Relict ooids off northwestern India: Inferences on their genesis and late Quaternary sea level

Abstract Relict carbonate sands dominated by ooids and faecal pellets are common on the continental shelf, between 60 and 110 m, off northwestern India. The shiny tan/white aragonitic ooids closely resemble modern Bahamian ooids, with cortex thicknesses varying from  23 ka BP, and δ 18 O values suggest that these relict ooids formed during cooler and drier post-LGM conditions and later during the re-intensified Holocene monsoon climate. An age vs. depth plot suggests that most of the ooids formed at water depths between ~ 10 and − 40 m, thereby calling into question whether relict shelf ooids are reliable indicators of past sea level.