GEOLOGICAL TIME SCALE

AND INDIAN STRATIGRAPHY

PREPARED BY ,
TONY S CHERIYATHU
IIIRD B.Sc. GEOLOGY
INTRODUCTION

 IT IS A SYSTEM OF CHRONOLOGICAL DATING THAT RELATES GEOLOGICAL STRATA

TO TIME

 THE GEOLOGICAL TIME SCALE IS A RECORD OF THE LIFE FORMS AND

GEOLOGICAL EVENTS IN EARTH HISTORY

 THE TIME SCALE WAS DEVELOPED BY STUDYING ROCK LAYERS AND FOSSILS
WORLDWIDE. RADIOACTIVE DATING HELPED DETERMINE THE ABSOLUTE DIVISIONS
IN THE TIME SCALE.

 THE LARFGEST SECTIONS OF TIME SCALE ARE CALLED “EONS” , EONS ARE DIVIDED
INTO “ERAS”, ERAS ARE DIVIDED INTO “PERIODS” , PERIODS ARE DIVIDED INTO
“EPOCH”
PRECAMBRIAN PERIOD (4500-541ma)
 OLDEST AND LONGEST PERIOD [HENCE CALLED SUPER EON] IN THE HISTORY OF EARTH

 IT COVERS APPROXIMATELY 88% OF EARTH HISTORY.

 PRECAMBRIAN SUPER EON IS FURTHER DIVIDED INTO 3 SPECIFIC EONS WHICH ARE
HADEAN , ARCHEAN AND PROTEROZOIC
 HADEAN EON (4500-3800ma)
 THE WORD ‘HADEAN’ IS DERIVED FROM THE WORD ‘HADES’ MEANS
HELL

 IT BEGAN WITH FORMATION OF THE EARTH

 FORMATION OF EARTH CRUST BY COOLING

 4 BILLION YERS AGO , TERRESTRIAL CRUST WAS FORMED FOLLOWED

BY THE CONTINENT AND OCEAN
ARCHEAN EON (4000-2500ma)
 THE WORD ‘ARCHEAN’ DERIVED FROM ‘ARKHE’ MEANS
BEGINNING OR ORGIN

 THE OLDEST DATED ROCK ARE FOUND

 THE BEGINNING OF PROKARYOTIC ORGANISM AND PRESENCE

OF OXYGEN IS ASSUMED DURING THIS EON

 CYANOBACTERIA OR BLUE GREEN ALGAE WERE THE FIRST

MICRO ORGANISM TO APPEAR ON EARTH WHICH FORMS
CALCAREOUS CONCRETIONS ON THE ROCK EXISTED DURING
THAT TIME , STROMATOLITES WERE THE EVIDENCE OF FIRST LIFE
FORMS
INDIAN OCCURANCE

 1. ARCHEAN ROCKS AND GRANITES (PREMARILY GNEISS AND GRANITE) ;

THE ARCHEAN ROCKS COVERS TWO THIRDS OF THE PENINSULAR INDIA
.THE ARCHEAN FORMATIONS IN THE INDIAN SHIELD OCCUPIES MOST OF
THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN INDIA AND PARTS OF ASSAM ,JHARKAND
,MADHYAPRADESH AND RAJASTHAN

 2. DHARWAD ROCKS(WEATHERING OF ARCHEAN SHIST AND GNEISS ROCK

PRODUCE SEDIMENTS WHICH LATER GET METAMORPHISED INTO
DHARWAD ROCK[BOTH SEDIMENTARY AND METAMORPHIC]).LARGE
AMOUNT OF GOLD , IRON , LEAD ETC ARE FOUND IN THIS ROCKS.
MAJORLY OCCURS IN DHARWAD ,KARNATAKA ,JHARKAND
MADHYAPRADESH,CHATTISGHARH,ODISHA , ARAVALI HILLS, HIMALAYAS
AND MEGHALAYA PLATEAU ETC.
ARCHEAN GRANITES AND GNEISS DARWAD ROCKS
 PROTEROZOIC EON (2500-541ma)
 IT IS SUBDIVIDED INTO THREE GEOLOGIC ERAS (FROM OLDEST TO
YOUNGEST): THE PALEOPROTEROZOIC, MESOPROTEROZOIC,
AND NEOPROTEROZOIC.

 THE WELL IDENTIFIED EVENTS OF THIS EON WHERE THE TRANSITION

TO THE OXYGENATED ATHMOSPHERE , BEGINNING OF THE
MOUNTAIN FORMATION , EVOLUTION OF EUKARYOTES , SEVERAL
GLACIATIONS , FORMATION OF MULTI CELLED CREATURES [WITH
NO HARD PARTS LIKE SHELL OR TEETH ,SO FOSSILS ARE HARD TO
FIND]
INDIAN OCCURANCE

 1. CUDDAPAH ROCKS (DHARWARD ROCKS WEATHERED AND DEPOSITED

INTO THE SYNCLINAL BASIN) IT MAY HAVE THICKNESS UPTO 6000
METERS.THEY ARE GENERALLY WITHOUT FOSSILS. CONTAIN ORES OF IRON ,
COBALT , NICKEL ETC . FOUND IN CUDDAPAH(ANDRA PRADESH) ,ODISHA,
CHATHISGARH AND KARNATAKA. ALSO FOUND IN DELHI TO ARAVALI
AND GUJARAT.

 2. VIDHYAN ROCKS (DIAMOND BEARING Eg. GOLCONDA MINES)USED AS

SANDSTONE ,BUILDING MATERIAL, RAW MATERIAL FOR CEMENT
CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES ETC.,USUALLY CONSIST OF ENORMOUS
SEDIMENTARY DEPOSITS.IT STRECHES FROM SASARAM IN BIHAR TO
CHITTOGARH IN RAJASTHAN
CUDDAPAH ROCK VIDHYAN ROCKS
PHANEROZOIC EON (541ma-PRESENT)

 IT IS THE PRSENT EON

 THE WORD ‘PHANEROZOIC’ MEANS VISIBLE LIFE

 THEY ARE DIVIDED INTO 3 ERAS- PALEOZOIC , MESOZOIC AND CENOZOIC

PALEOZOIC ERA (541-248ma)

 IT MEANS THE ‘ANCIENT LIFE’ IN GREEK

 IT IS KNOWN FOR THE VARIETY OF LIFE THAT RAPIDLY BEGAN TO APPEAR .

 THE PALEOZOIC ERA CAN BE SUBDIVIDED INTO SIX PERIODS ; CAMBRIAN ,

ORDOVICIAN , SILURIAN , DEVONIAN , CARBONIFEROUS AND PERMIAN

 THIS IS KNOWN AS “DRAVIDIAN ERA” IN THE GEOLOGICAL TIME SCALE . IT IS

ALMOST ABSENT IN PENINSULAR REGION BUT ARE FOUND IN CONTINUOUS
SEQUENCE IN HIAMLAYAS
 CAMBRIAN (541-505ma)
 EXPLOSION OF LIFE

 ALL EXISTING MAJOR BODY PLANS (PHYLA) CAME INTO BEING THIS
TIME

 VARIOUS GROUP OF INVERRTIBRATES EVOLVED IN THE SHALLOW SEAS

THAT COVERED MUCH OF THE EARTH

 TRILOBITE IS AN INVERTEBRATE WITH HARD EXOSKELETON AND BODY IS

DIVIDED INTO 3 LOBES

 SUPERCONTINENT GODWANA FORMS NEAR THE SOUTH POLE

 INDIAN OCCURANCE
 PLENTY OF FOSSIL EVIDENCE ARE OBTAINED
FROM INDIAN ROCKS (LIKE THAT OF CORALS ,
FORMINIFERAS , SPONGES ,TRILOBITES ETC.
WHICH INDICATE MARINE CONDITIONS OF
PALEOZOIC ROCKS FOUND IN INDIA) Eg. THE
SALT RANGE , THE SPITI AREA , THE FORMATION
OF KASHMIRI VALLEY ETC.
 ORDOVICIAN (505-438ma)

 THE FIRST ANIMAL WITH BONES APPEARS [AGNATHS , FISH

WITH NO JAWS]

 THERE WERE ALSO GREAT QUANTITIES OF CORALS ,SPONGES

AND MOLLUSKS SUCH AS CEPHALOPODS

AGNATHS
 4 MAIN CONTINENTS ; GODWANA , BALATICA , SIBERIA ,
AND LAURENTIA

CEPHALOPODS
 INDIAN OCCURANCE

 THE ORDOVICIAN SYSTEM IS EXPOSED IN THE NORTHERN

KUMAON-SHIMLA REGION CONTAINING MAINLY
SHALES .

 THE ORDOVICIAN ROCKS OF KASHMIR IS EXPOSED IN

THE LIDAR VALLEY
 SILURIAN (438-410ma)

 FIRST LAND BASED PLANT GREW [COOKSONIA(STEM WITH NO

ROOT OR LEAVES)]

 FISH WITH JAWS BEGAN TO APPEAR[ACANTHODIANS, THEIR

COOKSONIA
FINS HAD LONG SPINES]

 LAURENTIA COLLIDES WITH BALTICA AND CLOSES LEPITUS SEA

ACANTHODIANS
 INDIAN OCCURANCE

 THE SILURIAN ROCKS ARE SEEN IN SPITI REGION THEY

CONTAINING RED CRINOIDAL LIMESTONE OF
GRIESBACH AND ZANSKAR RANGE .

 THE SILURIAN ROCKS OF KASHMIR ARE EXPOSED IN THE

LIDAR VALLEY
 DEVONIAN (410-360ma)

 PRE PANGEA FORMS

 ARRIVAL OF INSECTS [THE OLDEST INSECT KNOWN IS

ARCHEOGNATH] ARCHEOGNATH

 THE FIRST LAND BASED ANIMALS ; AMPHIBIANS[FINS OF

SOME FISH WERE TRANSFORMED INTO LIMBS. THE
ICHTHYOSTEGA WAS ONE OF THE FIRST AMPHIBIAN TO
EVOLVE]

 FISHES BEGAN TO DIVERSIFY AND FERNS BEGAN TO

GROW ON WATER EDGE
ICHTHYOSTEGA
 INDIAN OCCURANCE

 THE DEVONIAN SYSTEM OF ROCKS ARE REPRESENTED BY

THE MUTH QUARTZITE OF SPITI , KUMAON AND KASHMIR.
LIMESTOME WITH BRACHIPODS AND CORALS THAT ARE
EXPOSED IN THESE ROCKS
CARBONIFEROUS (360-286ma)

 IT IS DIVIDED INTO MISSISSIPPIAN [360-320ma] AND

PENNSYLVANIAN [320-286ma]

 MISSISSIPPIAN : FIRST SEED PLANT APPEARS

 PENNSYLVANIAN ; THE FIRST REPTILES APPEARED ,THE OLDEST

WINGED INSECTS LIKE GIANT MEGANEURA DRAGONFLY
APPEARS , MODERN NORTH AMERICA BEGAN TO FORM

 RISE IN SEA LEVEL FORMED HUGE MARSHES . ALL OF THE

VEGETATION DIED AND DECOMPOSED TO FORM COAL.
 INDIAN OCCURANCE

 THE CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM OF ROCKS IN INDIA ARE

DISTRIBUTED ONLY IN AFEW PLACES IN THE
HIMALAYAN REGION IN KASHMIR . THEY CONTAIN
FOSSILIFEROUS LIMESTONE AND SHALES. THEY ARE
CALLED AS LIPAK AND PO SERIES
 PERMIAN (286-248ma)

 PANGEA FORMS

 REPTILES SPREAD ACROSS CONTINENTS

 THE CLIMATE BECOME COOLER AND DRIER

 THE RISE OF APPALACHIAN

 90% OF EARTH SPECIES BECOME EXTINCT DUE TO

VOLCANISM IN SIBERIA , LOWERING OF SEA LEVELS
AND CLIMATIC CHANGES
 INDIAN OCCURANCE

 THE UPPER CARBONIFEROUS AND PERMIAN SYSTEMS OF

INDIA CONTAIN UNIQUE FAUNA AND FLORA. THEY ARE
EXPOSED IN SPITI, KUMAON, MOUNT EVEREST REGION,
ASSAM , HIMALAYA, KASHMIR-PANJAL VOLCANIC SERIES,
SIMLA-GARHWAL-KROL SERIES AND IN EASTERN
HIMALAYAN REGIONS LIKE SIKKIM.
MESOZOIC ERA (248-65ma)

 CONSIST OF THREE PERIODS ; TRIASSIC , JURASSIC AND CRETACEOUS

TRIASSIC (248-208ma)

 FIRST DINOSAURS APPEAR

 PANGEA BREAK APART

 ROCKY MOUNTAIN FORMS

 FIRST MAMMALS AND SMALL RODENTS APPEARED

 INDIAN OCCURANCE
 THIS PERIOD HAS SHOWN A VERY RICH AND VARIED FAUNA AND FLORA.

 NUMEROUS INVERTEBRATE FOSSILS, INCLUDING CERATITES, AMMONOIDS,

BRACHIOPODS, CRINOIDS, ECHINOIDS AND PELECYPODS HAVE BEEN
OBSERVED IN THE ROCKS OF THIS AGE. AMONGST THE VERTEBRATES,
FISHES ARE QUITE ABUNDANT.

IN INDIA, THEY ARE EXPOSED AS ; THE LILANG SYSTEM IN SPITI, NORTHERN

KUMAON, THE CHOCOLATE SERIES, THE KALAPANI LIMESTONE ,THE KUTI
SHALES.

 GODWANA ROCK ; USALLY SHOWN FROM CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD TO

JURASSIC PERIOD . THE MAIN AREAS IN WHICH IT IS FOUND ARE
DAMODAR VALLEY , MAHANADHI VALLEY AND GODAWARI VALLEY.
THEY CONTAIN 98% OF COAL IN INDIA AND HAVE RICH DEPOSIT OF
COPPER , IRON , URANIUM ETC.

GODWANA ROCK
 JURASSIC (208-145ma)

 AGE OF THE DINOSAURS OR REPTILES

 FORMATION OF ATLANTIC OCEAN

 GYMNOSPERMS DOMINATED DURING THIS PERIOD

 BIRDS EVOLVED
 INDIAN OCCURANCE
 THE JURASSIC SYSTEM IS EXPOSED AS SPITI SHALES,
LAPTAL SERIES OF KUMAON, MOUNT EVEREST
REGION, SUB-HIMALAYA OF GARHWAL, KUTCH
AND RAJASTHAN AREAS.

 THE MARINE TRANSGRESSION IN THE LATTER PART

OF THE JURASSIC GAVE RISE TO THICK SERIES OF
SHALLOW WATER DEPOSITS IN RAJASTHAN AND IN
KUCHCHH.

 CORAL LIMESTONE, SANDSTONE,

CONGLOMERATES AND SHALES OCCUR IN
KUCHCHH.
 CRETACEOUS (145-65ma)
 MASS EXTINCTION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS (ASTERIOD
OR COMETS COLLIDES WITH EARTH)

 DISSAPPEARENCE OF THE DINOSAURS

 ANGIOSPERMS DOMINATED DURING THIS PERIOD

 FORMATION OF THE ALPS

 LARGE DEPOSITION OF CACO3

 INDIAN OCCURANCE
 THIS PERIOD IS MARKED BY THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE SEA
(COROMANDAL COAST, NARMADA VALLEY) AND
OUTPOURING OF HUGE QUANTITY OF LAVA (BASALT) SO AS
TO FORM THE DECCAN TRAP.

 DURING THIS PERIOD, ENORMOUS QUANTITY OF BASALTIC

LAVA WAS POURED OUT TO THE SURFACE ASSUMING A GREAT
THICKNESS OF OVER THREE THOUSAND METRES. THE LAVA
PLATEAU (THE DECCAN TRAP) IS THE RESULT OF THAT LAVA
ERUPTION.

 THE LAVA PLATEAU OF INDIA (DECCAN TRAP) HAS A

MAXIMUM THICKNESS OF ABOUT 3000 M ALONG THE COAST
OF MUMBAI FROM WHERE IT DECREASES TOWARDS SOUTH
AND EAST.PRESENT DECCAN TRAP COVERS ABOUT 5 LAKH sq
Km PARTS OF KUCHCHH , SAURASHTRA , MAHARASHTRA , THE
MALWA PLATEAU AND NORTHERN KARNATAKA ETC

THE DECCAN TRAP

CENOZOIC ERA (65ma-PRESENT)

 CENOZOIC ERA IS DIVIDED INTO 2 PERIODS ; TERTIARY AND QUANTENARY

 TERTIARY (65-1.6ma)

 DIVIDED INTO 5 EPOCHS ; PALEOCENE ,EOCENE ,

OLIGOCENE , MIOCENE AND PLIOCENE

 FIRST GRASSES

 DIVERSIFICATION OF MAMMALS

 FIRST PRIMATES
 INDIAN OCCURANCE
 FORMATION OF THE HIMALAYAS

 INDIAN SUBCONTINENT BROKE APART FROM THE

SUPERCONTINENT PANGEA

 THESE SYSTEM ARE FOUND IN SALT RANGE , BENGAL

AND GANGES DELTA . SMALL PATCHES ARE SEEN
ALONG THE COASTAL KERALA , KARNATAKA AND
GUJARAT,KATHIAWAR AND KUTCH REGIONS.
 QUATERNARY (1.6ma-PRESENT)

 DIVIDED INTO TWO EPOCH ; PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE

 PUNCTUATED BY 4 ICE AGES

 FIRST HUMAN APPEARS , DOMINATED BY HUMANS

 INVENTION OF WRITING 5000 YEARS AGO

 INDIAN OCCURANCE
 THE NORTHERN PLAINS OF INDIA CAME INTO
EXISTENCE DURING THE PLEISTOCENE PERIOD

 THE MORAINE DEPOSITS AND THE KAREWA

FORMATIONS OF KASHMIR VALLEY ARE OF THE
PLEISTOCENE PERIOD

 THE RIVER TERRACES OF THE NARMADA, TAPI,

GODAVARI, KRISHNA, AND KAVERI, ETC. ARE ALSO
OF THE PLEISTOCENE PERIOD.