
1993).
Supergroup Group Formation Important fossils Reference
Maihar Sandstone Arumberia, Beltanelliformis (Present work)
Sirbu Shale Chuaria–Tawuia assemblage Kumar and Srivastava (2003)
Bhander Group Bhander Limestone Chuaria–Tawuia assemblage, Kumar and
Baicalia baicalica, Tungussia Srivastava (2003),
and sponge spicule (?) Kumar (1976,1999)
Ganurgarh Shale
Rewa Group Sandstone and shale Chuaria–Tawuia assemblage Rai et al. (1997)
Kaimur Group Sandstone and shale
Vindhyan
Supergroup-----------------------------------------------------------------UNCONFORMITY------------------------------------------------------------------
Rohtas Formation GrypaniaChuaria assemblage Kumar (1995)
Semri Group Kheinjua Formation Coniform stromatolites Misra and Kumar (2005)
Porcellanite Formation
Basal Formation Coniform stromatolites Misra and Kumar (2005)
-------------------------------------------------------------------UNCONFORMITY--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bundelkhand Granites/Bijawar phyllites
S. KUMAR AND S.K. PANDEY
85
crescent mark, penecontemporaneous deformational
structures, intraformational conglomerates (Plate I-c) and
breccia. Singh (1976) has suggested that the Maihar Sandstone
is a deposit of tidal flat – shoal complex where lower part
represents sandy and muddy tidal flats and the upper part
represents shoal sand bar complex with prominent wave and
strong tidal currents. According to Basumallick (1962) the
Maihar sandstone is moderate to poorly sorted subgraywacke.
He has assigned tidal flat environment of deposition to the
whole succession of the Maihar Sandstone.
AGE OF THE MAIHAR SANDSTONE (BHANDER
GROUP)
In recent years, a number of papers have been published
on radiometric dates which modified the concept of the
beginning of the sedimentation in the Vindhyan Basin from
1400 Ma to ca. 1800 Ma (see Misra and Kumar, 2005 and
references there in). Recently, Ray (2006) has reviewed the age
of the Vindhyan Supergroup and opined that the age of the
Lower Vindhyans in the Son Valley is now resolved, where as
the problems with the age of the Upper Vindhyans and their
correlation remain to be answered. Though no radiometric dates
are available for the Bhander Group, but
87
Sr/
86
Sr data for the
Bhander Group (Ray et al., 2003) points to a Neoproterozoic
age. In absence of the radiometric dates, the age of the Bhander
Group in general and age of the Maihar Sandstone in particular
have to be based on the available palaeontological record and
lithostratigraphic correlation. The stromatolites are abundantly
recorded from the Bhander Group and on this basis age has
been suggested. The Bhander Group is characterized by the
presence of Baicalia, Tungussia and Patomia and complete
absence of coniform stromatolites (Kumar, 1982; Misra and
Kumar, 2005). On the basis of stromatolites, Kumar (1982) has
suggested upper Riphean age for the Bhander Limestone. In
the Maihar area, the Maihar Sandstone is underlain by the
Sirbu Shale, from which Kumar and Srivastava (2003) have
reported Chuaria-Tawuia association along with other
carbonaceous megafossils including Phascolites and they have
suggested that the age of the Bhander Group is somewhere
between upper Riphean and Vendian. Rai (1999) for the first
time reported the occurrence of microbial mat textures from the
Maihar Sandstone and suggested Vendian age.
No Cambrian fossil has so far been discovered from the
Bhander Group. The Ediacaran fossils reported by De (2003,
2006) are not convincingly biogenic and hence ignored.
Recently Prasad (2007) has studied the microfossils recovered
from the Bhander Group by maceration technique and on this
basis has suggested latest Cryogenian to late Vendian age (ca.
650–544 Ma). Thus, the present available data supports a late
Neoproterozoic age for the Maihar Sandstone.
ARUMBERIA GLAESSNER AND WALTER, 1975
Glaessner and Walter (1975) erected a new genus
Arumberia to describe long, narrow, subparallel, straight to
gently curved grooves seen on the lower surfaces of Arumbera
Sandstone, Northern Territory, Australia. They interpreted these
NEOPROTEROZOIC FOSSILS FROM THE VINDHYAN SUPERGROUP (MAIHAR SANDSTONE)
86
structures as the remains of a cup shaped animal probably a
Coelenterate grade. Brasier (1979), however, suggested an in-
organic origin to these markings. He compared these markings
with the structures produced by paired vertices in the flume
experiments of Dzulynski and Walton (1965). They argued that
the nature of both short lived and long lived vertices were
responsible for the formation of fine grooves including lateral
extent of the radial grooves and double ridges. Bland (1984)
emphasized that Arumberia is restricted to latest Precambrian
and lower Cambrian. On this basis he supported an organic
origin. McIlroy and Walter (1997) interpreted Arumberia as
formed by the action of currents on cohesive muddy surface,
which may have been microbially bound. It is true that there
are many morphologies produced in the flume experiments of
Dzulynski and Walton (1965) as well as those produced in the
experiments of Allen (1982) which compare well with the ridges
and grooves seen in the Arumberia morphology, but the most
important point is the preservation of such structures in the
sandy, non-cohesive material. If such structures are preserved
in sandy material then some process must have been involved
in making the sand cohesive and most logical is the role of
microbial mats, which flourished at the time of sedimentation.
Arumberia, in the present work is considered as an
organosedimentary structure produced by the interaction of
microbial mats, prevailing hydrodynamic conditions and the
type of sediments.
Use of binomial nomenclature for describing Arumberia
is retained for the ease of communication and convenience.
This use can be compared with the similar practice for describ-
ing stromatolites, an organosedimentary structure well pre-
a. View of the scarp showing Maihar Sandstone as cap rock overlying
the Sirbu Shale. View towards the north from Kudra village. (A=
Sirbu Shale, B= Maihar Sandstone)
b. Large scale cross bedding and ripple bedding in Maihar Sandstone,
Rampur hillock, Maihar area, M. P. The arrow marks the develop-
EXPLANATION OF PLATE I
ment of Arumberia on the bedding surface. Diameter of lens cover
= 5.5 cm.
c. Sandstone clasts seen in intraformational conglomerate, Maihar
Sandstone, Rampur hillock, Maihar area, M. P. Diameter of coin =
2.3 cm.
S. KUMAR AND S.K. PANDEY
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KUMAR AND PANDEY
Plate I
Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India
Volume, 53(1), June 2008
88
served in carbonate rocks. It is further emphasized here that
Arumberia is not a genus in the traditional sense, but a
morphogroup and its species are considered as a morphoforms.
Arumberia recorded in the Maihar Sandstone is generally
in fine grained sandstone. Unless the fine sand is made cohesive
by some process delicate morphology of Arumberia is
impossible to preserve. There are also some places when the
entire surface is covered with scaly structures, whose
morphology can not be explained by invoking inorganic
processes (Pl. II, figs. c, d). Thus, the delicate morphologies of
Arumberia in fine sand favour a biogenic origin. Microbial
community which produced Arumberia is not preserved, as is
the case with most of the stromatolites. The Maihar Sandstone
is about 50–60 m thick and shows abundant presence of
Arumberia in the middle to upper part (Fig. 3). The top 5-6 m
which shows large scale cross bedding and forms the cap rock
is devoid of Arumberia.
Salient features of Arumberia in the Maihar Sandstone
are summarized below:
1. The morphology of Arumberia is characterized by the
presence of thin ridges and grooves seen on both top and
sole of the bed and extends from several mm to tens of cm
in length. The ridges show height up to 1 mm and are upto
5 mm apart. The ridges and grooves are parallel to
subparallel and show branching. They also merge with
each other and are also curved. At places, the grooves are
criss crossed forming different shapes like oblate, elliptical,
lobate, cuspate, lenceolate etc. Long blade like form with a
marked groove in the middle is also seen. The different
types of morphologies associated with Arumberia are
shown by the line diagrams in Fig. 4 a,b,c, d & f and Pls. II,
III, IV and V.
2. In most cases the orientation of the grooves and ridges
follows the dominant palaeocurrent direction (Pl. II, fig. a).
3. The ridges and grooves are seen on plane bedding surface,
superimposed on rippled surface, washed ripple surface
and also on the flute casts (Pl. II, figs. a,c; Pl. III, fig. b; Pl.
V, fig. b) .
4. When Arumberia is developed on the rippled surface, it
shows variation with respect to crest and trough of the
ripple (Pl. II, fig. a). At places, it is restricted on the crest
and stoss side. It is also seen within the trough. Entire
rippled surfaces are also covered by ridges and grooves.
5. When Arumberia is developed on the flute cast, the ridges
and grooves radiate from an apex point or a linear zone,
which may not be the highest portion of the flute cast (Pl.
III, figs. b, c and d).
6. In one instance, the grooves and ridges are radiating in all
the directions on a flute-like structure.
7. Sandstone clasts are also associated with Arumberia (Pl.
V, fig. a).
8. Rounded to elliptical mounds of 1- 4 mm in diameter seen
on the bedding surface and considered as microbial mat
but are not included in Arumberia and given a different
name Rameshia (n. gr.) because of the absence of grooves
and ridges (Pl. IV, figs. a, b).
TAXONOMY
Five forms have been described, out of which two belong
to Arumberia, one to a new mat form Rameshia group nov.
and other two are Beltanelliformis minuta and Form A. All the
samples are deposited in the Museum of the Centre of
Advanced Study in Geology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow,
U.P.
Group Arumberia Glaessner & Walter, 1975
Type Form: Arumberia banksi Glaessner & Walter, 1975
Arumberia banksi Glaessner & Walter, 1975
(Pl. II, figs. 4 a, b, c, d; Pl. III, figs. a, b, c, d; figs. a, b, c, d).
Sample No: R106, R1306, K106 and K706
Locality: Rampur Hillock and Kudra village, Maihar, Satna
district, M.P
Stratigraphic Horizon: Maihar Sandstone, Bhander
Group.
Lithology : Brown coloured fine-grained sandstone.
Description : It consists of array of straight to gently curved
parallel to subparallel ridges about 1 mm wide and separated
by flat to gently concave furrows of 1-3 mm in width. Relief
from ridge top to furrow bottom is less than 1mm. Ridge ranges
in length from 1.5 cm to 14.0 cm. Generally the ridges are parallel,
but they also bifurcate and rarely trifurcate. The ridges are
parallel to current direction or more or less right angle to the
crest of the ripple, but exceptions are also noted. Ridges are
developed on plane surface as well as on the stoss side of the
ripple. In some specimens bedding surface is almost flat and
the ridges form a carpet. At places the grooves are criss crossed
and anastomosing or scaly. They are also curved, subparallel
and radiate from a pointed and twisted nose.
Remarks: The present form shows smaller length of ridges
compared to Arumberia banksi, described from the Arumbera
Sandstone southwest of Alice Springs by Glaessner and Walter
(1975). Originally Arumberia banksi was considered a cup
shaped animal (Glaessner and Walter, 1975), but now it is
considered a microbially bound sedimentary structure (McIlroy
and Walter, 1997).
Group Arumberia Glaessner & Walter, 1975
Type Form: Arumberia banksi Glaessner & Walter, 1975
Arumberia vindhyanensis n. form
(Pl. IV, fig. d; Pl. V, figs. a, b) Fig. 4 f;
Holotype: Sample no: K206.
Paratype: Sample no: K406, K506, K606.
Locality: Kudra village, Maihar, Satna district, M.P.
GPS value: N 24° 12.35; E 80° 38.24
Stratigraphic Horizon: Maihar Sandstone, Bhander
Group.
a. Arumberia banksi on rippled surface of the Maihar Sandstone,
Rampur hillock, Maihar area. The arrow shows the palaeocurrent
direction. Diameter of coin = 2.2 cm.
b. Close up view of Arumberia banksi, Rampur hillock, Maihar
area. Scale length = 1.0 cm.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE II
c. Arumberia banksi on rippled surface, Kudra village, Maihar area.
Sample number K106. Diameter of coin = 2.2 cm.
d. Close up view of Arumberia banksi showing criss-crossed nature
of grooves, Kudra village, Maihar area. Diameter of
coin = 2.2 cm.
S. KUMAR AND S.K. PANDEY
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KUMAR AND PANDEY
Plate II
Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India
Volume, 53(1), June 2008
90
S. KUMAR AND S.K. PANDEY
91
Lithology: Dark brown coloured fine-grained sandstone.
Derivation of name: The form is named after the Vindhyan
Range.
Diagnosis: Long slender leaf-like morphology formed by
the grooves. Slightly tapering at the base, where it is rounded.
Distal end is spatulate or blunt at the tip. In many cases, mid
grooves divide the structure into more or less equal parts.
Leaf-like morphology is oriented broadly in palaeocurrent
direction. Sometimes they overlap with one another. With the
increase in length, their relief tends to decrease. Grooves about
1 mm wide and range in length from 1-13 cm with mean value as
3 cm. Width between two grooves varies from 2- 9 mm. Relief
from ridge top to furrow bottom is less than 1 mm.
Remarks: It differs from A. banksi in having a leaf like
morphology in which a groove divides the leaf like structure in
equal parts. The form is densely populated and attached only
with the crest of ripple or mounds of irregular surface. Possibly
a specific community of algae was responsible for the formation
of this form.
Group Rameshia n. gr.
(Figs. 4 e; Pl. IV, figs. a, b)
Type Form: Rameshia rampurensis n. form
Holotype: Sample no. R206
Locality : Rampur Hillock, Maihar, Satna district, M.P.
GPS value: N 24° 16.51; E 80° 42.55
Stratigraphic Horizon: Maihar Sandstone, Bhander
Group.
Lithology: Dark brown coloured fine grained sandstone.
Derivation of name: The group is named in honour of
the late Dr. Ramesh Chandra Misra who has made significant
contributions in the study of the Vindhyan Basin.
Diagnosis: Rounded or elliptical mounds with granular
surface about 1- 4 mm in diameter arranged haphazardly on a
trough of rippled surface. Crests of the ripples are generally
devoid of these mounds. Sometime mounds coalesce to form
small ridge like morphology.
Remarks: The present group differs from Arumberia in
not showing ridges and grooves, which are its diagnostic
characters. In Arumberia banksi the mounds are also
reported with grooves and ridges (see Glaessner and Walter,
1975) but they show a definite pattern whereas in the present
form the mounds are haphazardly arranged and they also
coalesce with out the presence of ridges and grooves. It
has some similarity with Beltanelliformis minuta (original
species B. minutae has been modified as B. minuta because
Beltanelliformis appears to be feminine and as per the codes
of nomenclature the species should be minuta and not
minutae as described by McIlroy et al. 2005 from the
Synalds Formation, Shropshire, England) which has been
considered a body fossil where as Rameshia is considered
an organosedimentary structure produced by the interaction
of microbial mats with the sediments. It is identified on the
basis of small mounds covering large surface of the
sandstone bed.
Rameshia rampurensis n. form
(Figs. 4 e; Pl. IV, figs. a, b)
Derivation of name: Form is named after Rampur village
as it is best exposed on Maihar–Rampur Road.
Diagnosis
: As for group.
Remarks: As for form.
Group Beltanelliformis Menner, in Keller et al., 1974
Type Form: Beltanelliformis brunsae Menner, in Keller et
al, 1974.
Beltanelliformis minuta McIlroy, Crimes & Pauley, 2005
(Pl. V, figs.c, d)
Sample No: BM106
Locality: Rampur Hillock, Maihar, Satna district, M.P.
GPS value: N 24° 16.51; E 80° 42.41
Stratigraphic Horizon: Maihar Sandstone, Bhander
Group.
Lithology: Red coloured fine grained sandstone.
Description: Small circular to elliptical impression without
concentric or radial markings. Diameter of individual specimens
ranges from 1.25 mm to 2.94 mm, with mean as 2.24 mm (N = 40).
Hyporelief is usually less than 1 mm in depth.
Remarks: Specimens are preserved in positive hyporelief
and compare well with B. minuta described from the Synalds
Formation (Longmyndian Supergroup, Shropshire, U.K. Wade
(1969, pl. 69, fig. 7) records ‘minute fossils’ preserved in positive
hyporelief on the slab of sandstone from the Neoproterozoic
of the Central Mount Stuart Beds, central Australia. Examples
described as ‘Dubiofossil C’ and suggested to be possible
small Beltanelliformis, were recorded from late Neoproterozoic
strata of the Warnecke Mountains, Yukon, Canada by
Narbonne & Hofmann (1987, text fig. 10 i). Bland (1984) has
also illustrated spheroid impressions, which appear to be
examples of Beltanelliformis minuta from Lightspout Group
of Longmyndian Supergroup at the Longmynd.
Form - A
(Pl. IV, fig. c)
Sample no: RC106
Locality: Rampur Hillock, Maihar, Satna district, M.P.
GPS value: N 24° 16.59; E 80° 42.51′.
Stratigraphic Horizon: Maihar Sandstone, Bhander
Group.
Lithology: Red-coloured, fine-grained sandstone.
Description: Semicircular morphology containing at least
seven visible circular rings seen on a surface showing presence
of Arumberia banksi. It is partially preserved and the original
structure must have been circular or subcircular in outline.
The form shows sutured and serrated margins. The diameter
of the semicircular morphology is about 2.5 cm. The height of
the individual ring is less than 0.5 mm. Width of the rings is
about 1 mm. Only two partially preserved specimens have been
recorded.
Remarks: Originally, it must have been a discoidal form.
Since it is incomplete form, no final interpretation can be
attempted. However, it may represent a microbial mat structure.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
1. The paper describes five forms from the Neoproterozoic
Maihar Sandstone, out of which two belong to Arumberia
Glaessner and Walter, one to a new group and form
Rameshia rampurensis and other two are Beltanelliformis
minuta D. McIlroy, T.P. Crimes & G.C. Pauley and an
informal form referred to as Form A from the eastern part
of the Vindhyan Basin (Son valley Section) from the
Maihar area, district Satna, Madhya Pradesh. The
Arumberia forms are Arumberia banksi Glaessner &
Walter, 1975 and Arumberia vindhyanensis n. form. The
morphological differences between different morphoform
are shown in Fig. 4.
NEOPROTEROZOIC FOSSILS FROM THE VINDHYAN SUPERGROUP (MAIHAR SANDSTONE)
92
KUMAR AND PANDEY
Plate III
Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India
Volume, 53(1), June 2008
a. View of the flute casted surface of sandstone showing development
of Arumberia banksi, Kudra village, Maihar area. Diameter of lens
cover = 5.5 cm.
b. Close up view of Arumberia banksi in which the grooves are
developed from the twisted nose of a flute caste, Kudra village,
EXPLANATION OF PLATE III
Maihar area. Sample number K706. Diameter of coin = 2.2 cm.
c. Close up view of Arumberia banksi showing curved grooves, Kudra
village, Maihar area. Diameter of coin = 2.2 cm.
d. Arumberia banksi showing multidirectional grooves, Kudra village,
Maihar area. Diameter of lens cover = 5.5 cm.
93
KUMAR AND PANDEY
Plate IV
Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India
Volume, 53(1), June 2008
a. Rameshia rampurensis n. gr. and form on rippled surface of the
Maihar Sandstone, Rampur hillock, Maihar area. Sample number
R206. Diameter of coin = 2.3 cm.
b. Close up view of Rameshia rampurensis n. gr. and form showing
small rounded to elliptical mounds, Rampur hillock, Maihar area.
Diameter of coin = 2.3 cm.
c. Form A: semicircular morphology (marked by arrows) seen in
association with Arumberia banksi developed on the upper right
EXPLANATION OF PLATE IV
hand margin, Rampur hillock, Maihar area. Diameter of coin = 2.3
cm
d. Arumberia vindhyanensis n. form on the rippled surface, Kudra
village, Maihar area. Long slender leaf-like morphology is developed
on the stoss side of a ripple. At the crest it is rounded. Mid grooves
divide the leaf-like structure. Sample number K206. Scale length =
1.0 cm.
94
2. Arumberia and Rameshia are considered as organo-
sedimentary structures produced by the interaction of
microbial community, which flourished over the
noncohesive siliciclastic surface.
3. The Arumberia-bearing Maihar Sandstone represents
deposit of a tidal flat–shoal complex. Thus, the Arumberia
flourished in a typical shallow water marine setting with
moderate energy level.
4. The Arumberia-bearing Maihar Sandstone can be
suggested an Ediacaran age on the basis of world wide
occurrence of Arumberia near transition zone between
latest Neoproterozoic and Cambrian. This suggestion gets
support from the fact that as no typical Cambrian fossil
has so far been reported from the Vindhyan rocks. The
reported small shelly fauna and brachiopod by Azmi (1998)
and Spriggina by Kathal et al. (2000) from the Rohtas
Formation are untenable (see Kumar, 2001). The
association of Beltanelliformis with Arumberia
considered as a typical Ediacaran form gives additional
support for the Ediacaran age to the Maihar Sandstone.
There are 13 reported occurrences of Arumberia from all
over the world including the present one (Table 2). Three
reports are from the Late Precambrian to Lower Cambrian
(Walter, 1980; Kirschvink, 1978; Bland, 1984) and rests are
a. View of Arumberia vindhyanensis n. form on irregular surface of
the Maihar Sandstone, Kudra village, Maihar area. The presence of
angular clasts are marked by arrows. Scale length = 2.3 cm.
b. Close up view of Arumberia vindhyanensis n. form, Kudra village,
Maihar area. Midgroove devides the leaf-like form into two equal
parts. Scale length = 1.0 cm.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE V
c. Beltanelliformis minuta associated with microbial mats on the
bedding surface of the Maihar Sandstone, Rampur hillock, Maihar
area. Diameter of coin = 2.2 cm.
d. Close up view of Beltanelliformis minuta, Rampur hillock, Maihar
area. Scale length = 3.0 mm.
S. KUMAR AND S.K. PANDEY
95
KUMAR AND PANDEY
Plate V
Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India
Volume, 53(1), June 2008
96
from the Late Precambrian (Bland, 1984; Glaessner and
Walter, 1975; Liu Xiaoliang, 1981). Bland (1984) opined
that all the sequences in which Arumberia has been found,
appear to be latest Precambrian to Lower Cambrian while
McIlroy and Walter (1997) have said that it is present in
the latest Neoproterozoic and has not been recorded from
the pre-Ediacaran Proterozoic rocks. It appears that
Arumberia flourished near Cambrian–Precambrian
boundary.
5. In the light of the suggested Ediacaran age to the Maihar
Sandstone, it is necessary to review the record of Ediacaran
forms by De (2003, 2006) from the Bhander Group of the
Maihar area, M.P. In 2003, he has described two medusoid
genera resembling Ediacaria (Sprigg 1947) and Hiemalora
(Fedonkin, 1982) from a shale horizon occurring at the
base of the Bhander Group (Ganurgarh Shale), Maihar area,
M.P. However, nothing can be made out from the
photographs concerning the morphology of the said forms.
Much of the inferences are drawn on the basis of
reconstruction. In our opinion they do not look biogenic
and hence the identification is unacceptable. In 2006, he
again described 9 coelenterate genera, one arthropod genus
and a few unnamed possible new forms belonging to
sponge and coelenterate from the two horizons belonging
to Bhander Limestone and the Sirbu Shale respectively.
None of the forms look convincingly biogenic. Again much
of the inferences concerning the morphology of the forms
are based on the reconstructions. With very poor quality
material it is difficult to make important and significant
conclusions and as such the discovery is ignored. In the
Ganurgarh Shale at the base of the Bhander Limestone
and in the overlying Sirbu Shale horizon Arumberia has
not been recorded. Only in the Maihar Sandstone, the
youngest horizon of the Bhander Group, Arumberia is
abundantly seen. In the light of the above facts the
chances of the discovery of Ediacaran assemblage is
possible only in the Maihar Sandstone horizon and any
Ediacaran fossil reported underlying this horizon needs a
thorough scrutiny.
6. Form A represents a circular body with concentric rings.
Only two poorly preserved forms have been recorded and
it is not possible to reconstruct the actual body of the
fossil. There is a possibility that it represents a microbial
mat structure.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors express their thanks to Prof. M.P. Singh, Head,
Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, University of Lucknow
for providing working facilities in the department. They are
also thankful to Dr. Purnima Srivastava and Dr. Mukund Sharma
for the help during the course of investigation. They are grateful
to Dr. H. J. Hofmann (McGill University, Montreal) for reviewing
the manuscript and for helpful suggestions. The earlier draft
was reviewed by Dr. S. B. Misra. Financial assistance from the
DST, New Delhi in the form of a research project entitled
“Biozonation and Correlation of Neoproterozoic Bhander
Group, Central India” is thankfully acknowledged.
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Manuscript Accepted April 2008
NEOPROTEROZOIC FOSSILS FROM THE VINDHYAN SUPERGROUP (MAIHAR SANDSTONE)
... It hosts the thickest Proterozoic sedimentary succession of the Indian subcontinent, referred to as the 'Vindhyan Supergroup'. The Lower Vindhyan (Semri Group) and the Upper Vindhyan (Kaimur, Rewa and Bhander Groups) successions have been extensively studied in terms of palaeobiology (Azmi, 1998;Azmi et al., 2008;Bengtson et al., 2009Bengtson et al., , 2017De, 2003De, , 2006Kumar & Pandey, 2008;Kumar & Sharma, 2012;Kumar & Srivastava, 2003;Pandey et al., 2023;Pandey & Kumar, 2013;Retallack et al., 2021;Seilacher et al., 1998;Sharma, 2006;Sharma & Shukla, 2009a, 2009bSharma et al., 2016;Srivastava, 2002Srivastava, , 2009Srivastava, , 2012 and geochronology (Bickford et al., 2017;Colleps et al., 2021;George et al., 2018;Gilleaudeau et al., 2018;Gopalan et al., 2013;Kumar et al., 2001Kumar et al., , 2002Lan et al., 2020Lan et al., , 2021Malone et al., 2008;McKenzie et al., 2011;Mishra et al., 2018;Rasmussen et al., 2002;Ray, 2006;Ray et al., 2002Ray et al., , 2003Sarangi et al., 2004;Turner et al., 2014;Tripathy & Singh, 2015) to constrain their depositional ages. The age of Lower Vindhyan (Semri Group) is geochronologically well-constrained, whereas the Upper Vindhyan succession lacks robust age constraints due to the absence of volcanic tuffaceous/pyroclastic materials (e.g., Tripathy & Singh, 2015). ...
... Other radiometric dates, such as Pb-Pb and Sr-isotopic ages, suggest that the deposition of the Upper Vindhyan succession continued until at least ~800 Ma (George et al., 2018;Gopalan et al., 2013;Ray et al., 2003;Srivastava & Rajagopalan, 1988). Additionally, palaeobiological evidence suggests an Ediacaran age for the deposition of the Bhander Group, the youngest unit of the Upper Vindhyan Group (De, 2006;Kumar & Pandey, 2008;Pandey et al., 2024;Prasad, 2007;Prasad et al., 2005). ...
... Notably, the geochronology also shows divergence from the ages proposed on the basis of palaeobiological evidence. The presence of Arumberia and other Ediacaran-like fossils suggests an Ediacaran age as the upper limit of the Vindhyan sedimentation (Ansari et al., 2023;De, 2006;Kumar & Pandey, 2008;Pandey et al., 2024). ...
Article
This study presents the detrital zircon U–Pb ages of the Upper Bhander Sandstone from the Bhopal Inlier, Central India. The age spectra of Upper Bhander Sandstone show the dominance of a detrital zircon population between 1,500 and 1,900 Ma, a subordinate cluster of 2,400–2,600 Ma and a single youngest zircon grain of ~770 Ma. These detrital zircon ages correlate with the timing of granite magmatism in Bundelkhand, Aravalli and Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ), implying their derivation from these terranes. The geochemical and geochronological data, together with the existing paleocurrent data, suggest that the magmatic and metasedimentary rocks exposed in the Satpura Mobile Belt (CITZ) are the major sources of the detritus for the Upper Bhander Sandstone exposed in the Bhopal Inlier. These data are combined with existing palaeobiological evidence to address the issue of lack of convergence between geochronology and biochronology of the Upper Vindhyan succession of Son Valley, Central India. The finding of a single grain of zircon of 770 ± 12 Ma as an outlier is a pointer that Vindhyan deposition may have extended into the late Tonian.
... As occurred with the Kinneyia structure in the recent past, the biogenicity of Arumberia was also questioned, being compared to flutes with radial ridges produced in flume experiments (Dzulynski and Walton 1965) or aligned sedimentary structures generated by unidirectional currents (McIlroy and Walter 1997). Indeed, there is a complete absence of preserved body fossils in the microbial community of Arumberia structures of the Cerro Negro Formation as well as in other Ediacaran occurrences (Mapstone andMcIlroy 2006, Kumar andPandey 2008). Nevertheless, petrographic studies show features typical of microbial mats, such as the laminar dark anisotropy and crenulations. ...
... Nevertheless, petrographic studies show features typical of microbial mats, such as the laminar dark anisotropy and crenulations. Also, its delicate and complex morphology with evidence of plastic deformation attests to the biogenicity of these structures (Kumar andPandey 2008, Kolesnikov et al. 2012). As such, Arumberia has been explained in several mutually exclusive ways, mainly being interpreted as a complex (organized?) microbial community. ...
... However, Kolesnikov et al. (2012) described new occurrences of Arumberia-type structure in the Central and South Urales in Upper Vendian non-marine sediments, which proved that Arumberia occur in a broad temporal range. All known fossil specimens were found in siliciclastic rocks deposited in a shallow and disturbed substrate, occasionally subjected to periodic subaerial exposure (Glaessner and Walter 1975, Kumar and Pandey 2008, Kolesnikov et al. 2012. This suggests that Arumberia was relatively common in tidal flats and shallow coastal settings, where a complex microbial community (Kolesnikov et al. 2012) adapted to the physical processes that are inherent to these environments (i.e., high-frequency tidal oscillation, intermittent desiccation, incidence of waves and currents, insolation, and even evaporitic conditions). ...
Article
Full-text available
The terminal Ediacaran fossil record includes microbial mats and body fossils characterized by simple morphologies, which represents a challenge to understand several aspects related to the paleoecology of the emerging complex life. The marine siliciclastic deposits of the Cerro Negro Formation (~560-550 Ma) contain evidence of different styles of microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) and discoidal forms associated with them. Different types of MISS, such as Kinneyia and wrinkle structures, elephant skin, and Arumberia, are reported and related to shallow marine depositional environments. These morphologies are commonly associated with the high quality of preservation of body fossils in Ediacaran deposits. The preservation of Aspidella discoidal holdfast is related to biotic and abiotic processes involving substrate sealing by microbial mats, fluidization, and probably organic matter decay. Both abiotic factors (tidal currents and waves, added to liquefaction and sand injection) and biotic factors (substrate biostabilization by microbial mats favoring sediment cohesion) are considered the main ones responsible for the preservation style in the Cerro Negro Formation. This formation constitutes a remarkable example in SW-Gondwana of how preservation dynamics took place on a seabed sealed by microbial mats and is an important deposit conserving diverse Ediacaran forms of life in South America.
... 42315-A), have mainly sharp crests. Figure 2(e) resembles Arumberia banksi (Glaessner and Walter 1975), also reported by Kumar and Pandey (2009), Kumar and Ahmad (2014) from the Jodhpur Sandstone, Nagaur (Rajasthan, India) and by Kumar and Pandey (2008) from the Maihar Sandstone, Son Valley Madhya Pradesh, India. Figure 2(g, and to a certain extent, Bgure f) depict undulating, crinkly laminae primarily aligned parallel to the bedding plane. ...
... In India, only limited descriptions of MISS are available from the Cambrian sediments (Parcha and Pandey 2016). MISS are extensively reported in the siliciclastics of the Precambrian-Jodhpur Sandstone of the Marwar Supergroup in Rajasthan (Sarkar et al. 2008;Kumar and Pandey 2009;Kumar and Ahmad 2014); and Maihar Sandstone of Bhander Group of Madhya Pradesh (Kumar and Pandey 2008). The Jodhpur Sandstone is of Ediacaran age, as evidenced by the presence of Arumberia banski, Hiemalora aspidella, and Marsonia artiyansis in the fossil record (Raghav et al. 2005;Kumar and Pandey 2009). ...
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We propose the Psammichnites gigas gigas sub-ichnozone in the Cambrian Kunzam La Formation exposed in the Hojis Valley, Kinnaur, Himachal Himalaya, which indicates a Cambrian Series 2–Stage 4 age for the host sediments. Additionally, the paper also reports eight microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) represented by distinctive reticulate (‘Elephant skin’ and ‘Kinneyia’ types) and linear patterns with cracked ripple crests, and mat slump structures. These MISS are closely associated with grazing trails of Psammichnites gigas gigas. The preservation in alternating well-sorted and thick (3–20 cm) Bne sandstone beds and associated sedimentary structures indicates a shallow marine, nearshore-to-shoreface depositional environment. MISS, ripple marks, and bio-stabilised substrate indicate a limited influx of clastics, with photoautotrophic microorganisms likely contributing to their formation.
... The morphology of fossils from Pylypy Beds collected on the left bank of the Dniester River near the village of Berezsvka is similar to Arumberia aff. vindchyanensis from India and the Urals (Kumar and Pandey, 2008; Kolesnikov et al., 2017). A morphotype of Arumberia was found in the same place, showing the superimposition of numerous bubble structures on the grooves between the ribs. ...
... Previously, similar fossils were described in Great Britain and Eastern Siberia (Callow et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2013). Fossils of Rameshia rampurensis, which were previously found in the state of Rajasthan in India, are often found together with Arumberia in the quarry near the Dniester hydroelectric power station (Kumar and Pandey, 2008;Nesterovsky et al., 2018). These have the appearance of numerous one-two-millimeter depressions on the surface of the rock (negative epirelief). ...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Fossils of Arumberia banksii were found in late Precambrian aluminosilicate deposits in the 1970s (Glaessner and Walter, 1975). These fossils have been preserved as mass accumulations on the surface of sandstone slabs of the Arumbera Formation (Late Ediacaran) of the Northern Territory, Australia. This locality also contains a rich Ediacara-type biotic complex previously found in South Australia near Adelaide. Arumberia fossils are relief accumulations of straight and curved structures in the form of alternating ridges and furrows, which fan out in tufts from a central or elongated zone. These ribbed structural elements are parallel, sub-parallel, sub-radial, intertwined, or overlap each other at an acute angle. The Precambrian age of the sediment layer was established in the course of research by Martin Glaessner (Glaessner and Daily, 1959). Fossils of Arumberia were later found in the Late Ediacaran and Early Cambrian deposits of Great Britain, India, Namibia, South and North America, the Urals, Eastern Siberia, and other areas. The wide distribution of Arumberia and the presence of different morphological types (species) stimulate debate about the interpretation of these fossils to this day. We find in the literature versions of the origin of these as imprints of soft-bodied vendobionts, unknown organisms, remains of microbial mats, bacterial colonies, algae, sedimentary structures, etc. (Kolesnikov et al., 2017; McMahon et al., 2022 and references). Arumberia often covers the surface of sandstone slabs over a large area of tens and even hundreds of square meters (McMahon et al., 2022). The age range of finds of Arumberia is 520-560 Ma, according to published data (McMahon et al. 2022). The first discovery of Arumberia in Ukraine was made by the author in 2013 in the upper part of the sandstone Bernashivka Beds Yaryshiv Formation of the Mohyliv-Podilsky Group in the valley of the Zhvan River near the village of Bernashivka, Vinnytsia region. In subsequent years, fossil material was collected in a quarry near the Dniester HPP at the same stratigraphic level (Nesterovsky et al., 2018). It was discovered later during fieldwork that similar fossils cover sandstone and siltstone slabs at many stratigraphic levels of the Upper Ediacaran in Podillia. In addition to the Yaryshiv Formation, numerous fossils are concentrated in the basal sandstone beds of the Danylivka, Krushanivka, and Studenytsya Formations of the Kanylivka Group. Remains of Arumberia are present in the intraformational layers of siltstones much less frequently. Fossil morphology shows various variations due to taphonomic factors and probably to different fossilized organisms. Morphological type of Arumberia aff. vindchyanensis is represented by long thin ridges with numerous dichotomous and false dichotomous branches. Characteristically, the supporting layer of rock containing fossils very often has a wavy surface, which is not typical for all other types of the Ediacaran biota. Such a sedimentation surface can form in shallow water with an active hydrodynamic regime, and these structures are typical wave ripples. Fossils of different morphotypes of Arumberia are usually oriented on the surface of sandstone slabs perpendicular to the crests of wave ripples, that is, these fixed the direction of current. The fossils of Arumberia banksii, described from a typical locality of the Arumbera Formation in Australia, look similar to the fossils from the Bernashivka Beds of the Yaryshiv Formation, as well as to the basal sandstone impressions of the Pylypy Beds of the Danylivka Formation. The morphology of fossils from Pylypy Beds collected on the left bank of the Dniester River near the village of Berezsvka is similar to Arumberia aff. vindchyanensis from India and the Urals (Kumar and Pandey, 2008; Kolesnikov et al., 2017). A morphotype of Arumberia was found in the same place, showing the superimposition of numerous bubble structures on the grooves between the ribs. Previously, similar fossils were described in Great Britain and Eastern Siberia (Callow et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2013). Fossils of Rameshia rampurensis, which were previously found in the state of Rajasthan in India, are often found together with Arumberia in the quarry near the Dniester hydroelectric power station (Kumar and Pandey, 2008; Nesterovsky et al., 2018). These have the appearance of numerous one-two-millimeter depressions on the surface of the rock (negative epirelief). A new type of fossil, reflecting the internal structure of organisms of the genus Arumberia, was discovered by the author in the sandstones of the Bernashivka Beds in 2016 in a quarry near the Dniester HPP and other places. Impressions of a typical Arumberia banksii are well preserved on the bottom of the sandstone slabs, and their three-dimensional casts are located inside the rock layer. These fossils appear as clusters of subparallel tubular structures filled with sand and "wrapped" in a shell of mica sheets. The inner diameter of these tubes is about 2 mm, and the length reaches 0.5 m or more. The direction of surface impressions and internal casts coincide and show the direction of flow. This morphology of impressions and tubular casts shows that Arumberia were sedentary organisms attached to the bottom. Attachment organs look like small spherical formations similar to an onion. The substrate for attachment was bacterial mats, judging by the fossil remains collected in Podillia and other regions. In the author's opinion, the fossil remains of Rameshia rampurensis are a reflection of the taphonomic variant of Arumberia conservation in cases where the organisms themselves were not preserved during diagenesis, but the surface of the bacterial mat with numerous imprints of attachment structures was preserved. Bacterial mats were the
... Recently, Pandey et al. (2023b) described Ediacaran 'Late Ediacaran Leiosphere Palynoflora' (LELP) assemblage and other associated organic-walled microfossils from the Sirbu Shale. The Ediacaran fossils, such as Arumberia banksi (Vendobionta), A. vindhyanensis, Rameshia rampurensis, Beltaneliformis minuta, Dickinsonia tenuis (?) and Charniodiscus-like Ediacaran megafossil have been reported and discussed from the Maihar Sandstone and considered to be deposited within the late Ediacaran Period (Kumar & Pandey, 2008, Pandey, 2012Retallack et al. 2021;Pandey et al. 2023b). However, Dickinsonia tenuis has been challenged by Pandey et al. (2023a) and Meert et al. (2023) and proven to be a pseudofossil. ...
... Lan et al. (2020) dataset matches the overall fossil assemblage recovered from the Maihar Sandstone. Recent and previous reports of the Ediacaran elements (fossils and radiometric ages) from the Maihar Sandstone (Kumar & Pandey, 2008;McKenzie et al. 2011;Lan et al. 2020;Retallack et al. 2021;Pandey et al. 2023b) stress the plausible Ediacaran age of the Sirbu Shale. ...
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... As a result, the Vindhyan succession preserved the tectonic and climatic changes that unfolded across the Indian continent during the Proterozoic Eon. Due to its vastness in space and time, the Vindhyan Supergroup has been extensively studied through paleobiological and geochemical investigations including those of trace fossils representing early forms of multicellular life (Seilacher et al. 1998), and advanced acritarchs and microfossils in the Palaeoproterozoic Lower Vindhyans (Prasad et al. 2005;Kumar and Pandey 2008;Prasad and Asher 2016). Additionally, significant global events, such as the Bitter Springs δ 13 C anomaly in the Neoproterozoic Upper Vindhyans, have also been identified in the Vindhyans (George et al. 2018). ...
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... Other ones are represented by abundant series, with no sharp margins, of subparallel, curved or fanning-out ridges preserved on upper bedding plane surfaces of sandstone beds (Fig. 4B-4C). Most of them bear similarity with Arumberia-type microbially induced sedimentary structures, which have been reported worldwide from the Ediacaran sections (Bland, 1984;Kumar and Pandey, 2008;Kolesnikov et al., 2012Kolesnikov et al., , 2017Kumar and Ahmad, 2014;Arrouy et al., 2016;Davies et al., 2016;McMahon et al., 2020). ...
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... Earlier this year, Meert et al. (2023) pointed out a mistaken identification of Dickinsonia and we applaud Retallack et al. (2023) for readily acknowledging the error. Now, have reiterated Meert et al. (2023) but write, without any new data, that "… previously reported palaeobiological records and geochronology data support that the Maihar Sandstone is deposited within the Ediacaran Period (Kumar and Pandey, 2008;Lan et al., 2020Lan et al., , 2021". We comment on this statement and the citations therein. ...
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A fossil assemblage of soft-bodied megascopic metazoans possessing faunistic, ecological and taphonomic affinities to known classical Ediacaran assemblages has been discovered from the Proterozoic Vindhyan Basin of India. The assemblage is represented by nine coelenterate genera (Tribachidium, Eoporita, Kaisalia, Cyclomedusa, Ediacaria, Nimbia, Paliella, Medusinites and Hiemalora), one arthropod genus Spriggina and a few unnamed possible new forms belonging to sponge and coelenterate. These fossils show facies-controlled temporal distribution forming two fossil zones: F1 and F2 located, respectively, in the Lakheri and Sirbu Formations (Bhander Group). A majority of them is common to the Ediacara assemblages of several continents, thereby suggesting their global biogeographic distribution. F1 and F2 in the local stratigraphy are separated by a thick stromatolitic carbonate facies devoid of metazoan remains. The Vindhyan Ediacara and host rock sequences reveal energetic (wave-tide-storm induced), shallow marine and near-shore environments of deposition of siliciclastic terrigenous facies. The carbonate facies parting suggests interruption of typical Ediacara environments by a broad spell of lime-rich quieter water settings favoring selective growth of metaphytes. The Vindhyan fossils show both Nemiana (higher relief forms without finer features in sandstones, e.g. Cyclomedusa and Ediacaria) and Beltanelliformis (lower relief forms with finer features in shales, e.g. Kaisalia and Hiemalora) types of preservation.
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Fossil Medusoid genera resembling Ediacaria (Sprigg 1947) and Hiemalora (Fedonkin 1982) and having distinctive Ediacaran affinity have been discovered in a shale horizon occurring at the base of the Bhander Group, the uppermost unit of the Vindhyan Supergroup of central India. This is the first record of unequivocal occurrence of Ediacara-like fossils in a Proterozoic basin of the Peninsular India. This finding substantially extends the previously known biogeographic range of the Ediacaran elements to Peninsular India and further enhances their biostratigraphpic potential for correlation of the upper Vindhyans with some Ediacaran horizons of Canada, Australia, South Africa and Russian Platforms. With this extension, the representatives of the genus Ediacaria can be regarded as having a global distribution in places now occupying both lower and higher latitudes. The genus Hiemalora, which appeared to be endemic to the Russian block, also has wide biogeographic coverage. These fossils assign an Ediacaran (550–543Ma) age for the host Lakheri Limestone and suggest that the Lakheri unit was deposited within 6 million years of the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary. They also support and refine the traditional view of the Late Neoproterozoic age for the lower Bhander Group. These fossils provide positive stratigraphic clues for locating the Precambiran–Cambrian boundary strata in the overlying Lakheri–Sirbu segment of the Vindhyan sequence. They also indicate a depositional environment typical of a muddy shallow shelf setting above storm wave-base.
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R. J. Azmi of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology here reports the discovery of small shelly fossils and brachiopods of lower Cambrian affinity from the topmost Rohtasgarh Limestone at Maihar and Rohtas in the Son Valley. This discovery is of importance as it necessitates a revision in the age of the Vindhyan succession. We welcome a discussion on this subject - Ed.
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Nine megafossils are described from about 1 billion-year-old Suket Shale of the Semri Group (lower Vindhyan), Rampura area, Neemuch district, Madhya Pradesh. Eight are carbonaceous megafossils representing eight species belonging to six genera, while one megafossil is described informally as form A. The megafossils are Chuaria circularis Walcott, Chuaria vindhyanensis sp. nov., Tawuia dalensis Hofmann, Tawuia indica sp. nov., Suketea rampuraensis gen. and sp. nov., Tilsoia khoripensis gen. and sp. nov., Chambalia minor gen. and sp. nov., Beltina danai Walcott and Form A. There is a definite relationship between C. circularis, Tawuia and Tilsoia. They appear to constitute three different parts of a multicellular Chlorophycean/Xanthophycean plant; (a) C. circularis represents a compressed cyst like spherical body which was attached with a siphonaceous/filamentous thallus, (b) the siphonaceous/filamentous thallus was preserved as Tawuia and (c) the thallus was also attached to a frustum like body named as Tilsoia which acted as a holdfast apparatus. C. vindhyanensis sp. nov. is smaller form and interpreted to represent spore like bodies, which were released by C. circularis on maturation. S. rampuraensis represents circular compression with a circular rim and is interpreted to be a transversely compressed Tilsoia. The extinct plant is named as Radhakrishnania. Two species Radhakrishnania major and Radhakrishnania minor are recognised on the basis of size. Chambalia minor gen. and sp. nov. is considered a Chlorophycean plant. Chuaria, Tawuia and Grypania are all reported from the same stratigraphic horizon and thus they constitute a single biozone.
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Algal stromatolites composed of quartz sandstone, which are heretofore undescribed from ancient rocks, are present in the New Richmond Sandstone (L. Ord.) in southeastern Minnesota. Although these stromatolites resemble their common carbonate counterparts in the field, the stromatolite structure is at best obscure in thin section. These quartz sandstone stromatolites correlate with similar carbonate structures nearby and probably represent an environment of deposition at or near the boundary between a shallow quartz sand environment and an intertidal carbonate environment.