Micropaleontological analysis reveals diverse Early Cretaceous foraminiferal assemblages in the Bhuj Formation, indicating shallow marine incursions across the western Indian margin.
Key Points
Document the first record of Early Cretaceous microfaunal assemblages from the Gangeswar Dome to establish a biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental framework.
Sampled two newly recognized lithological layers of ferruginous arenaceous sandstone within the Bhuj Formation at the Gangeswar Dome in western India.
Extracted and examined benthic and planktonic foraminifera, algal remains, and echinoderm plates to define microfossil groupings.
Identified four distinct foraminiferal assemblages alongside microfossils of algae and echinoderms across the sampled sandstone beds.
Reconstructed the paleoenvironment as a shallow, well-oxygenated, photic-zone marine setting representing an Early Cretaceous marine incursion.