Sedimentological and Petrographical Characterization of the Cambrian Abbottabad Formation in Kamsar Section, Muzaffarabad Area: Implications for Proto-Tethys Ocean Evolution

The current sedimentological and petrographical research of the Abbottabad Formation has been carried out in order to understand formation evolution Proto-Tethys Ocean during Cambrian on northern margin Indian Plate. Muzaffarabad region is located east Upper Indus Basin southern part Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis. geological history varies from Precambrian recent period. well exposed along Syntaxis at core 500-m-thick anticline. an unconformity-bounded allo-stratigraphic unit. It unconformable lower contact with Late Dogra upper Paleocene Hangu Formation. divided into four lithofacies, bottom top, namely, thinly interbedded dolomite shale, cherty-stromatolitic dolomite, oxidized limonitic-brecciated zone, quartzite, significant lithological changes. Petrographic studies revealed types dolomites: fine crystalline (Dol. I), dolomitic cryptocrystalline chert II), algal mat-stromatolitic III), intraclastic-dolo-grain stone IV). mineral composition dolostone was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) found be consistent previous petrographic studies. content decreased base while increased towards top. Elemental weight percentages through energy dispersive (EDX) analysis show different elements constitute minerals dolostone, as confirmed by XRD analysis. Using outcrop data, facies information, geochemical a modified depositional model developed. During Early period, deposited shallow subtidal supratidal setting Ocean. top this deposit marks Cambrian–Paleocene boundary. Because progressively coarsening sequences, seems very Ocean’s marine system.