Depositional Environment and Provenance of Tipam Sandstone Formation Exposed in Parts of Naga Schuppen Belt, Naga Hills, NE India

Pranamee Borgohain , Nagendra Pandey, Angom Sangeeta, Ajano Khalo

Science Vision 23 (4), 66-71 | Published on 2 February 2024 | https://doi.org/10.33493/scivis.23.04.02

Abstract

Naga Hills, one of the seven sisters of NE India provides a unique opportunity to study Tertiary Geology. Three different morphotectonic belts of this geological terrain, i.e. Inner Fold Belt, Belt of Schuppen and the Naga Ophiolite Belts are home to the sediments of different times between Late Cretaceous to Recent. The focus of this study is situated in the Belt of Schuppen, the trust belt bounded by Naga thrust and Disang thrust. The age of the sediments of this belt is ranged from Oligocene to Recent. An economically important sedimentary unit the Tipam Group of rocks is well exposed in this belt. In this study, an approach has been made to understand the depositional environment and provenance characteristics of the Tipam Sandstone Formation of Tipam Group exposed in and around Kukidolong in Dimapur district. By the study of different facies parameters, the rocks of the study area have been divided into two lithofacies namely: Planar crossbedded medium-grained sandstone (MSp) and Trough cross-bedded mediumgrained sandstone facies (MSt). The facies characteristics and sedimentary structures observed in the area point towards a mid-channel- bar depositional system of a river as mighty as Brahmaputra. The heavy mineral assemblages found in this sandstone interpret a mixed provenance of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks

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