NEWS

Newly Elected Body of JUGAA for 2011-2014

Prof. S K Shah    President
Sh. S S Wazir    Sr. Vice President
Sh. B K Raina    Vice President
Prof C S Sudan Vice President
Sh. B D Thapa   Vice President
Prof G M Bhat    Gen Secreatry
Dr. Alok Raina    Coor. Secretary
Sr. A K Sahni     Treasurer
Sh. V. Sharma    Joint Secretary
Sh. A M Mir        Joint Secretary
Dr. B Thusu        Foreign Secretary

Geological Setup along the National Highway 1A Transect

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway cuts across three major tectonic zones viz., the Outer Himalaya, the Lesser Himalayan and the Kashmir Tethyan Himalaya. The MBT, Murree- and the Panjal Thrusts are the major tectonic planes of regional importance which cut across the highway between Udhampur and Ramsu. Besides these major thrusts Makarkote fault marked by myllonite and phyllonite is a prominent structural feature located near Makarkote village. Most of the rock types have a regional strike of NW-SE to WNW-ESE with moderate to steep dips either towards north or the south.

The Outer Himalayan (Foreland Basin): In this belt Siwalik and Murree Groups are overlying the buried peneplained surface of the northern fringe of the Indian shield. Lithologically these sediments constitute semi-consolidated to consolidated sandstones, shales, conglomerates and clay beds. Structurally these rocks display broad anticlines and synclines, e.g., Jhajjar-Suruin-Mastgarh anticline (wrench faulted) and Udhampur syncline. A series of thrusts characterise the foreland strata. The most prominent among them are Main Boundary Fault (MBF) which delimits the Siwalik from the Murree strata in Jammu region. The Lower Murree strata display tight isoclines and overfolds with repeated local faults. Whereas, the Upper Murree represent broad open Siwalik type of folds.

The Lesser Himalayan is tectonically bounded by the Murree Thrust in the south and by the Panjal thrust in the north. Lithologically this belt comprises mainly of slates, quartzites, volcanics, phyllites and subordinate metamorphic and sedimentary strata in the sector.

The Tethyan Himalaya represents sedimentary rocks of Carboniferous to Early Jurassic age which are exposed from Banihal to Qazigund. These strata document excellent faunal record of these periods. The famous Jawahar Tunnel lies in this sector around Banihal Pass area which pierces through the Panjal Volcanics and Zewan Formation intersecting two local faults through its length.

TECTONOSTRATIGRAPHIC SUCCESSION ALONG NH-1A FROM KASHMIR TO JAMMU

Karewa Gravels, silts, loams Pliocene to Pleistocene

Wuhmuh Sandstone, slate, limestone Jurassic

Khrew and Dolomite,micrite,limestone, Undifferentiated Wuyan quartzite Middle-Upper Triassic

Khunamuh Limestone, shale, slate Lower Triassic

Zewan siltstone, sandstone, limestone Upper Permian

Mamal Tuffaceous shale, conglomerate Lower Permian

Panjal Basaltic and andesitic Early Permian Volcanics flows, vesicular and
massive at places

Agglomeratic      Slate, phyllites, quartzite with             Early Permian to          Slate                         angular fragments and             Late Carboniferous
                              rounded clasts in slates

Fenestella          Shales and phyllites                       Visean to Serpukhovian Shales               containing Fenestella,                     (Early Carboniferous)
                              brachiopods, corals; quartzite,
          pebbly sandstone beds and dark grey shales

Syringothyris      Grey to dark grey,                          Early Carboniferous
                        Limestone  brownish                         (Tournaisian)
                   Limestones and Sandstones,
                       shales/clays and marl

--------------------------------------------------- Unconformity --------------------------------------

Chamalwas Greenish-grey slates, (?) Cambrian-Silurian Formation sandstones, siltstones and shales.

Ramsu                Pyritiferous slate,                              (?)Late Precambrian
                     shale, crystalline limestone
                  pebbly phyllite and basic intrusives          ,                               ----

------------------------------------------------ Unconformity ------------------------------------------

Salkhala             phyllite, phyllonite, ,                            (?) Precambrian
                        quartzite, schist, gneiss
                          with granodiorite intrusives

------------------------------------------------- Panjal Thrust ------------------------------------------

Sincha Quartzite, dolomite, limestone, Late Precambrian
phyllite, slate, pebbly phyllite

---------------------------------------------------- Thrust -------------------------------------------------

Baila and           Carbonaceous grey                               (?) Precambrian
Gamir                phyllites, grey and
                 whitish limestone, brecciated quartzite                      -----

Volcanics Foliated and massive

---------------------------------------------------- Panjal Thrust --------------------------------------

Murree Sandstone, claystones, shale Early Miocene to siltstone Oligocene (?)

Lower Siwalik Sandstone, mudstones Late Miocene to
and conglomerates Middle Miocene

Middle Siwalik Sandstones with interbedded Late Miocene
mudstones

Upper Siwalik     Sandstones, mudstones,                        Pleistocene to
                        pebble beds and boulder                         Pliocene
                            conglomerate