Massif-type charnockites of the Eastern Ghats granulite terrain, India, abound in mafic enclaves, which are generally hornblende mafic granulites with relatively minor occurrences of pyroxenite enclaves in the marginal segments only. The mafic granulite enclaves may be interpreted as earlier mafic melts within plutonic charnockite, where prograde heating in the hornblende in these mafic granulite enclaves was probably due to the host charnockite crystallization. Pyroxenite enclaves, on the other hand, are likely to be cumulates from an episode of mafic magmatism. The trace-element characteristics of hornblende–mafic granulite xenoliths are akin to arc-derived basalt, indicating a tectonic setting of subduction and slab melting. Further, low values of primitive mantle–normalized Nb/U ratios and enriched radiogenic isotopic compositions in the mafic xenoliths clearly indicate recycled continental crust in the mantle source region.
In this study, we have used visible near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral bands of the Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor of Landsat 8 satellite to delineate promising areas for iron exploration in the parts of Madhya Pradesh, India. OLI bands resampled laboratory reflectance spectra of Banded Iron Formation (BIF) were used as the reference to identify OLI spectral bands suitable in recording spectral features of Iron bearing minerals. Subsequently, BIFs were delineated in the principal component (PC) image prepared using those PC bands; which had opposite Eigen vector loading for the spectral bands; which recorded absorption minima and shoulder of the spectral feature of iron. Within the BIF, iron enriched zones were identified by integrating constrained energy minimization (CEM) maps of BIF, hematite and limonite-goethite. Integrated CEM map delineating iron enrichment zones was validated in the field based on measured Fe values of samples using X-ray Fluorescence Instrument.
Abstract. The two major lithology or gneiss components in the polycyclic granulite terrain of the Eastern Ghats, India, are the supracrustal rocks, commonly described as khondalites, and the charnockite-gneiss. Many of the workers considered the khondalites as the oldest component with unknown basement and the charnockite-protoliths as intrusive into the khondalites. However, geochronological data do not corroborate the aforesaid relations. The field relations of the hornblende- mafic granulite with the two gneiss components together with geocronological data indicate that khondalite sediments were deposited on older mafic crustal rocks. We propose a different scenario: Mafic basement and supracrustal rocks were subsequently deformed and metamorphosed together at high to ultra-high temperatures – partial melting of mafic rocks producing the charnockitic melt; and partial melting of pelitic sediments producing the peraluminous granitoids. This is compatible with all the geochronological data as well as the petrogenetic model of partial melting for the charnockitic rocks in the Eastern Ghats Belt.
Abstract. Granulite xenoliths preserve key geochemical and isotopic signatures of their mantle source regions. Mafic granulite and pyroxinite xenoliths within massif-type charnockitic rocks from the Eastern Ghats Belt have recently been reported by us. The mafic granulite xenoliths from the Chilka Lake granulite suite with abundant prograde biotite are geochemically akin to Oceanic Island Basalt (OIB). They can be distinguished from the hornblende-mafic granulite xenoliths with signatures of Arc-derived basalt occurring in the other suites of the Eastern Ghats Belt. These two groups of xenoliths in the Paleoproterozoic Eastern Ghats Province have quite distinct Nd-model ages- 1.9 Ga and 2.5 Ga respectively, which may be interpreted as their crustal residence ages. Strong positive Nb anomalies, indicating subducted oceanic crust in the source, LREE enrichment and strongly fractionated REE pattern are key geochemical signatures attesting to their origin as OIB-type magma. Also low Yb and Sc contents and high (La / Yb)N ratios can be attributed to melting in the presence of residual garnet and hence at great depths (> 80 km). The variable enrichment in radiogenic 87Sr, between 0.70052 and 0.71092 at 1.9 Ga and less radiogenic 143Nd between ε-1.54 and 7.46 are similar to those of the OIBs compared to MORBs. As OIBs commonly contain some recycled oceanic crust in their sources, we suggest that the residue of the oceanic crust from a previous melting event (~ 2.5 Ga) that produced the Arc-derived basalts (protoliths of hornblende-mafic granulite xenoliths) could have subducted to great depths and mechanically mixed with the mantle peridotite. A subsequent re-melting event of this mixed source might have occurred at ca. 1.9 Ga as testified by the crustal residence ages of the biotite-mafic granulite xenoliths of the Chilka Lake granulite suite.
As the Earth continued to cool down, the chemistry of granitic rocks reflect the changing conditions &/or processes of continental crust formation. Compared to the 1.0 Ga charnockites, the 1.0 Ga charnockites in the Eastern Ghats Belt, are more potassium and Rubidium rich, with more negative Eu anomalies and show much less HREE fractionation. Thus the 1.0 Ga charnockites are more evolved in composition and this is consistent with secular evolution of the continental crust throughout the Proterozoic era.
The two major lithology or gneiss components in the polycyclic granulite terrain of the Eastern Ghats, India, are the supracrustal rocks, commonly described as khondalites, and the charnockite-gneiss.Northern Eastern Ghats belt, north of the Godavari rift has been defined as the Eastern Ghats Province, while that to the south has been defined as the Ongole domain; and although, these distinct crustal domains also record different ages of granulite metamorphism, both of these domains are dominated by the two lithologies.Many of the workers considered the khondalites as the oldest component with unknown basement and the charnockiteprotoliths as intrusive into the khondalites.However, published geochronological data do not corroborate the aforesaid relations.Onset of khondalite sedimentation in the Proterozoic Eastern Ghats Province, constrained by detrital zircon data, as around 1.3 Ga and the charnockite-protolith emplacement between 1.9 and 2.9 Ga, argue against intrusion of felsic magma (tonalite, now enderbite!) in to the khondalites.The field relations of the hornblende-mafic granulite with the two gneiss components together with Sm-Nd isotopic data of the hornblende-mafic granulites (both the xenoliths within charnockites and those interbanded with the khondalites) indicate that khondalite sediments were deposited on older mafic crustal rocks.Mafic basement and supracrustal rocks were subsequently deformed and metamorphosed together during collisional orogeny at high to ultra-high temperatures-partial melting of mafic rocks producing the charnockitic melt; and partial melting of pelitic sediments producing the peraluminous granitoids.This is compatible with all the geochronological data as well as the petrogenetic model of partial melting for the charnockitic rocks in the Eastern Ghats Belt.The Ongole domain, south of the Godavari rift, though, is distinct in terms of the age of first/ earliest UHT metamorphism, but here too the charnockite-protoliths are older mafic rocks evidently not intrusive in to the khondalites..