Intermittent Local Storm Events Identified from Foraminifera and Echinoids in the Fulra Limestone, Kutch Basin, India

This study investigates two laterally traceable, bioturbated Orthophragminid packstone horizons in the Middle Eocene Fulra Limestone of the Kutch Basin, western India, near Harudi village, characterized by abundant burrows and unusually intense fossil fragmentation. Systematic field documentation, thin-section analyses, and hand-specimen studies reveal two distinct but similar taphonomic regimes at two horizons (each approximately 2.5 m thick): well-preserved background sediments and markedly fragmented, jumbled assemblages, occasionally marked by crustacean burrows. The assemblage contains highly fragmented foraminifera, echinoid fragments, and debris with haphazard orientation of fossils, indicative of multistage reworking. The initial fragmentation reflects disruption by infaunal burrowing of crustaceans, whereas subsequent extreme breakage and rapid infill within open burrows point to a short-lived, high-energy depositional pulse. These features collectively indicate evidence of intermittent and short-lived storm events within the Fulra Limestone, resulting in the exhumation, transport, and redeposition of skeletal material. The recognition of this biogenic–physical overprinting sequence refines paleoenvironmental interpretations of the Fulra Limestone and highlights the importance of integrating taphonomic signatures with sedimentological observations for reconstructing Eocene shallow-marine depositional dynamics.