Arc GIS based Cretaceous Geological Information System (CGIS) of Ariyalur outcrops - Cauvery basin, India

The rock strata of Cretaceous sedimentary system represented by Aptian to Maastrichtian age occurs as isolated patches outcropping in the western margin of the Cauvery Basin bordering the Archaean granite and gneiss basement. The Cretaceous system is well known as “Cretaceous of Trichinopoly” containing diverse fauna and flora including dinosaur remains, commercially exploitable limestone, lignite, clays and hydrocarbons. As a result, this fossiliferous sedimentary system has attracted the attention of many geoscientists from all over the globe to conduct research on various geoscientific disciplines. However, the published geological information is not archived at a single source for perusal and reference. This study attempts to collate available Cretaceous geological information of the Ariyalur outcrops Cauvery Basin at one source in digital form to the user end in an Arc GIS platform, as it is an effective tool for mapping and storing the data. The published information related to the Cretaceous system is digitized and integrated in the Arc GIS environment. Subsequently query cells format was developed to archive the required information on preliminary 24 geological parameters can be perused and obtained by using query cells. This is the first ever attempt to document Cretaceous Geological Information System (CGIS) in a GIS platform for the Ariyalur outcrops Cauvery Basin. CGIS is a user friendly to address the Cretaceous geology for multiple applications in scientific investigations, petroleum and mining industries.