Calcretes and Related Palaeosols in Phanerozoic Stratigraphic Records of India: a Review

Calcretes occur commonly in both Quaternary and pre-Quaternary continental and marginal marine sequences, and are generally considered as indicators of seasonal, aridlsemi-arid climatic conditions. The marginal marine and continental sedimentary basins of the Himalaya and the Phanerozoic Gondwana basins are analysed here to evaluate the possibilities of calcrete and palaeosol occurrences in them. A compilation of the known occurrences of calcretes and related palaeosols in pre-Quaternary and Quaternary sequences of India is also given.

The importance of calcretes and their evaluation in the Himalayan foreland for obtaining insights on Cenozoic climates is highlighted. Possibilities of future studies on calcretes and related palaeosols include: (a) the application of gradualistic pedofacies model in the well developed alluvial sequences of the Siwalik Group and the Gondwana Supergroup, (b) the identification of lowstand systems tract in the marginal marine basins of India, and (c) understanding the directions of climate changes in the Indian stratigraphic record.