34 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 34
PublicationArticle A Late Cretaceous (ca. 90 Ma) kimberlite event in southern India: Implication for sub-continental lithospheric mantle evolution and diamond exploration(Elsevier Inc., 2016) N.V. Chalapathi Rao; A. Dongre; Fu-Yuan Wu; B. LehmannWe report groundmass perovskite U-Pb (SIMS) ages, perovskite Nd isotopic (LA-ICPMS) composition and bulk-rock geochemical data of the Timmasamudram diamondiferous kimberlite cluster, Wajrakarur kimberlite field, in the Eastern Dharwar craton of southern India. The kimberlite pipes gaver similar Mesoproterozoic ages of 1086 ± 19 Ma (TK-1, microcrystic variant) and 1119 ± 12 Ma (TK-3). However, a perovskite population sampled from the macrocrystic variant of TK-1 gave a much younger Late Cretaceous age of ca. 90 Ma. This macrocrystic kimberlite phase intrudes the Mesoproterozoic microcrystic phase and has a distinct bulk-rock geochemistry. The Nd-isotope composition of the ~1100 Ma perovskites in the cluster show depleted εNd(T) values of 2.1 ± 0.6 to 6.7 ± 0.3 whereas the ~90 Ma perovskites have enriched εNd(T) values of -6.3 ± 1.3. The depleted-mantle (DM) model age of the Cretaceous perovskites is 1.2 Ga, whereas the DM model age of the Proterozoic perovskites is 1.2 to 1.5 Ga. Bulk-rock incompatible trace element ratios (La/Sm, Gd/Lu, La/Nb and Th/Nb) of all Timmasamudram kimberlites show strong affinity with those from the Cretaceous Group II kimberlites from the Bastar craton (India) and Kaapvaal craton (southern Africa). As the Late Cretaceous age of the younger perovskites from the TK-1 kimberlite is indistinguishable from that of the Marion hotspot-linked extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks from Madagascar and India, we infer that all may be part of a single Madagascar Large Igneous Province. Our finding constitutes the first report of Cretaceous kimberlite activity from southern India and has significant implications for its sub-continental lithospheric mantle evolution and diamond exploration programs. © 2015 International Association for Gondwana Research.PublicationArticle Petrology and petrogenesis of Mesoproterozoic lamproites from the Ramadugu field, NW margin of the Cuddapah basin, Eastern Dharwar craton, southern India(Elsevier, 2014) N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Alok Kumar; Samarendra Sahoo; A.N. Dongre; Debojit TalukdarPetrography, mineral chemistry, and major and trace element data are presented for the newly discovered Mesoproterozoic (1.33-1.43. Ga) lamproites from the Ramadugu field (RLF), at the NW margin of the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Cuddapah basin, in the Eastern Dharwar craton (EDC), southern India. RLF lamproites are emplaced as dykes, have a NW-SE trend and their petrography reveal the effects of low-temperature alteration. However, their textural features, mineralogy and geochemistry are closely similar to other well-characterised lamproites worldwide, including examples from the Eastern Dharwar craton, Leucite Hills, West Kimberley, Smoky Butte and Labrador. The RLF magmas have undergone varying degrees of olivine. +. clinopyroxene fractionation; yet their compatible and incompatible trace element concentrations are sufficiently high to signal a primitive character. Incompatible element ratios suggest limited contamination by continental crust. Geochemical evidence indicates the derivation of RLF magmas from metasomatised harzburgite within the garnet stability field. Rare earth element inversion modelling further highlights substantial involvement of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle in their genesis. The RLF lamproites are geochemically similar to the well-known extension-related ultrapotassic lavas from eastern Virunga and western Anatolia, and exclude an affinity with orogenic lamproites, such as those from the Mediterranean region. Bulk-rock geochemical models, recently developed to infer diamond potential, reveals that RLF lamproites are non-prospective. Lamproites of the RLF, together with those from the Krishna lamproite field and Cuddapah basin are interpreted as an expression of extensional events in the Eastern Dharwar craton possibly related to the break-up of the supercontinent of Columbia between 1.5 and 1.3. Ga. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.PublicationConference Paper Kimberlites, lamproites, lamprophyres, their entrained xenoliths, mafic dykes and dyke swarms: Highlights of recent Indian research(2012) N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Rajesh K. SrivastavaThis paper provides a glimpse of the past five-year research on kimberlites, Iamproites, lamprophyres, their entrained mantle as well as lower crustal xenoliths, mafic dykes and dyke swarms from various cratons and mobile belts of the Indian shield. New findings have provided significant insights on the nature, composition and evolution of deep Indian continental Iithospheric mantle, resolved important geological controversies and received considerable national and international attention. Two major international conferences - the sixth international dyke conference and tenth international kimberlite conference were also held in the country during this period thereby making it indeed a golden era of researches on deeper mantle petrology in India. © Printed in India.PublicationArticle Tokapal tuff-facies kimberlite, Bastar craton, Central India: A nickel prospect?(2013) N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Bernd Lehmann; B.K. Panwar; Alok Kumar; Datta MainkarWe report the occurrence of garnierite (a general term referring to Ni-Mg bearing hydrous silicates in laterites) from the crater-facies Tokapal kimberlite of the Bastar craton, Central India. Garnierite occurs as discrete ovoid or amoeboid segregations (up to 200 mm) or as veinlets with up to 18.1 wt% NiO and high iron contents (up to 36.2 wt% FeOT). Chemical composition of the garnierite implies its derivation from a magnesium-rich protolith. Extensive lateritisation of the large crater-facies (∼2.5 km diameter) saucer-shaped kimberlite under tropical weathering conditions, aided by suitable topography, drainage and favourable structural set-up, are the factors inferred to be responsible for the formation of garnierite in the Tokapal system. As lateritic nickel ores constitute significant resources for nickel exploration, the perspective of the Tokapal kimberlite as a nickel prospect needs to be investigated. © 2013 Geological Society of India.PublicationArticle Kimberlites, lamproites and lamprophyres from the indian shield: Highlights of researches during 2016-2019(Indian National Science Academy, 2020) N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Rohit K. Giri; Ashutosh PandeyHighlights of researches on kimberlites, lamproites and lamprophyres (and their entrained xenoliths) during 2016-2019 from the Indian context are presented. A few previously unknown occurrences have been brought to light, and a wealth of petrological, geochemical and isotopic data on these rocks became available. All these studies provided new insights into the nomenclatural as well as geodynamic aspects such as subduction-tectonics, mantle metasomatism, lithospheric thickness, supercontinent amalgamation, and break-up and nature of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle from the Indian shield. © 2020 Indian National Science Academy. All rights reserved.PublicationArticle Petrology, U-Pb titanite dating and Sr-Nd isotope geochemistry of a shoshonitic lamprophyre dyke near the Western Dharwar Craton-Southern Granulite Terrane contact, southern India: Implications for long-lived enriched mantle, widespread Tonian-Cryogenian rifting, and Rodinia configuration(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Sneha Raghuvanshi; N.V. Chalapathi Rao; D. Talukdar; B. Belyatsky; P. Prabhat; Waliur Rahaman; B. Lehmann; J.G. MeertWe present petrology, U-Pb titanite geochronology, bulk-rock and Sr-Nd geochemistry of an undeformed and unmetamorphosed shoshonitic lamprophyre (spessartite) from the Mysuru area (Halaguru- Harohalli alkaline province) located approximately 80 km north of the tectonic contact between the Western Dharwar Craton and the Southern Granulite Terrane, southern India, to understand its origin and to evaluate its geodynamic significance. The lamprophyre shows a typical porphyritic-panidiomorphic texture with amphibole phenocrysts. Clinopyroxene occurs only as xenocrysts with feldspar, apatite, titanite and titano-magnetite confined to the groundmass. Amphibole mineral composition classifies them as pargasite and tremolite, and the groundmass is essentially constituted of alkali feldspar. High whole-rock Mg# (56–65), Ni + Cr (245 to 730 ppm), a lack of correlation between SiO2 and Rb/Sr as well as ɛNd(i) indicates that crustal contamination experienced by the lamprophyre magma is limited. U-Pb titanite (n = 18) SHRIMP-II dating yielded a Neoproterozoic Tera-Wasserburg concordia age of 820 ± 15 Ma (MSWD = 5.9). Whole-rock derived 87Sr/86Sr(i) (0.70425–0.70530) and ɛNd(i) (-6.3 to −4.3) suggest origin of the lamprophyre from an enriched lithospheric mantle source. Paleoproterozoic depleted-mantle model ages of ca. 1.8 Ga suggest the existence of a long-lived enriched mantle which correspond to the timing (ca.1.9–1.7 Ga) of widespread mafic dyke swarms’ emplacement in the Dharmapuri-Agali-Tiruvannamalai domain in the Salem block at the northernmost portion of the Southern Granulite Terrane. The Tonian emplacement age of the studied lamprophyre is synchronous with several co-spatial Neoproterozoic (i) alkaline complexes ± carbonatite ± lamprophyre from the northern part of the Southern Granulite Terrane, and (ii) other mafic alkaline dykes of the Halaguru-Harohalli alkaline province from the southern part of the Eastern Dharwar Craton. Our results highlight the importance of this lamprophyre dyke, present close to the'Fermor Line’ as well as near the boundary between Eastern and Western Dharwar Cratons, which provides a rare opportunity to understand its spatio-temporal link with alkaline dykes of the Southern Granulite Terrain. Our findings also help understand the role of repeated large-scale rifting, associated with the Rodinia break-up, leading to the generation of a wide spectrum of Tonian-Cryogenian alkaline magmas in southern Indian Shield. The new age data also have implications for the configuration of India's paleoposition during the Neoproterozoic and support the idea that South China Block-India were located on the periphery of Rodinia or were already detached from the supercontinent. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.PublicationArticle Subduction – tectonics in the evolution of the eastern Dharwar craton, southern India: Insights from the post-collisional calc-alkaline lamprophyres at the western margin of the Cuddapah basin(Elsevier B.V., 2017) Ashutosh Pandey; N.V. Chalapathi Rao; Dinesh Pandit; Praveer Pankaj; Rohit Pandey; Samarendra Sahoo; Alok KumarThe geodynamic evolution of the eastern Dharwar craton, southern India, is widely debated with a number of contrasting models ranging from uniformitarian plate convergence to the mantle plume and their combination. We report here the petrology and geochemistry of two undeformed and unmetamorphosed lamprophyre dykes from the Mudigubba area located immediately towards the western margin of the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Cuddapah basin from this craton. The Mudigubba lamprophyres are free from crustal xenoliths, and have a typical porphyritic-panidiomorphic texture predominated by phenocrysts of amphibole. Clinopyroxene occurs as microphenocrysts with feldspar essentially confined to the groundmass. F-rich apatite and sphene are the other accessories. Mineral chemistry reveals that the amphiboles are of calcic variety (dominantly magnesio-hornblende), the clinopyroxene to be a diopside (Wo45.01-50.40 En36.74-44.58 Fs6.79-12.73 Ac0.42-2.24) and the albitic (Or1.12 Ab91.17 An7.70) nature of the feldspar. The lower abundance of TiO2 in both the amphibole and clinopyroxene, suggest a calc-alkaline nature of the magma. High Mg# (76.8–79.3), Ni (140–240 ppm) and Cr (380–830 ppm) contents along with (i) depletion in U, and Th, (ii) variable Ba/La and (iii) low Nb/La as well as Th/La strikes out possibility of crustal contamination and supports the primary nature of the lamprophyre magma. The presence of significant Nb-Ta, Zr-Hf and Ti negative anomalies in the primitive mantle normalized multi-element plots and their striking similarity with the global calc-alkaline lamprophyres imply the involvement of subduction-related mantle source modification. Various geochemical ratios (e.g., Hf/Sm, Ta/La, Th/Yb, Nb/Yb, La/Nb, Ba/Nb) demonstrate the source enrichment was caused by a fluid-related, rather than silicate-melt related, subduction metasomatism. Binary-mixing calculations assuming average upper crust and N-MORB as the two end members reveals ∼10–30% influx of subducted component in the generation of the Mudigubba lamprophyres. A re-examination of the limited geochemical data available for the co-spatial Paleoproterozoic (2200–1600 Ma) alkaline plutons suggests this Neoarchaean subduction-event in this domain could in fact be a regional feature – all along the western margin of the Cuddapah basin and represents a hitherto unrecognised suture zone in the eastern Dharwar craton with the Paleoproterozoic (?) emplacement of Mudigubba lamprophyres post-dating this collisional event. Our findings provide significant geochemical support to the models invoking convergence towards the evolution of the Eastern Dharwar craton and impose important constraints on the geodynamics of the southern peninsular India. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.PublicationArticle 40Ar/39Ar ages of mafic dykes from the Mesoproterozoic Chhattisgarh basin, Bastar craton, Central India: Implication for the origin and spatial extent of the Deccan Large Igneous Province(2011) N.V. Chalapathi Rao; R. Burgess; B. Lehmann; D. Mainkar; S.K. Pande; K.R. Hari; N. BodhankarWe present 40Ar/39Ar whole-rock ages of 63.7±2.7Ma (2σ, 92% Ar release) and 66.6±2.2Ma (2σ, 96% Ar release) for two samples of sub-surface mafic dykes intrusive into the sedimentary rocks of the Mesoproterozoic Chhattisgarh basin, Bastar craton, Central India. The obtained ages are synchronous with those of the Deccan Traps whose nearest exposures are at a distance of ~200km to the west, and the recently dated diamondiferous orangeites (Group-II kimberlites) of the Mainpur area (located ~100km SE within the Bastar craton). The chemical composition of the Chhattisgarh mafic dykes is indistinguishable from the chemostratigraphic horizons of the upper Deccan lavas of the Wai Subgroup (Ambenali and Poladpur Formations) and confirms them to be a part of the Deccan Large Igneous Province (LIP). The geological setting of the Deccan-age mafic dykes in the Chhattisgarh basin is analogous to that observed in other LIPs of the world such as (i) Pasco Basin of NW U.S.A, (ii) Ellisras sub-basin of southern Africa, (iii) Rift basins of New England in the NE U.S.A and (iv) the West Siberian Basin of Russia where LIP-related basalts and sills have been emplaced in distant domains from the main province. The Deccan-age of the Chhattisgarh dykes and the Mainpur orangeites permits a substantial increase of at least 8.5×104km2 in the spatial extent of the Deccan LIP. The temporal link at ~65Ma between the Deccan Traps and (i) sub-surface mafic dykes within the Chhattisgarh basin and orangeites in the Bastar craton, (ii) Ambadongar carbonatite in western India, (iii) Salma mafic dyke in the Eastern Indian craton, (iv) Rajahmundry Traps off the eastern coast of southern India and (v) tholeiitic dykes and basalts from the Seychelles, suggests a common tectonomagmatic control, via a vast mantle plume-head of the order of 2000-2500km. Our study has relevance to the (i) origin (plume vs non-plume) of the Deccan LIP, (ii) plumbing system for Deccan dykes and lavas in domains far away from the presently exposed Trap regions, (iii) palaeo-environmental issues at the K-T boundary and (iv) metallogeny (diamond, Ni-Cu-PGE) in the Bastar craton. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.PublicationArticle Platinum-group element (PGE) geochemistry of Deccan orangeites, Bastar craton, central India: Implication for a non-terrestrial origin for iridium enrichment at the K-Pg boundary(Elsevier Ltd, 2014) N.V. Chalapathi Rao; B. Lehmann; V. BalaramWe report platinum group element (PGE) concentrations of twelve bulk-rock samples from the Behradih and Kodomali orangeite intrusions in the Mainpur field, Bastar craton, central India, which are emplaced synchronously with the Deccan flood basalts. Their palladium-group PGE (PPGE) (1.8-5.2. ppb Pt, 1.2-6.4. ppb Pd) contents are distinctly higher compared to their iridium-group PGE (IPGE) concentrations (0.8-2. ppb Os, 0.8-1.2. ppb Ir, 3.2-4.2. ppb Ru, and 0.2-0.8. ppb Rh). Their PGE contents as well as Pd/Ir ratios are either similar or even lower than those from the Mesoproterozoic and Cretaceous kimberlites and orangeites from the Kaapvaal craton (southern Africa), Cretaceous kimberlites from the Sao Fransisco craton (Brazil), Ordovician kimberlites from the North China craton and the Mesoproterozoic southern Indian kimberlites from the Eastern Dharwar craton. Anomalously elevated iridium (and other PGE) contents in sediments at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary are commonly attributed either to a large bolide impact triggering the K-Pg mass extinction or to terrestrial causes such as volcanic eruptions (Deccan flood basalts) or even to mantle-plume derived lithospheric gaseous explosions (Verneshots). Lack of unusually high abundances of PGE in the Mainpur orangeties as well as in the co-eval Deccan flood basalts and associated alkaline rocks implies that the anomalous iridium enrichment reported at the K-Pg boundary sections was not sourced from the mantle and likely originated from an extraterrestrial source. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.PublicationArticle Petrology and Sr-Nd isotope systematics of the Ahobil kimberlite (Pipe-16) from the Wajrakarur field, Eastern Dharwar craton, southern India(Elsevier B.V., 2019) Abhinay Sharma; Alok Kumar; Praveer Pankaj; Dinesh Pandit; Ramananda Chakrabarti; N.V. Chalapathi RaoDetailed mineralogical, bulk-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data for the recently discovered Ahobil kimberlite (Pipe-16) from the Wajrakarur kimberlite field (WKF), Eastern Dharwar craton (EDC), southern India, are presented. Two generations of compositionally distinct olivine, Ti-poor phlogopite showing orangeitic evolutionary trends, spinel displaying magmatic trend-1, abundant perovskite, Ti-rich hydrogarnet, calcite and serpentine are the various mineral constituents. On the basis of (i) liquidus mineral composition, (ii) bulk-rock chemistry, and (iii) Sr-Nd isotopic composition, we show that Ahobil kimberlite shares several characteristic features of archetypal kimberlites than orangeites and lamproites. Geochemical modelling indicate Ahobil kimberlite magma derivation from small-degree melting of a carbonated peridotite source having higher Gd/Yb and lower La/Sm in contrast to those of orangeites from the Eastern Dharwar and Bastar cratons of Indian shield. The TDM Nd model age (∼2.0 Ga) of the Ahobil kimberlite is (i) significantly older than those (1.5–1.3 Ga) reported for Wajrakarur and Narayanpet kimberlites of EDC, (ii) indistinguishable from those of the Mesoproterozoic EDC lamproites, and (iii) strikingly coincides with the timing of the amalgamation of the Columbia supercontinent. High bulk-rock Fe-Ti contents and wide variation in oxygen fugacity fO2, as inferred from perovskite oxybarometry, suggest non-prospective nature of the Ahobil kimberlite for diamond. © 2018 China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University