Carboniferous floras in siliciclastic rocks of Kashmir Himalaya, India and the evolutionary history of the Tethyan Basin

Abstract

The Fenestella Shale Formation of Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya comprises latest Viséan or Serpukhovian siliciclastic deposits formed along the southern margins of the Palaeotethys Ocean. A sequence of shallowing upward and deepening upward units indicates changes from shoreface to offshore and deeper shelf conditions, probably controlled by eustatic changes in an otherwise passive depositional system. Some of the finer-grained, shallow marine deposits have yielded fossil floras dominated by sub-arborescent lycopsids (Sublepidodendron,Lepidodendropsis) sphenophytes (Archaeocalamites) and pteridophylls (Nothorhacopteris,Triphyllopteris). The assemblage compares with other Gondwanan floras of this age that have been assigned to the Paraca floral realm, and are taken to indicate relatively warm climatic conditions that existed just prior to the onset of the Carboniferous–Permian ice-age.

First record of late Carboniferous palynoassemblage from Ganmachidam Formation, Spiti Valley: Implications for age assessment and extent of Glossopterid elements in the Tethyan realm

“…Carboniferous Calamospora is known in situ from strobili of Equisetales (e.g., Calamostachys and Palaeostachya ) and Sphenophyllales ( Bowmanites ), and cones belonging to Noeggerathiales, of unknown affinity (Balme, 1995; Taylor, Taylor, & Krings, 2009). However, there is quite a possibility that the Calamospora reported herein might have been produced from Noeggerathiales or Sphenophyllales group of plants, as these are abundant in the Carboniferous macroflora of Kashmir and Spiti (Saxena, Singh, Cleal, Gupta, & Bali, 2019; K. J. Singh et al, 2013) (Table 3).…”

“…Their presence in the Lingti section proves that either Cordaites or some other Cordaitalean genera were growing at that time in the surrounding areas. K. J. Singh et al (2013) have reported the occurrence of cf. Cordaites leaf from the Early Carboniferous Fenestella Shale Formation of Kashmir.…”

“…202–203). A contemporaneous well‐diversified macroflora from the Fenestella Shale Formation of Kashmir has been described and discussed in detail by K. J. Singh et al (2013) and was considered as the latest Viséan to Serpukhovian in age.…”

“…There is a paucity of late Carboniferous macrofloral records from the Indian subcontinent. The early Carboniferous deposits of India have yielded a well‐diversified flora; however, the Kashmir flora has the dominance of Lycopsids (Cleal et al, 2016; K. J. Singh et al, 2013 and references therein), whereas the Spiti flora is hitherto devoid of any lycopsid remains (Saxena et al, 2019). The Carboniferous period has witnessed several climatic perturbations (Iannuzzi & Pfefferkorn, 2002).…”

“…It is sandwiched between the Higher Himalayas and the Trans Himalayas and is known for significant marine fossil deposits. In contrast to the faunal records, floral records from the Carboniferous strata in the Spiti‐Kinnaur‐Kumaon Tethyan realm are trivial, except for Kashmir, from where diversified macrofloras have been reported over the years (Cleal et al, 2016; Pal, 1978; Pal & Chaloner, 1979; Pant & Srivastava, 1995; G. Singh, Maithy, & Bose, 1982; K. J. Singh, Singh, Cleal, Saxena, & Chandra, 2013).…”