Ostracods from the Nimar Sandstone Formation, Bagh Group (Upper Cretaceous) of Pipaldehla, Jhabua District, Madhya Pradesh, India: Paleobiogeography and age

The palaeobiogeography and age of the upper calcareous part of the Nimar Sandstone (NS), Bagh Group is determined based on ostracod fossils. The rocks of the NS directly rest over the Precambrian basement rocks outcropping near Pipaldehla, Gola Chhoti (Sajwani), Dhekal Badi, Ranapur, Udaygarh (Kanas) and multiple locations in Jhabua District. The present paper is the first report on ostracod fauna from Pipaldehla (N 22° 46’ E 74° 39’), Jhabua District, Madhya Pradesh, India. A total of 15 species of ostracods belonging to 11 genera have been identified. The assemblages of ostracods from the western and eastern exposures of the Bagh Group have been compared. The overall ostracod fauna suggests an early Turonian age and shows affinity to the ostracod assemblage of (1) the lower part of the Nodular Limestone of the Bagh-Jeerabad area, Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh (eastern exposures), and (2) also with the westernmost exposures of the Kawant-Rajpipla area of Gujarat.