Gangapur Formation

Gangapur Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Cretaceous
Type	Geological formation
Overlies	Unconformity with the Kota Formation
Location
Coordinates	19°10′N 79°16′E / 19.16°N 79.26°E / 19.16; 79.26
Region	Telangana
Country	India
Extent	Pranhita-Godavari Basin
Type section
Named for	Gangapur Village
Gangapur Formation (India)

The Gangapur Formation is a geological formation in Telangana, India. The Gangapur formation is Early Cretaceous in age. It forms a part of the Pranhita–Godavari Basin and overlies the Jurassic Kota Formation. The outcrops near the Gangapur village was first described in 1881 as the Gangapur beds.^[1] In 1969, the area was instituted as the Gangapur Formation. It was also determined that the Gangapur Formation extends from north of Nowgaon (Lat. 19°20’N; Long. 79°24’E) to the west of Gangapur (Lat. 19°16’N; Long. 79°26’E) and in the east up to Dharmaram and Paikasigudem.^[2] Fossils of Plants have been found in large quantities in the formation.

The Gangapur Formation was laid down sometime in the Early Cretaceous due to renewed rift activity.^[3] The rocks of the formation are composed of coarse ferruginous sandstone interrupted with pebble bands succeeded by an alternating sequence of sandstones and mudstones or silty mudstone. Both the Gangapur Formation and the Chikiala Formation overlie the Kota formation however their exact relationships are uncertain. This uncertainty is partly due to the lack of fossils from the Chikiala Formation. It is possible that the Gangapur Formation is older than the Chikiala Formation^[4][5] or that they are both of the same age.^[6][7][8]

Plant megafossils are common in the Gangapur Formation, dominated by the Coniferales.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]}