Geological field study of the Papaghni Group, Cuddapah Supergroup in Andhra Pradesh, Southern India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3301/GFT.2026.04 - Pages: 1-27

¹Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India.
Corresponding e-mail address: r.behera1996@gmail.com

The Cuddapah Basin, one of the largest Proterozoic basins in India, provides crucial insights into the Proterozoic Earth's sedimentary and tectonic evolution. The Papaghni Group forms the basal unit of the Proterozoic Cuddapah Supergroup and represents a key lithostratigraphic sequence in the Cuddapah Basin. The Group consists of the Gulcheru Quartzite and Vempalle Formation and contains information related to the sedimentation history, depositional environments, and tectonic evolution of the region. The stratigraphy of the Papaghni Group furnishes the history of rifting, sedimentation, and periodic basin subsidence, influenced by the regional and global geodynamic processes i.e., Columbia supercontinent assembly. Well preserved stromatolites within the Vempalle Formation highlight early microbial activity in carbonate precipitation. The study of stromatolites from the Vempalle Formation reveals a depth partitioned microbial growth pattern controlled by energy conditions, salinity, and sediment influx. The variation in stromatolitic morphology, from laminated forms in shallow intertidal settings to columnar and domal structures in deeper marine environments, highlights their adaptive capability in response to paleoenvironmental changes. Furthermore, mafic flows, dykes, and hydrothermal mineralisation within the sequence indicate multiple extensional phases, correlating with global supercontinent cycles. The study highlights extensive field observations, petrographic analyses, and ore mineral assemblages, contributing to a holistic understanding of the region's geodynamic evolution.

Cuddapah, stromatolite, hydrothermal.