Vindhyan Supergroup

Vindhyan basin is named after the Vindhyan Mountains

Covers an exposed area of 60,000sq.km and a concealed area of

1,62,000km.sq under the Indo- Gangetic Alluvium and Deccan Trap

The strata of the Supergroup are exposed in two sectors: Rajasthan

in the west and Son valley in the east.

The Vindhyan basin is bounded to the south by Son Narmada fault

and to the northwest by the Aravalli Mountains along the Great
Boundary Fault.

Geographically, it starts from Sasaram in the east to Dholpur in the

north

Vindhyan basin belongs to mesoproterozoic

The Vindhyan Supergroup is composed mostly of low dipping
formations of sandstone, shale and carbonate, with a few
conglomerate and volcaniclastic beds, separated by a major regional
and several local unconformities.

The regional unconformity occurs at the base of the Kaimur Group

and divides the sequence into two units: the Lower Vindhyans (Semri
Group) and the Upper Vindhyans (Kaimur, Rewa and Bhander Groups).

The outcrop pattern of the Supergroup resembles a simple saucer

shaped syncline.

It is generally believed that the Vindhyan basin was a vast intra-
cratonic basin formed in response to intraplate stresses.
Supergroup Group Formation Thickness in metres
Bhander Group Upper Bhander Sandstone 1000
Sirbu Shales
Lower Bhander Sandstone
Bhander Limestone
Ganurgarh Shales
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Disconformity/Gradational contact ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upper Vindhyan Rewa Group Upper Rewa Sandstone 2000

Jhiri Shales
Lower Rewa Sandstone
Panna Shales
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Normal contact/facies change ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaimur Group Upper Kaimur Sandstone 400
Bijagarh Shales
Lower Kaimur Sandstone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unconformity ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lower Vindhyan Semri Group Rohtas Formation 1300
Keinjua Formation
Porcellinite Formation
Basal Formation
 Semri group
3000 to 4000m thickness

Derived its name from Semri river

well developed in the eastern Son valley

It rests with nonconformity

on Bundelkhand

Irregular thickness indicates irregular basin floor

It is made up of five alternating formations of shale and

carbonates with areas of sandstones and volcanic clastic units

Basal succession consist of conglomerate, cross bed ferruginous

sandstone and shale

Pb-Pb isochron age is 1750-1600Ma

 Kaimur group
Seperated from the lower Vindhyan by unconformity

400m thickness

Named after kaimur scarp

It is essentially made up of

sandstone-shale

Ripple marks and sun cracks are found on the shales

In Bundelkhand it shows a basal conglomerate containing pebbles

of jasper

Using Rb-Sr isochron the age is 1100-1150Ma

 Rewa group
Named after the Rewa

Thickness 100-300m

Sediments thickens to the north

indicating deepening of the basin

Separated from kaimur by a zone of diamond bearing

conglomerate
Consist of a series of shales and sandstones formations that, in
areas contain kimberlite derived diamondiferous conglomerates
The presence of mud crack suggest periodical exposures and the
presence of rain prints in the shale indicates sub aerial conditions
The basal Panna shale without any basal conglomerate indicates
continuity of deposition from Kaimur group.
 Bhander group

Named after Bhander upland, extensively developed along the axis

of the basin and in the Bhopal inlier within the Deccan trap

Thickness is 1300-1500m

Separated from the Rewa group by

horizon diamond bearing conglomerate

Bhander sandstone are fine grained

and soft
The Ganurgarh shale with stromatolitic limestone indicates
shoreline lagoon-tidal flat complex
The top unit of Maihar sandstone unit is a blanket deposit with
ripple marks, cross bedding and load-cast indicating tidal flat to near
shore littoral environment.
 Age of the Vindhyan Supergroup: A review of recent findings (Ray, J.S.)

It is believed to have recorded a substantial portion of Proterozoic

time.

It also contains some of the most disputed fossils of earliest animal
life.

The age of the Lower Vindhyans in the Son valley are now resolved.
As for the Vindhyans of the Son valley, it is very clear now that the
sedimentation started sometime prior to 1721 Ma and continued
until about 1600 Ma without any major break.

Whereas problems with the age of the Upper Vindhyans remain to

be answered.
 Economic Importance
Diamond, pyrite, coal, limestone, building and decorative stones
are reported from Vindhyan basin

Diamond have been reported in the conglomerate in Panna

The limestone of Vindhyans are among the most important

sources of raw materials for the lime and cement industry in India

Vindhyan sandstone near U.P on disintegrating by weathering

yield good sands which are being used for the manufacture of glass

Pyrite (FeS2) is reported from the Bijaigarh shales of lower

Kaimur. The material is of good quality, containing around 45%
sulphur, without any arsenic.
 Conclusions
The Vindhyan Supergroup is one of the largest and thickest
Precambrian sedimentary successions of India and duration of its
deposition is the longest.
It, also called Purana basin is one of the important mesoproterozoic
basin
Deposited in an intra-cratonic basin, it is composed of sandstone,
shale and carbonate, few conglomerate and volcano-clastic bed
Vindhyan supergroup is divided into two: upper Vindhyan and
lower Vindhyan, separated by unconformity, prominent in the North
but almost disappears in the Southern areas
Lower Vindhyan is 1,300-1,100 Ma, marine in origin consisting of
calcareous and argillaceous sediments
Upper Vindhyan is 1,000-600 Ma, fluviatile in origin and
exclusively arenaceous
In Rewa group, some formation of shales and sandstones
contain diamoniferous conglomerates

Upper Vindhyan enclose diamond bearing horizon, from which

Panna diamonds have been mined

The presence of coal intercalations indicates the existence of

plants in Kaimur and Semri group though there is no workable
coal seam

The evidence of life is either direct or indirect

Direct evidence-mega and micro fossils e.g., Chuaria and Tawuia

Indirect evidence-stromatolites, algal mats etc