JOURNAL GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF INDIA

Vol.83, June 2014, pp.653-656

Miocene Bryozoa from the Kachchh Offshore Basin, Western India

MILIND P. KUNDAL
Post Graduate Department of Geology, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University,
Law College Square, Nagpur – 440 001
Email: milind.kundal@gmail.com

Abstract: The present paper records for the first time the bryozoan fragments from 4 m core of the Godhra Formation
(early Miocene) and from 4m core and 5 m core of the Chhasra Formation (early middle Miocene) of the Kachchh
Offshore Basin, Western India. The Godhra Formation has presence of three bryozoans, viz., ?Crassimarginatella sp.,
Thalamoporella sp. and Vincularia sp. while the Chhasra Formation has presence of four bryozoans, namely,
?Margaretta sp., Steginoporella sp., ?Thalamoporella sp. and Vincularia sp.

Keywords: Miocene, Bryozoa, Godhra Formation , Chhasra Formation, Kachchh Offshore Basin, Western India.

INTRODUCTION
Kachchh basin is the westernmost pericratonic rift basin
situated at the northern end of the western seaboard of
India and this basin represents the earliest rift during the
break up of Africa and India (Biswas, 1982) (Fig.1). The
Kachchh basin in onland and offshore is filled with
sediments ranging in age from the middle Cretaceous to the
Recent. In the onland part, the Mesozoic sediments are very
thick than the Cenozoic sediments which are present in the
Fig.1. Location map of Kachchh offshore basin.
outer part of the basin bordering the Mesozoic uplifts and
the thickness of the exposed Cenozoic sequence is 700 m,
while it is 5500 m offshore (Mishra, 2009).
The Kachchh offshore basin is filled with sediments
ranging in age from the middle to late Cretaceous to the
Recent. In order of superposition, the various important
formations are: Bhuj (middle to late Cretaceous); Mundra
(middle to late Cretaceous)/Naliya (middle late Cretaceous);
Deccan Trap (late Cretaceous); Nakhtarana (late Paleocene);
Jakhau (early Eocene); Fulra Limestone (late middle
Eocene); Tuna (early Oligocene); Naryansarovar (late
Oligocene); Godhra (early Miocene); Chhasra (early middle
Miocene) and Kandla (middle Miocene to Recent) (Mishra,
2009) (Fig.2).
From the Kachchh onshore basin, Tewari et al. (1960)
and Tewari and Srivastava (1967) have documented
bryozoans. Further, in a series of papers Guha and
Gopikrishna (2003, 2004a, b, 2005a-f, 2007a-d) and Guha
(2013) have documented rich and diverse bryozoan fauna.
Very recently Sonar and Gaikwad (2013 a, b) have
documented five species of Steginoporella and six species
of neocheilostomine bryozoas from the Kachchh onshore
basin. However, nobody documented bryozoans from the
Kachchh offshore basin. In the present paper three
bryozoans, ?Crassimarginatella sp., Thalamoporella sp. and
Vincularia sp. are recorded from the Godhra Formation
while four bryozoans ?Margaretta sp., Steginoporella sp.,
?Thalamoporella sp. and Vincularia sp. are recorded from
the Chhasra Formation (Table 1). The bryozoans were
identified in the thin sections from the core samples from
the three wells KD-1A (N23°15’47.87”: E68°2’33.54”),

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654 MILIND P. KUNDAL
Fig.2. Lithostratigraphy of Kachchh Offshore basin (after Biswas,
1992).
GK-1-1 (N22°50’57.27”: E68°9’46.89”) and GK-28-3
(N22°30’34.07”: E68°23’40.19”).
The Godhra Formation (early Miocene) comprises grey
chalky limestone, minor clay, sandstone and siltstone. The
Godhra Formation is found only in the offshore portion of
the Kachchh basin. The maximum thickness of this
formation is 1200m. The environment of deposition of this
formation is inner shelf (Mishra, 2009). Kundal and Humane
(2012) documented eight geniculate coralline algal species
from this formation. The limestone, i.e. foram algal
grainstone of well KD-1A (Fig.3c) belonging to the Godhra
Formation has the presence of ?Crassimarginatella sp.,
Thalamoporella sp. and Vincularia sp. The Chhasra
Formation (early middle Miocene) comprises alternations
of fossiliferous limestone bands and oolitic gypseous
claystone/silty clay beds. The Chhasra Formation is found
both in onland and offshore portion of Kachchh basin.
Fig.3. Lithosections indicating occurrences of bryozoans from
Kachchh offshore basin.
Table 1. Bryozoans from Kachchh Offshore basin
Name of Formation Bryozoan Assemblage
Chhasra Formation ?Margaretta sp., Steginoporella sp.,
(early middle Miocene) ?Thalamoporella sp., and Vincularia sp.
Godhra Formation ?Crassimarginatella sp., Thalamoporella sp.,
(early Miocene) and Vincularia sp.
This formation is richly fossiliferous and the environment
of deposition is marginal marine to shallow inner shelf
(Biswas, 1992; Mishra, 2009; Kundal and Kundal, 2011).
The limestone, i.e. foram algal grainstone of well GK-1-1
(Fig.3b) belonging to the Chhasra Formation has presence
?Margaretta sp. and Vincularia sp. while limestone i.e.
foram algal packstone of well GK- 28-3 (Fig.3a) belonging
to the Chhasra Formation has presence of Steginoporella
sp., ?Thalamoporella sp.
BRYOZOAN ASSEMBLAGE
The Godhra Formation has presence of
?Crassimarginatella sp. (Fig.4d), Thalamoporella sp.
(Fig.4a) and Vincularia sp. (Fig,4b) while the Chhasra
Formation has presence of ?Margaretta sp. (Fig.4f),
Steginoporella sp. (Fig.4c), ?Thalamoporella sp. (Fig.4g)
and Vincularia sp. (Fig.4e). These bryozoans are identified
after the ‘Treatise on Invertebrate Palaeontology’ by Bassler
(1953) along with the working list recommended by Gordon
(2005).
?Crassimarginatella sp. (Fig.4d) belonging to family
Calloporidae grows as unilaminar, sheet like fronds
encrusted on molluscan shells, larger foraminifera, echinoids
etc. The species shows quincuncial arrangement of
autozooids, oval in shape, sometimes avicularia is present,
ovicells are hyperstomial. Thalamoporella sp. (Fig.4g)
belonging to family Thalamoporellidae is characterized by
encrusting, unilamellar or erect multilamellar, vincularian
form. Autozooids rectangular, quadrangular or sub-
hexagonal to hexagonal, vase shaped. Adoral tubercles are
present lateral to orifice, cryptocyst perforated granular
having two opesiules below the orifice, avicularia vicarious,
ovicells hood like. Thalamoporella sp. (Fig.4a) shows
presence of complete insertion of opesiule. Vincularia sp.
(Fig.4b) belonging to family Quadricellariidae is
characterized by erect, articulated, quadriserial internodes.
Autozooids are dimorphic or trimorphic, similar autozooids
occurring in two adjacent series viz., ordinary autozooids
called c-zooids, avicularian zooids called d-zooids and
ovicelled zooids lacking (in some species), gymnocyst
lacking, cryptocyst narrow , imperforate developed along
lateral and proximal margins of opesia. Avicularia small,
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 MIOCENE BRYOZOA FROM THE KACHCHH OFFSHORE BASIN, WESTERN INDIA 655

Fig.4. a: Basal section showing complete insertion of opesiule in Thalamoporella sp.

from early Miocene Godhra Formation. b: Transverse Section of Vincularia sp.
from early Miocene Godhra Formation. c: Basal section of Steginoporella sp. from
early middle Miocene Chhasra Formation. d: Basal section of ?Crassimarginatella
sp. from early Miocene Godhra Formation. e: Longitudinal Section of Vincularia
sp. from early middle Miocene Chhasra Formation. f: Transverse Section of
?Margaretta sp. from early middle Miocene Chhasra Formation. g: Transverse
Section of ?Thalamoporella sp. from early middle Miocene Chhasra Formation.

single, adventitious. Transverse section of Vincularia differentiated in to an incomplete descending cryptocyst

(Fig.4b) gives the idea of arrangement of autozooids. The
longitudinal section of Vincularia (Fig.4e) shows oval
autozooids.
?Margaretta sp. (Fig.4f) belonging to family
Margarettidae is characterized by erect, branched colonies,
constituting roughly cylindrical internodes separated by
chitinous joints. Autozooids perforated, in regularly
alternating whorls, each of 2-6 members. Orifices circular
with tubular peristomes in complete specimens, small
ascophore is present below the orifice, ovicells peristomial,
avicularia wanting. The transverse section of Margaretta
(Fig.4f) whorl confirms the genus. Steginoporella sp.
(Fig.4c) belonging to family Steginoporellidae is
characterized by encrusting, unilamellar or Vincularian
colonies. Autozooids usually dimorphic, the body cavity is
which connects the basal or distal wall, leaving a median
opening prolonged distally into a polypedian tube.
Sometimes avicularian zooids called b-zooids present
ovicells wanting. Figure 4c shows one b-zooid having
distally pair of small a-zooids.
Acknowledgements: The author is grateful to the Director
(Exploration), ONGC, New Delhi and Head, Regional
Geoscience Laboratory as well as Head, Geology
Laboratory, Western Offshore Basin, Mumbai Region,
ONGC, Panvel, Navi Mumbai for providing core samples.
The author is indebted to Dr. Mohan A. Sonar, PG
Department of Geology, Govt. Institute of Science,
Aurangabad (M.S.) for confirming identification of
bryozoans.

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.83, JUNE 2014

656 MILIND P. KUNDAL
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