B. Mahabaleswar

Late Archaean (2550-2520 Ma) juvenile magmatism in the Eastern Dharwar craton, southern India : Constraints from geochronology, Nd-Sr isotopes and whole rock geochemistry

The results of field, geochronologic, geochemical and isotopic studies are presented for the granitoids that occur east of the Closepet batholith up to the Kolar schist belt (KSB). Field data, such as common foliation, strong shear deformation occasionally leading to mylonitization, together with petrographic data, including reduction in grain size with corroded borders, show characteristics of the syn-kinematic emplacement of the granitoids. Single zircon evaporation ages define a minimum age of 3127 Ma for the tonalitic–trondhjemitic–granodioritic (TTG) basement and 2552–2534 Ma plateau ages for the emplacement of the granitoids, which slightly predate (20–30 Ma) the emplacement of the 2518 Ma Closepet batholith.Major and trace element data, together with isotopic data, suggest at least four magmatic suites from Closepet batholith to the east, which have independent magmatic evolution histories. The observed data are compatible with magma mixing for the Closepet batholith, melting of TTG and assimilation–fractional crystallization processes for Bangalore granites, either melting of heterogeneous source or different degree of melting of the same source for the granitoids of Hoskote–Kolar and fractional crystallization for the western margin of the KSB. Isotopic (Nd–Sr) and geochemical data (LREE and LIL elements) suggest highly enriched mantle and ancient TTG crust for the Closepet batholith, enriched mantle and TTG crust for the Bangalore granites, c.a. chondritic mantle source for the granitoids of Hoskote–Kolar and the quartz monzonites of the western margin of the KSB and slightly depleted mantle for granodiorites of the eastern margin of the KSB.We interpret all these geochronologic, geochemical and isotopic characteristics of granitoids from the Closepet batholith to the east up to the KSB in terms of a plume model. The centre of the plume would be an enriched ‘hot spot’ in the mantle that lies below the present exposure level of the Closepet batholith. Melting of such an enriched mantle hot spot produces high temperature magmas (Closepet) that penetrate overlying ancient crust, where they strongly interact and induce partial melting of the surrounding crust. These magmas cool very slowly, as the hot spot maintains high temperatures for a long time; thus they appear younger (2518 Ma). On the contrary, to the east the plume induces melting of c.a. chondritic or slightly depleted mantle that produces relatively colder and less enriched magmas, which show less or no interactions with the surrounding crust and cool rapidly and appear slightly older (2552–2534 Ma). This plume model can also account for late Archaean geodynamic evolution, including juvenile magmatism, heat source for reworking, inverse diapirism and granulite metamorphism in the Dharwar craton.

Late Archaean crust-mantle interactions: geochemistry of LREE-enriched mantle derived magmas. Example of the Closepet batholith, southern India

The Closepet batholith in South India is generally considered as a typical crustal granite emplaced 2.5 Ga ago and derived through partial melting of the surrounding Peninsular Gneisses (3.3 to 3.0 Ga). In the field, it appears as a composite batholith made up of at least two groups of intrusions. (a) An early SiO2-poor group (clinopyroxene quartz-monzonite and porphyritic phyritic monzogranite) is located in the central part of the batholith. These rocks display a narrow range in both initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7017–0.7035) and ɛNd(−0.9to −4.1). (b) A later SiO2-rich group (equigranular grey and pink granites) is located along the interface between the SiO2-poor group and the Peninsular Gneisses. They progressively grade into migmatised Peninsular Gneisses, thus indicating their anatectic derivation. Their isotopic characteristics vary over a wide range (87Sr/86Sr ratios=0.7028–0.7336 and ɛNd values from-2.7 to-8.3, at 2.52 Ga). Field and geochronological evidence shows that the two groups are broadly contemporaneous (2.518–2.513 Ga) and mechanically mixed. This observation is supported by the chemical data that display well defined mixing trends in the ɛSr vs ɛNd and elemental variation diagrams. The continuous chemical variation of the two magmatic bodies is interpreted in terms of interaction and mixing of two unrelated end-members derived from different source regions (enriched peridotitic mantle and Peninsular Gneisses). It is proposed that the intrusion of mantle-derived magmas into mid-crustal levels occurred along a transcurrent shear zone; these magmas supplied additional heat and fluids that initiated anatexis of the surrounding crust. During this event, large-scale mixing occurred between mantle and crustal melts, thus generating the composite Closepet batholith. The mantle-derived magmatism is clearly associated with granulite facies metamorphism 2.51±0.01 Ga ago. Both are interpreted as resulting from a major crustal accretion event, possibly related to mantle plume activity.

The Abundances of some Trace-elements in the First-ever Reported Sample of Spinifex-Textured Komatiite from Ghatti Hosahalli, Karnataka

The paper reports wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometric data on the abundances of Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, Pb, and Th in the first-ever reported sample of spinifex-textured komatiite from India at Ghatti Hosahalli in Karnataka. With some exceptions, these abundances are similar to those reported for the spinifex-textured komatiite from the Barberton greenstone belt in South Africa. The values for some alteration-resistant element ratios — Ti/Zr, Ti/Y, Ti/Sc, Ti/V, Zr/Y, Zr/Sc, Sc/Y, V/Zr, and V/Sc — for chondrite and for spinifex-textured komatiites from Ghatti Hosahalli (India), Barberton (South Africa), Munro (Canada), and Yilgarn (Australia) reveal that, except for the Ti/Zr ratio for the Ghatti Hosahalli komatiite, the other ratios from the four terrains define a unique trend that is almost superimposed on the trend defined by these ratios for chondrite. This suggests that the processes of formation of komatiitic lavas from the four far-separated terrains were similar, and that, the source regions from which these lavas formed had a chondritic composition.

Wavelength-dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometric Determination of Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, Pb, and Th in Komatiites

Komatiites are mantle-derived ultramafic volcanic rocks. Komatiites have been discovered in several States of India, notably in Karnataka. Studies on the distribution of trace-elements in the komatiites of India are very few. This paper proposes a simple, accurate, precise, rapid, and non-destructive wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometric technique for determining Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, Pb, and Th in komatiites, and discusses the accuracy, precision, limits of detection, x-ray spectral-line interferences, inter-element effects, speed, advantages, and limitations of the technique.The accuracy of the technique is excellent (within 3%) for Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb, Ba, Pb, and Th and very good (within 4%) for Y. The precision is also excellent (within 3%) for Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, Pb, and Th. The limits of detection are: 1 ppm for Sc and V; 2 ppm for Cr, Co, and Ni; 3 ppm for Cu, Zn, Rb, and Sr; 4 ppm for Y and Zr; 6 ppm for Nb; 10 ppm for Ba; 13 ppm for Pb; and 14 ppm for Th. The time taken for determining Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, Pb, and Th in a batch of 24 samples of komatiites, for a replication of four analyses per sample, by one operator, using a manual WDXRF spectrometer, is only 60 hours.

Geochemical behaviour of vanadium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, and copper during progressive chloritization of biotites in granites

Evaluation of the vanadium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, and copper contents of five biotites, chloritized to varying degrees, from a magmatic granitic series of the 2700-million-year-old Giants Range Batholith of Northeastern Minnesota, USA, on the southern margin of the Canadian Shield, determined by wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, shows that, during progressive chloritization of biotites in granites, the content of vanadium decreases and the contents of chromium, cobalt, nickel, and copper increase. The results emphasise the need for great caution when interpreting whole-rock trace-element data in petrological research.