CUDDAPAH SUPERGROUP AND VINDHYAN SUPERGROUP

The Cuddapah Supergroup

• Predominantly located in the Cuddapah Basin, which encompasses portions of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in southern India.
• Geological Age: Originating from the late Proterozoic Era, around 2.5 to 1.8 billion years ago.
  
  

Geological Composition

• The Palar Formation consists of shale, sandstone, and conglomerate limestone.
• The Chitrakoot Formation consists of sandstone and siltstone.
• The Kurnool Formation consists of limestone and shale.

Importance

• The paleontological section includes early stromatolites and microfossils that provide valuable information on early microbial life and environmental circumstances.
• Tectonic History: Offers an understanding of the geological processes that influenced the topography of the southern Indian crust.
• The body of rock has experienced substantial distortion and transformation, therefore unveiling the old tectonic mechanisms.

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The Vindhyan Supergroup

• Geographically, it spans over central India, encompassing portions of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
• Geological Age: Spans from the late Proterozoic to the early Cambrian era, which occurred from 1.6 billion to 541 million years ago.

Geological Composition

• Bhander Group: Consists of sandstone, shale, and limestone.
• Rewa Group: Includes sandstone, shale, and limestone.
• The paleontological significance of this material lies in its inclusion of some of the most ancient fossils, notably stromatolites, which are crucial for the investigation of early microbial life.
• Geological Transition: Offers significant insights into the shift from the Precambrian to the Cambrian epoch, elucidating the climatic and environmental transformations that occurred on early Earth.

IMAGE SOURCE (THUMBNAIL)