GEOLOGY OF CUDDAPAH SUPERGROUP

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED GEOLOGY

Presented by:
under guidance of:
Bibhukalyan Mohapatra
Dr. G.K.SINGH M.Tech 2nd Sem
Regd-Y18251010
DR. HARISINGH GOUR VISHWAVIDYALAYA
SAGAR, M.P
( A CENTRAL UNIVERSITY)
CONTENTS

 Introduction

 Lithostratigraphy

 Structure

 Tectonicsandbasin
evolution
 Mineralresources

 Fossilassemblage

 Conclusion

 Reference
INTRODUCTION-

• Located between latitudes 13°30´N to 17°N and longitudes 78°E to 80°E.

• The Cuddapah basin is a crescent shaped N-S trending Proterozoic intracratonic basin
noncorfomably overlying the Archaean Dharwar craton.
• It covers an area of 44,000 sq. km and is the second largest Purana basin of India.
• Extends for a length of about 450 km along the arcuate eastern margin with a mean width of
about 150 km.
• Bordered by Eastern ghats belt along eastern margin and bordered by the Dharwar craton on
all other side.
• Consist predominantly of clastic and chemical sedimentary rocks .
 Location of Cuddapah basin in Indian sub-continent

Satellite imagery of Cuddapah basin

SOURCE- Chalapathi Venkatakrishna on
Proterozoic Sedimentary Basins (Scribd )
Why Cuddapah is crescent in shape ?
 The uplift of the Eastern Ghats on the eastern margin affected
the evolution of the Cudappah basin, changing the shape and
sediment of the basin.
 Uplift and deformation event in the Eastern Ghats folded the
eastern side of the Cuddapah Basin and are responsible for its
present shape.

Source
–
Google
images Upliftment
and
deformation
of Eastern
ghats leads
to
 CUDDAPAH SUPERGROUP
 The lithostratigraphy of Cudappah basin

Source –Google images

THE PAPAGHNI GROUP
Rest with nonconformity on granitic basement and with profound
angular unconformity over the greenstone belts of EDC.
 It consists of lower arenaceous sequence, an upper carbonate
sequence topped by basic volcanic and sills
 The Group consists of-

Source-www.Papaghni
group/google images.in/
(a)Basal conglomerate and feldspathic
grit , Gulcheru Quartzite

(b)Heterolithic calcareous sandstone

and dolomitic limestone ,lower vempalle
formation

(c) Herringbone cross-stratification

calcareous sandstone, lower vempalle
formation Source-
Papaghni group
(Google images)
THE CHITRAVATI GROUP

The Group disconformably overlies the

Papaghni Group with a basal conglomerate
marking the hiatus and consists of lower
Pulivendla quartzite and upper Tadpatri
Formation.

The Group consists of-

(a) Pulivendla quartzite grading up into
Tadpatri formation.

(b) Heterolithic thin bedded shale-

sandstone intercalated with
stromatolitic dolostone.

(c) Mafic sills and stromatolitic

limestones

(d) Plane laminated green shale with

thick dolerite sill, upper Tadpatri
formation

Source:-https://www.Chitravati
group/google images.in/
 (a)Sharp boundary arrowheads between shales of Tadpatri formation and the
Gandikota Quartzite.

Source:-https://www.Chitravati group/google images.in

THE NALLAMALAI GROUP
The Group overlies the Chitravati Group.

It is the deformed and metamorphosed

shale-siltstone-quartzite-dolomite sequence of
the Nallamalai fold belt.
 The group consists of-
Cumbum Formation Slate, phyllite, chert, dolomite
Pullampet Formation shale, felsic tuffs, barytes
dolomite, quartzite

Bairenkonda quartzite Quartzite, quartz wacke, shale

Nagari quartzite Quartzite, quartz wacke,shale, basal
conglomerate
(a)Alternate thick and
thin bedded quartzite,
lower Bairenkonda
quartzite.

(b)Plane parallel to
cross stratified
quartzite ,upper
Cumbum formation

Source-
www.Nallamalai
group /google
images.in/
SRISAILAM QUARTZITE

 The Srisailam quartzite overlies the Papaghni and Nallamalai Groups with a
profound unconformity marked by local conglomerate.

 The quartzite is horizontally bedded.

 It comprises of glauconite bearing Ferruginous quartzite.

 Minor shale intercalations are found in the quartzites.

 The quartzite is believed to indicate shallow marine to tidal flat environment.

 Structure
The undeformed western sub basin give way to the highly deformed
Nallamalai fold belt in the east.
 Low amplitude open folds in the west become tight to isoclinal and
doubly plunging fold in the east.
 Nallamalai fold belt is demarcated from the undeformed western side
by the prominent fault lineament called Rudravaram line.

Undeformed Deformed
western part eastern
part

Source- Ramakrishnan .M and Vaidyanadhan .R Geology of India,

Vol. 1, Published by Geological Society of India,2010,(p.463)
Tectonics and basin evolution-
 The thermal events during the Paleoproterozoic present a possible cause
of basin formation.
 Paleo current studies indicate flow direction towards the east during the
Papaghni time and to the north during Chitravati time suggesting the
denudation of Dharwar craton.
 The environment of deposition during Papaghni and Chitravati times was
overall littoral range ,ranging from alluvial fan, coastal plain to tidal flat.
 The Cuddapah basin is accepted by some authors as a foreland basin and
some other suggested that the basin is formed in rift settings.
1.Thermal doming of 2.Brittle fracturing 3.Profusion of basic dyke swarms 4.Downsagging and
asthenosphere sedimentation

7.Periodic time gap

5.Palaeocurrent direction 6.Downsagging and sedimentation

8.Downsagging and sedimentation

9.Periodic time gap
10.Basement thrusting
Basin evolution
 MINERAL RESOURCES-
Uranium- Found in Gulcheru Formation of Papaghni Group.Exploratory drilling undertaken at Gandi and
some neighbouring areas has indicated high grade lensoid Uranium mineralisation.

Barytes- Found in Pullampet Formation of Nallamalai Group at Mangampeta, forms the single largest
deposit of bedded barytes in the world, has been declared as a National Geological Monument.

Fullerene- Five black tuff samples from the Mangampeta area indicated presence of naturally occuring
fullerenes.

 Iron ore- Small deposits of iron ore and hematite occur in Pulivendla formation.

Chrysotile- Asbestos and steatite- found in Vempalle Formation of Papaghni Group.

 Ornamental stones like jasper, chert, etc.

Pb- Zn deposit- Hosted by dolomite, found in Pullampet Formation of Nallamalai Group at

Agnikundala, Zangamrajupalle- Varikunta.
Fossil assemblage S
t
• Stromatolites abounding in the cuddapah r
sediments are not diagnostic of age o
Tawuia m
• Carbonaceous sediments like a
Tawuia,Chuaria in Auk shale,trace fossils in t
Paniam Quartzite and calcareous algae o
from Koilikuntala Limestone indicate l
Neoproterozoic age for Kurnool group. i
t
e
Calcareous
Chuaria algae

Source-
Google
images
CONCL
USION
 Cuddapah is a very important Palaeo-Meso Proterozoic sedimentary basin and is typically arcuate
shaped.

 In the lower part of the Cuddapah succession there are abundant intrusive sills of dolerite.These basic
sills are called the Cuddapah traps.

 Cuddapah Supergroup correlated with the Kaladgi group and Pakhal group of southern
peninsular India.

 Cuddapah rocks are mainly unfossiliferous. However, the presence of Stromatolites have been reported
from the Vempalle formations;e.g;collenia vajurkari.

 It is one of the Indian site, where the great Eparchaean Unconformity is exposed.
REFERENCE
Ramakrishnan.M and Vaidyanadhan.R Geology of India, Vol.
1, Published by Geological Society of India 2010,
(p. 492-509)

 Wadia D.N., Geology of India,Published byTata McGraw-

Hill Publishing Company Limited 1983, (p.113-119)

Krishnan M.S. ,Geology of India and Burma,1982, (p.163-181)

www. wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuddapah basin

THANK YOU
…….!!!!!!