Browsing by Author "Prashant Dhote"

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Imprints of modal metasomatism in the post-Deccan subcontinental lithospheric mantle: Petrological evidence from an ultramafic xenolith in an Eocene lamprophyre, NW India
(Geological Society of London, 2018) Rohit Pandey; N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Dinesh Pandit; Samarendra Sahoo; Prashant Dhote
We report here on the occurrence of an interesting mantle-derived ultramafic xenolith entrained in an Eocene (c. 55 Ma) lamprophyre dyke from the Dongargaon area of the Chhotaudepur alkaline subprovince located within the Narmada Rift Zone,NWIndia. The mineralogy of the xenolith comprises olivine, clinopyroxene and mica (phlogopite), with the latter occurring essentially as rims around the clinopyroxene. Inclusions of apatite, interstitial sulphide (pyrite) and micron-scale exsolved spinel are widespread. Olivine is forsteritic (Fo85.34), displays little compositional variation and overlaps with that reported from worldwide mantle peridotite xenoliths. Clinopyroxene is a diopside with a compositional range of Wo48.36 En43.83, Fs6.53 and Ac1.27, and is conspicuous by its high CaO (up to 24.4 wt%) and TiO2 (up to 1.6 wt%) content. Clinopyroxene is also compositionally similar to that reported from 'enriched' (metasomatized) peridotite xenoliths rather than those that occur in the 'normal' (depleted) peridotitic xenoliths. Phlogopites have a high concentration of fluorine (up to 1 wt%), whereas the apatites show an anomalous enrichment of F (up to 5 wt%), as well as enrichment in Sr (SrO up to 1.9 wt%). Our study provides the first direct petrographical evidence for the modal metasomatism in the post-Deccan subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) from this domain. From the textural and mineralogical assemblage of the xenolith, we infer that a possible olivine + garnet + orthopyroxene assemblage, in the presence of a metasomatic fluid, has given rise to clinopyroxene + phlogopite + spinel. The paragenesis of apatite essentially as inclusions suggests that it to be the earliest crystallized phase during the metasomatic event. Geothermobarometry of the clinopyroxene in the xenolith reveal temperatures of approximately 1200°C and pressures of approximately 12 kb, which are comparable with such data reported from other Deccan-related xenoliths. Preservation of phlogopite and apatite in the ultramafic xenolith imply that some of the readily fusible metasomatized portions in this domain escaped wholesale melting during the eruption of the Deccan Traps, possibly due to the variable thickness of the underlying SCLM. © 2018 The Author(s).
Mineralogy and petrology of lamprophyre and dolerite dykes from the end-Cretaceous (~ 66 Ma) Phenaimata alkaline igneous complex, north-western India: evidence for open magma chamber fractionation, mafic recharge, and disaggregation of crystal mush zone in a large igneous province
(Springer, 2023) Abhinay Sharma; Rohit Pandey; Nittala V. Chalapathi Rao; Samarendra Sahoo; Boris V. Belyatsky; Prashant Dhote
The end-Cretaceous (ca. 66 Ma) Phenaimata alkaline igneous complex, associated in space and time with the Deccan large igneous province (LIP) in Western India, consists of bimodal (tholeiitic to alkaline) differentiated plutonic to volcanic igneous rocks. Mineralogy and petrology of variably fractionated alkaline lamprophyre and dolerite dykes of the complex are the focus of this study. The two lamprophyre dykes (termed as camptonite-I and camptonite-II) which intrude the host basalt/olivine dolerites and gabbro, differ in their liquidus minerals and crystal size distribution. Their respective rare earth element (REE) and trace element patterns suggest the lamprophyres to be genetically related, with the camptonite-II being relatively more evolved than that of the camptonite-I. Binary mixing model involving trace elements as well as the Sr˗Nd isotopic data in case of the camptonite-I, brings out involvement of crustal contamination in the generation of the lamprophyres. The two dolerites mostly consist of the liquidus phases, with the exception of olivine antecrysts created during early stages of the host gabbro formation but subsequently inherited into their magma. In terms of their trace element composition, the dolerites of this study show a strong similarity with that of the alkali basalts of the complex. The normal compositional zoning of pyroxene and amphibole from the lamprophyres shows that their parental magma initially experienced a closed system fractionation to form a large crystal mush zone and subsequently developed a smaller magmatic chamber where biotites of the camptonite-II first crystallised. Reverse zoning, resorption of crystals, disparity in crystal size distribution and their composition also reveals that a newer batch of magma was introduced from the feeding zone into the initially developed crystal laden magmatic chamber. This replenishment led to the disaggregation of crystals from the mush zone and the resulting magma subsequently evolved to form camptonite-I. Later on, the successive lateral spreading of the newly generated magma increased its buoyancy to rise through the smaller crustal chamber (with biotites) to generate camptonite-II. Our study demonstrates not only the operation of diverse open and closed system processes such as fractionation, replenishment and mush capturing that have occurred within inter-connected plumbing magmatic chambers beneath the alkaline complexes associated with the flood basalt volcanism in large igneous provinces but also their significant role in influencing the ultimate composition of the associated diverse rocks. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.
Petro-geochemistry, Sr–Nd isotopes and 40Ar/39Ar ages of fractionated alkaline lamprophyres from the Mount Girnar igneous complex (NW India): Insights into the timing of magmatism and the lithospheric mantle beneath the Deccan Large Igneous Province
(Elsevier B.V., 2020) Samarendra Sahoo; N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Patrick Monié; B. Belyatsky; Prashant Dhote; B. Lehmann
Mount Girnar is one of the most conspicuous alkaline complexes (gabbro-diorite-syenite-lamprophyre), which intrude some of the earliest erupted basalts (ca. 69 Myr) of the Deccan Large Igneous Province (Deccan LIP) in the Kathiawar plateau of NW India. Petrography, bulk-rock geochemistry, Sr and Nd isotopes and 40Ar/39Ar mineral ages of fractionated (Mg#: 36.3–43.6) lamprophyre dykes (younger intrusives) are reported from two widely separated domains from Mt. Girnar. Petrography and mineral chemistry reveal that major mineral assemblages (pargasite and kaersutite varieties of amphibole, diopside, biotite and feldspar) in the lamprophyres are pristine and devoid of alteration. The lamprophyres belong to the alkaline variety in general and the camptonite - monchiquite series in particular. The bulk-rock major and trace elements of the Girnar lamprophyres display very good correlation with each other and also with those of associated rocks (syenites, diorites and gabbros) which support their genetic relationship. Trace-element ratios do not evidence crustal contamination and reveal derivation of the lamprophyres from partial melting of a lithospheric mantle source significantly modified by interaction with asthenospheric-derived melts, and resembles other alkaline rocks from the Deccan LIP in this regard. Initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7052–0.7053) and 143Nd/144Nd (0.5125–0.5127) of the Girnar lamprophyres and associated rocks such as syenite, diorite and gabbro are tightly clustered and further attest to their derivation from a cogenetic parental melt. Their positive εNdi values (+0.8 to +3.4) require a mantle source that has experienced moderate long-term depletion of light rare-earth elements. Neoproterozoic/Early Cambrian depleted-mantle (TDM) Nd model ages of ~414–588 Myr are closer to the timing of break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent as well as coincide with the Ediacaran-Cambrian Malagasy orogeny. 40Ar/39Ar dating of three mineral separates (amphibole and biotite) from the lamprophyres gave precise plateau ages of 65.9 ± 0.3 Myr to 66.1 ± 0.4 Myr demonstrating that the emplacement of the Mt. Girnar igneous complex was close to the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. The emplacement of a range (110 Myr to 68.5 Myr) of other spatially related alkaline as well as silicic plutonic complexes, such as the Mundwara, Sarnu-Dandali, and Barda complexes prior to the main flood basalt event at ca. 66.0–65.1 Myr, highlights the role of extensional events in pre-existing rift/fault zones preceding the plume-lithosphere interaction in the Deccan LIP. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
Petrogenesis of end-Cretaceous/Early Eocene lamprophyres from the Deccan Large Igneous Province: Constraints on plume-lithosphere interaction and the post-Deccan lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath NW India
(Elsevier B.V., 2019) Rohit Pandey; Ashutosh Pandey; N.V. Chalapathi Rao; B. Belyatsky; A.K. Choudhary; B. Lehmann; Dinesh Pandit; Prashant Dhote
We present petrology, geochemistry and radiogenic isotope (Sr and Nd) data of thirteen post-Deccan lamprophyre dykes in the Narmada rift zone from the Chhotaudepur alkaline province of the Deccan Large Igneous Province (DLIP). Mineralogically, these dykes show affinity towards alkaline (sannaite and camptonite) as well as ultramafic (damtjernite) varieties of lamprophyres. Their major oxides and certain trace element ratios increase with increasing silica content highlighting the strong influence of fractionation processes. Their Nb/U and Ce/Pb ratios are similar to the mantle array defined by MORBs and OIBs and suggests an uncontaminated nature. Major oxide (K2O, Na2O, SiO2 and TiO2) contents show geochemical similarity towards shoshonitic volcanic series, whereas elevated Zr/Hf and Nb/La coupled with suppressed Rb/Nb and Zr/b display their affinity towards HIMU-type intraplate basalts. Their radiogenic initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.706034–0.710582) and sub-chondritic initial ɛNd (−8.6 to 2.1) are akin to those of the (i) ca. 65 Ma Ambadongar carbonatite, NW India, and (ii) ca. 65 Ma orangeites from Bastar Craton, central India, highlighting an enriched lithospheric mantle source. REE inversion modeling suggests ~3% enrichment of an undepleted mantle followed by small degrees of melting of this enriched mantle source are sufficient- as in the case of ocean island basalts (OIB)- to reproduce their observed REE concentrations. Their TDM Nd model ages (564–961 Ma) are consistent with widespread convergent margin-related magmatism during the amalgamation of the Rodinia supercontinent. We propose that enriched lithospheric mantle developed during the Neoproterozoic was metasomatized by small-volume CO2-rich melts imparting a HIMU-type geochemical character during Late Cretaceous, when the mantle plume (viz., Réunion) responsible for the flood basalt eruption, impinged at the base of the NW Indian lithosphere. From the presence of F-rich apatite and high K/Rb in mica, we infer the (i) presence of F-phlogopite in their source regions, and (ii) that the depth of post-Deccan lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath NW India was at least ~100 km at ca. 65 Ma. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
Petrology and Nd–Sr isotopic composition of alkaline lamprophyres from the Early to Late Cretaceous Mundwara Alkaline Complex, NW India: evidence of crystal fractionation, accumulation and corrosion in a complex magma chamber plumbing system
(Geological Society of London, 2022) Abhinay Sharma; Samarendra Sahoo; N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Boris Belyatsky; Prashant Dhote; Bernd Lehmann
The Early to Late Cretaceous Mundwara alkaline complex (comprising the Musala, Mer and Toa plugs) displays a broad spectrum of alkaline rocks closely associated in space and time with the Deccan large igneous province in NW India. Petrology and Nd–Sr isotopic data on the two youngest and altogether compositionally different lamprophyre dykes of the Mundwara alkaline complex are presented in this paper to understand their petrogenesis and also to constrain the magmatic processes responsible for generation of the rock spectrum in the complex (pyroxenite, picrite ankaramite, carbonatite, shonkinite, olivine gabbro, feld-spathoidal and foid-free syenite). The two lamprophyre dykes occurring in the Mer and the Musala hills are referred to as basaltic camptonite I and camptonite II, respectively. The basaltic camptonite I is highly porphyritic and contains olivine, clinopyroxene and magnetite macrocrysts embedded within the groundmass of micro-phenocyrsts composed of clinopyroxene, phlogopite, magnetite and feldspar. Camptonite II, however, with a more or less similar texture, contains amphibole, biotite, magnetite and clinopyroxene within the microphenoc-rystic groundmass of amphibole, biotite, apatite and feldspar. Pyroxenes are chemically zoned and display corrosion of the cores, revealing that they are antecrysts developed during the early stages of magma evolution and later on inherited by more evolved magmas. The mineral chemistry and trace element composition of the lamprophyres reveal that fractional crystallization was a dominant process. Early segregation of olivine + Cr-rich clinopyroxene + Cr-spinel from a primary hydrous alkali basalt within a magmatic plumbing system is inferred, which led to the generation of basaltic camptonitic magma (M1) forming the Mer hill lamprophyre. Subsequently, progressive fractionation of pyroxene and Fe–Ti oxides from the basaltic camptonitic (M1) magma generated camptonitic (M2) magma forming the Musala hill lamprophyre. Both lamprophyre dykes on the Sr–Nd isotopic array reflect plume-type asthenospheric derivation, which largely corresponds to the Réunion plume and other alkaline rocks of the Deccan large igneous province. Our study brings out a complex sequence of processes such as crystal fractionation, accumulation and corrosion in the magmatic plumbing system involved in the generation of the Mundwara alkaline complex. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by The Geological Society of London. All rights reserved.
Rift-associated ultramafic lamprophyre (damtjernite) from the middle part of the Lower Cretaceous (125 Ma) succession of Kutch, northwestern India: Tectonomagmatic implications
(Elsevier B.V., 2018) Rohit Pandey; N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Prashant Dhote; Dinesh Pandit; A.K. Choudhary; Samarendra Sahoo; B. Lehmann
Mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic (Sr and Nd) studies on the recently reported ca. 124 Ma ‘anorogenic lamproite’ dyke from the Palanpur area, Kutch seismogenic rift zone, northwestern India, are presented. We propose a new classification for the dyke as a damtjernite (ultramafic lamprophyre; UML) based on its porphyritic-panidiomorphic texture, abundance of phlogopite, presence of nepheline in the groundmass, and the composition of liquidus phases such as olivine, phlogopite, magnetite, and clinopyroxene (diopside). The Palanpur UML is primitive (Mg# = 74–77), silica-undersaturated (SiO2 <40 wt.%), potassic to slightly sodic in nature, and is strikingly similar to the ∼69 Ma UML dykes and sills of the Tethyan Indus suture zone, which are considered as the earliest yet known manifestations of the Deccan Large Igneous Province (LIP). Bulk-rock (87Sr/86Sr)i (0.70460–0.70461) and ɛNd(t) (+2.56 to −0.69) of the Palanpur UML signify derivation from a slightly depleted mantle source similar to that of asthenospheric magmas such as OIB. This is further attested to by the high incompatible trace element ratios (viz., La/Ba, Nb/U, Nb/La and Ta/Yb) that are typical of plume-type magmas. However, the Neoproterozoic TDM depleted mantle Nd model ages (∼655–919 Ma) also necessitate some involvement of a lithospheric mantle component in its genesis. High bulk-rock Fe2O3 t and TiO2 contents require the involvement of a fertile peridotitic mantle source, whereas high La/Yb (60–80) implies a control by residual garnet. Higher Rb/Sr and lower Ba/Rb suggest phlogopite as a residual phase and high Nb and lower La/Sm favour carbonatite, rather than silicate melt as metasomatising agent. Low degrees of partial melting of a primitive garnet lherzolite mantle can account for the observed REE patterns in the Palanpur UML. The Palanpur UML shares a temporal similarity to the Kerguelen plume-derived Rajmahal basalts and associated alkaline rocks from the eastern India. The tectonomagmatic significance of its emplacement during the mid-Cretaceous vis-à-vis various models involving the timing of eruption of the Deccan and the Rahmahal Traps and the rifting in the Kutch basin induced by far-field plate reorganization is evaluated. © 2018 China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University