A New Mammalian Fossil from the Lower Murree of Kalakkot, Jammu And Kashmir State, India

The problem of age and environment of deposition of Murree rocks in the Tertiary stratigraphy of north-western Himalaya is under debate for more than fifty years. The age of Murree Series was regarded as Lower Miocene by celebrated geologists viz. Pilgrim (1912), Wadia (1928 & 1966), Gansser (1964) and others on the basis of Fatehjang fauna (Lower Burdigalian) occurring at the base of these rocks in Potwar Basin, Pakistan.

During the course of geological mapping in Kalakot area, the present author found a new species of Upper Eocene (?) rhinoceratoid. This is the first rhinoceratoid fossil recorded from the lower Murree of Jammu foot hills, and its identification has revealed that it has a close affinity with the Russian and American rhinoceratoids of Palaeogene age. This means that the well established unconformity representing a big gap between the Subathu and Murree sediments in Potwar Basin has certainly narrowed down east of Jhelum Syntaxis.