Anup K. Sinha

Geochemistry of Early Cretaceous Alkaline Ultramafic-Mafic Complex from Jasra, Karbi Anglong, Shillong Plateau, Northeastern India

An early Cretaceous alkaline ultramafic-mafic complex is emplaced within the Proterozoic rocks of Shillong plateau at Jasra, Karbi Anglong district of Assam. It is associated to the fracture system of Barapani-Tyrsad shear zone, Kopali faults, and Um Ngot lineaments and mainly comprises pyroxenite, gabbro and nepheline syenite. Few small mafic dykes, emplaced within pyroxenitic and granitic plutons, are also reported. No such dyke is reported to cut gabbros or nepheline syenites. Nepheline syenites occur either in the form of small dykes in pyroxenites or as differentiated bodies in the gabbros. Mineralogical and chemical composition of pyroxenite and gabbro clearly indicate their affinity to the alkaline magmatism. Syenitic samples show miaskitic character (agpaitic index <1), also indicates affinity with alkaline-carbonatite magmatism. Calcite is encountered in a number of pyroxenite samples. From the presented petrological and geochemical data it is difficult to establish any significant genetic relationship through simple differentiation process between these rocks. These data probably suggest that these rocks are derived from a primary carbonatite magma, generated by the low-degree melting of a metasomatized mantle peridotite. CO2 released by this process also progressively metasomatizes the lherzolite to an alkaline wehrlite and melts derived from alkaline wehrlite (ultrabasic alkaline silicate magma) may be responsible for crystallization of Jasra alkaline ultramafic-mafic rocks.

Mineralogy and magmatic affinity of the Jasra intrusive complex, Shillong Plateau, India

Abstract The rocks of the Jasra intrusive complex (Shillong Plateau, northeastern India) include phlogopite clinopyroxenites (with olivine or perovskite relics), alkali gabbros/monzodiorites, syenites and nepheline syenites. They have a potassic affinity (Na2O/K2O ~1), and their mineralogy is dominated by clinopyroxene with which phlogopite, olivine, amphibole, feldspars, feldspathoids, oxides, orthopyroxenes, perovskite, titanite and other accessory phases are variably associated. The Jasra intrusive rocks are cumulates derived from at least two distinct magmatic liquids. The potassic affinity of the Jasra rocks differs from the nearby Sung Valley ijolitic-carbonatitic complex and from the ultrapotassic lamproitic rocks of the Damodar Valley, which are of approximately the same age. This suggests major variability in the mantle sources of small-volume alkaline volcanism in the Early Cretaceous of northeastern India.

Geochemical characteristics of Mesoproterozoic metabasite dykes from the Chhotanagpur Gneissic Terrain, eastern India: Implications for their emplacement in a plate margin tectonic environment

A number of mafic intrusive bodies (mostly dykes) are exposed in the Chhotanagpur Gneissic Terrain (CGT). Most dykes trend in ENE–WSW to E–W following major structural trends of the region. These metabasite dykes show granoblastic to grano-nematoblastic textures and contain hornblende, plagioclase, chlorite, quartz and epidote which suggest their metamorphism under amphibolite grade P–T conditions. Although no radiometric age is available for the metabasite dykes, field relationships with host rock and available geochronology on granitoids suggest their emplacement during Mesoproterozoic. Geochemical characteristics of these dykes classify them as low-K tholeiite to medium-K calc-alkaline type. At least two types of metabasite dykes are recognized on the basis of their HFSE contents; one group shows entirely calc-alkaline nature, whereas the other group has rocks of tholeiite-calc-alkaline series. High Mg# observed in a number of samples indicates their derivation from primary melt. Multi-element spidergrams and rare-earth element patterns observed in these samples also corroborate their derivation from different magma batches. Trace element patterns observed for Nb–Ta, Hf–Zr, Sr and Y suggesting involvement of subduction related processes in the genesis of CGT metabasite dykes. Perceived geochemical characteristics suggest that metamorphism did not affect much on the chemistry of metabasites but source region, responsible for the generation of CGT metabasites, was possibly modified during subduction process. This study suggests that magma generated in a destructive plate setting fed the Mesoproterozoic mafic dykes of the CGT.

K-rich titanate from the Jharia ultrapotassic rock, Gondwana coal fields, eastern India, and its petrological significance

We report a rare accessory groundmass mineral of K-rich titanate, having a composition close to that of potassium triskaidecatitanate (K2Ti13O27), from an underground drill-core sample of ultrapotassic rock from southwestern part of the Jharia coal field in the Damodar valley, at the northern margin of the Singhbhum craton, Eastern India. Potassium triskaidecatitanate is regarded as a typomorphic mineral of orangeites (Group II kimberlites) of Kaapvaal craton, southern Africa, and its occurrence in the Jharia ultrapotassic rock is significant since ultrapotassic suite of rocks elsewhere from the Damodar valley have been recently suggested to be peralkaline lamproites based on mineral-genetic classification. The important role played by a unique geodynamic setting (involving a thinned metasomatised lithospheric mantle and inheritance of an Archaean subduction component) at the northern margin of the Singhbhum craton in deciding the petrological diversity of the early Cretaceous ultrapotassic intrusives from the Damodar valley is highlighted in this study.

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of early Cretaceous sub-alkaline mafic dykes from Swangkre-Rongmil, East Garo Hills, Shillong plateau, northeast India

Numerous early Cretaceous mafic and alkaline dykes, mostly trending in N-S direction, are emplaced in the Archaean gneissic complex of the Shillong plateau, northeastern India. These dykes are spatially associated with the N-S trending deep-seated Nongchram fault and well exposed around the Swangkre-Rongmil region. The petrological and geochemical characteristics of mafic dykes from this area are presented. These mafic dykes show very sharp contact with the host rocks and do not show any signature of assimilation with them. Petrographically these mafic dykes vary from fine-grained basalt (samples from the dyke margin) to medium-grained dolerite (samples from the middle of the dyke) having very similar chemical compositions, which may be classified as basaltic-andesite/andesite. The geochemical characteristics of these mafic dykes suggest that these are genetically related to each other and probably derived from the same parental magma. Although, the high-field strength element (+rare-earth elements) compositions disallow the possibility of any crustal involvement in the genesis of these rocks, but Nb/La, La/Ta, and Ba/Ta ratios, and similarities of geochemical characteristics of present samples with the Elan Bank basalts and Rajmahal (Group II) mafic dyke samples, suggest minor contamination by assimilation with a small amount of upper crustal material. Chemistry, particularly REE, hints at an alkaline basaltic nature of melt. Trace element modelling suggests that the melt responsible for these mafic dykes had undergone extreme differentiation (∼ 50%) before its emplacement. The basaltic-andesite nature of these rocks may be attributed to this differentiation. Chemistry of these rocks also indicates ∼ 10–15% melting of the mantle source. The mafic dyke samples of the present investigation show very close geochemical similarities with the mafic rocks derived from the Kerguelen mantle plume. Perhaps the Swangkre-Rongmil mafic dykes are also derived from the Kerguelen mantle plume.

Mafic dykes swarms from the Chhotanagpur Gneiess Complex, Singhbhum craton, eastern India

consists of two major crustal provinces viz., Chotanagpur Gneissic Complex (CGC) and Singhbhum Granite Complex; separated by a Singhbhum Mobile Belt. There are a number of geological evidences suggesting that CGC is a cratonic block rather a mobile belt. A number of mafic dykes, both Mesoproterozoic and Cretaceous, are emplaced within the CGC. Field relationships reveals that E-W to WNW trending the Mesoproteozoic mafic dykes are intruded within the Precambrian basement complex, whereas NE to ENE and NNW to WNW the Cretaceous mafic dykes are mostly intruded within the Damodar valley, however some of them are also intruded the CGC too. Two Mesoproterozoic and two Cretaceous mafic dyke swarms are identified. Petrographic characters of the studied Mesoproterozoic mafic dykes classify them as metabasites and metadolerite, whereas Cretaceous mafic dykes are classified into high-Ti dolerite (HTD) and low-Ti dolerite (LTD). Available ages on Cretaceous mafic dykes suggest their emplacement ~110-115 Ma and indicate their relation with the Kerguelen mantle plume activities. Geochemistry of the Mesoproterozoic dykes suggests their derivation from primary mantle melts. On the other hand, geochemical characteristics of the Cretaceous mafic dykes suggest that they are emplaced in an intra-cratonic rift-setting and fed from two different melts generated through plume tectonics. Anup K. Sinha and Rajesh K. Srivastava, 2016. Mafic dykes swarms from the Chhotanagpur Gneiess Complex, Singhbhum craton, eastern India. Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition), 90(supp. 1): 92.