Occurrences of Trace Fossils of the Himmatnagar Sandstone Formation (Lower Cretaceous), North Gujarat, Western India

The Lower Member of the Himmatnagar Sandstone Formation is exposed to the south of Sapteshwar between Sapteshwar and Kadoli in Sabarkantha District, North Gujarat, India. This sedimentary succession is approximately 17.5 metres thick and is rich in ichnofossils. The Lower Member primarily comprises a well-exposed sandstone sequence representing a shallow marine succession. The lower part of the Lower Member in the study area is characterised by the prevalence of Cruziana ichnofacies, indicating a middle to upper shoreface setting. This zone encompasses nine ichnotaxa, including Cochlichnus isp., Gyrochorte comosa, Laevicyclus mongraensis, Lockeia gigantus, Palaeophycus bolbitermilus, Palaeophycus tubularis, Phoebichnus minor, Thalassinoides horizontalis and Thalassinoides suevicus . Conversely, the upper part of the Lower Member comprises three ichnotaxa: Arenicolites isp., Monocraterion isp. and Skolithos linearis , which belong to the Skolithos ichnofacies suggesting upper shoreface to foreshore conditions of paleoenvironment.