Early Permian Palaeoenvironment in Damodar Valley Coalfields, India: an Overview

In the Damodar Valley Basin, coalfields containing coal bearing Barakar Formation are Raniganj, Jharia, Bokaro, Ramgarh, and Karanpura. The Barakar Formation is composed of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, shale, fireclay, and coal. The lower part of Barakar Formation represents a braided channel deposit, and also in few places glacio-fluvial deposit which changes to meandering channel system with the formation of some ox-bow lake, and cut-off channel in the middle part. In a few places deltaic/brackish water condition possibly existed along with this meandering channel system. In the upper part of Barakar Formation, marine signatures are more prominant. Marine signatures/influences have been reported from Barakar Formation of Ramgarh, South Karanpura, and West Bokaro coalfields on the basis of trace fossil assemblage, sedimentation character, and trace element content. Although, definite marine signatures have not been observed from Jharia, and Raniganj coalfields, high concentration of boron, vanadium, and chromium, and presence of skolithos, and thalassinoides burrows possibly suggest a brackish water condition. The upper part clearly suggest that the sediments were deposited in a geographic setting very close to the sea or at the edge of the sea possibly in a peritidal setting where storm activity played a vital role during sedimentation which in turn suggests the presence of a broad shallow sea (epeiric/epicontinental sea) that develop during times of high sea level. The sea water possibly entered from the northeastern side as vast seaways or as embayment through the Damodar Valley which acted as a channel.     

Significance of transition between Talchir Formation and Karharbari Formation in Lower Gondwana basin evolution — A study in West Bokaro Coal basin, Jharkhand, India

Basal part of the Gondwana Supergroup represented by Talchir and Karharbari Formations (Permo-Carboniferous) records an abrupt change-over from glacio-marine to terrestrial fluviolacustrine depositional environment. The contact between the two is an unconformity. Facies analysis of the glacio-marine Talchir Formation reveals that basal glaciogenic and reworked glaciogenic sediments are buried under storm influenced inner and outer shelf sediments. Facies associations of the Karharbari Formation suggest deposition as fluvio-lacustrine deposits in fault-controlled troughs. An attempt has been made in this paper to explain the sedimentation pattern in Talchir and Karharbari basins, and the abrupt change-over from glacio-marine to terrestrial fluviolacustrine depositional environment in terms of glacio-isostacy.     

Petrography and metamorphism of the lower Gondwana (Permian) coal of Rangit Valley, eastern Himalays, India

A triangular outlier of coal-bearing lower Gondwana rocks comprises a tectonic window within the Precambrian metamorphic terrain of the Rangit Valley, in the eastern Himalays of India. Due to a series of tectonic events which took place during the Mesozoic and Tertiary the succession has become reversed and the coal has undergone severe physical, chemical, microstructural and optical changes. Studies reveal that (1) the rank of the coal prior to tectonism was low, (2) the coal underwent oxidation in the peat forming stage and during subsequent orogenic stages but effect of oxidation on the properties of coal was insignificant, (3) the coal reached its present abnormally high rank mainly due to heating under tectonic pressure and (4) the heat which was generated due to tectonic pressure, affected all the coal seams of this belt.     

Sedimentary - Tectonic Status of Permian - Triassic Boundary (250 Ma) in Gondwana Stratigraphy of Peninsular India

The sedimentary-tectonic status of Permian-Triassic boundary is examined in Gondwana stratigraphy of Peninsular India based on lithofacies characters, palaeoslope, and depositional models. The Late Permians represent meandering streams which flowed from southeast to northwest, except in Damodar basin where palaeoslope was from east to west. In Satpura, and Pranhita-Godavari basins, the Early Triassics record braided stream facies models. The palaeoslope remains northwesterly during Early Triassic sedimentation.Integrated evidence suggests that the Permian-Triassic boundary in Peninsular Gondwana stratigraphy of India is marked by tectonic discordance, and uplifts in the provenance.     

滇西亲冈瓦纳微古植物的发现及其地质意义

本文首次报道滇西保山丁家寨组孢子花粉４０属５５种,其中新种Ｐｌｉｃａｔｉｐｏｌｅｎｉｔｅｓｂａｏｓｈａｎｅｎｓｉｓ１个。丁家寨组的孢子花粉组合是一个以冈瓦纳植物地理区分子为主,兼有少量华夏植物地理区和其它植物地理区分子。丁家寨组的Ｐａｒａｓａｃｉｔｅｓｄｉｓｔｉｎｃｔｕｓ－Ｍｉｃｒｏｂａｃｕｌｉｓｐｏｒａｆｅｎｔｕｌａ（ＤＦ）孢子带可与冈瓦纳植物地理区Ｐａｒａｓａｃｉｔｅｓ孢子带比较,时代为阿舍尔阶（Ａｓｅｌｉａｎ）萨克马尔阶（Ｓａｋｍａｒｉａｎ）。丁家寨组的微古植物研究不仅有重要的地层学和古生物学意义,而且对研究冈瓦纳大陆与欧亚大陆之间的关系有着十分重要的意义。     

Hydrogeochemical investigation and qualitative assessment of surface water resources in West Bokaro coalfield,India

A hydrogeochemical study of surface water of the West Bokaro coalfield has been undertaken to assess its quality and suitability for drinking, domestic and irrigation purposes. For this purpose, fourteen samples collected from rivers and ponds of the coalfield were analysed for pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), major cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺), major anions (HCO₃^-, F^-, Cl^-, SO₄^2- and NO₃^-) and trace metals. The pH of the analysed water samples varied from 7.3 to 8.2, indicating slightly alkaline in nature. The electrical conductivity (EC) value varied from 93 μs cm^-1 to 906 μs cm^-1 while the TDS varied from 76 mg L^-1 to 658 mg L^-1. HCO₃^- and SO₄^2- are the dominant anion and Ca²⁺ and Na⁺ the cation in the surface water. The concentration of alkaline earth metals (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺) exceed the alkali metals (Na⁺ + K⁺) and HCO₃^- dominates over SO₄^2- + Cl^- concentrations in the majority of the surface water samples. Ca²⁺ -Mg²⁺ -HCO₃^- and Ca²⁺ -Mg²⁺ -Cl^- are the dominant hydrogeochemical facies in the surface water of the area. The water chemistry is mainly controlled by rock weathering with secondary contribution from anthropogenic sources. For quality assessment, analyzed water parameter values compared with Indian and WHO water quality standard. In majority of the samples, the analyzed parameters are well within the desirable limits and water is potable for drinking purposes. However, concentrations of TDS, TH, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Fe are exceeding the desirable limits in some water samples and needs treatment before its utilization. The calculated parameters such as sodium absorption ration, percent sodium, residual sodium carbonate, permeability index and magnesium hazard revealed good to permissible quality and suitable for irrigation purposes, however, higher salinity, permeability index and Mg-ratio restrict its suitability for irrigation at few sites.     

北京西山地区雾迷山组风暴硅岩沉积序列

北京西山地区雾迷山组发育硅质条带白云岩，在硅质条带中发育典型的风暴硅岩沉积。风暴硅岩砾屑具菊花状构造和底模构造，与上下围岩形成典型的风暴序列。该序列从底部至顶部可划分为五个单元。每个单元分别代表正常天气至风暴天气再至正常天气的沉积特征。研究认为，风暴硅岩为在风暴流的影响下近源快速堆积的产物，并建立了风暴硅岩的沉积模式。     

Geology and geochemistry of Pachmarhi dykes and sills,Satpura Gondwana Basin,central India: problems of dyke-sill-flow correlations in the Deccan Traps

Many tholeiitic dyke-sill intrusions of the Late Cretaceous Deccan Traps continental flood basalt province are exposed in the Satpura Gondwana Basin around Pachmarhi, central India. We present field, petrographic, major and trace element, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data on these intrusions and identify individual dykes and sills that chemically closely match several stratigraphically defined formations in the southwestern Deccan (Western Ghats). Some of these formations have also been identified more recently in the northern and northeastern Deccan. However, the Pachmarhi intrusions are significantly more evolved (lower Mg numbers and higher TiO₂ contents) than many Deccan basalts, with isotopic signatures generally different from those of the chemically similar lava formations, indicating that most are not feeders to previously characterized flows. They appear to be products of mixing between Deccan basalt magmas and partial melts of Precambrian Indian amphibolites, as proposed previously for several Deccan basalt lavas of the lower Western Ghats stratigraphy. Broad chemical and isotopic similarities of several Pachmarhi intrusions to the northern and northeastern Deccan lavas indicate petrogenetic relationships. Distances these lava flows would have had to cover, if they originated in the Pachmarhi area, range from 150 to 350 km. The Pachmarhi data enlarge the hitherto known chemical and isotopic range of the Deccan flood basalt magmas. This study highlights the problems and ambiguities in dyke-sill-flow correlations even with extensive geochemical fingerprinting.     

Similarity of palaeocurrent pattern of Lower Gondwana formations of the Talchir and the Ong-river basins of Orissa, India – An indication of dismemberment of a major Gondwana basin

In peninsular India, Gondwana strata are disposed linearly as strings of isolated basins conforming to the trend of the present day Koel–Damodar, Son–Mahanadi and Prahnita–Godavari river valleys. There are seven exposed and one concealed Gondwana basins/outliers in Orissa belonging to the Son–Mahanadi valley system. The present study is concerned with the consanguinity of the Talchir and Ong-river basins of Orissa. Similarity and dissimilarity of palaeocurrent population in these two basins were taken into consideration to test the consanguinity of the basins under consideration. Statistical analysis suggests that the sampled palaeocurrent data of the same formation belong to the same population when considered for both basins. In geologic terms, the basin parameters were identical when considered for either the Talchir or the Karharbari Formation that proves the consanguinity of both the basins and the possible existence of a master basin that encompassed other sister Gondwana basins in Orissa.     

Extensional collapse of the Gondwana orogen: Evidence from Cambrian mafic magmatism in the Trivandrum Block,southern India

The assembly of Late Neoproterozoice Cambrian supercontinent Gondwana involved prolonged subduction and accretion generating arc magmatic and accretionary complexes, culminating in collision and formation of high grade metamorphic orogens. Here we report evidence for mafic magmatism associated with post-collisional extension from a suite of gabbroic rocks in the Trivandrum Block of southern Indian Gondwana fragment. Our petrological and geochemical data on these gabbroic suite show that they are analogous to high Fe tholeiitic basalts with evolution of the parental melts dominantly controlled by fractional crystallization. They display enrichment of LILE and LREE and depletion of HFSE with negative anomalies at Zre Hf and Ti corresponding to subduction zone magmatic regime. The tectonic affinity of the gabbros coupled with their geochemical features endorse a heterogeneous mantle source with collective melt contributions from sub-slab asthenospheric mantle upwelling through slab break-off and arc-related metasomatized mantle wedge, with magma emplacement in subduction to post-collisional intraplate settings. The high Nb contents and positive Nbe Ta anomalies of the rocks are attributed to inflow of asthenospheric melts containing ancient recycled subducted slab components and/or fusion of subducted slab materials owing to upwelling of hot asthenosphere. Zircon grains from the gabbros show magmatic crystallization texture with low U and Pb content. The LA-ICPMS analyses show ²⁰⁶ Pb/²³⁸ U mean ages in the range of 507-494 Ma suggesting Cambrian mafic magmatism. The post-collisional mafic magmatism identified in our study provides new insights into mantle dynamics during the waning stage of the birth of a supercontinent.     

冈底斯东段色日绒地区冈瓦纳相冰海杂砾岩特征及其意义

色日绒地区冰海杂砾岩产于砂泥质为主的陆缘碎屑岩段中,累计出露厚度约325 m。岩石学及沉积学特征指示其沉积于滨海—上部浅海环境;顶部的化石生物组合指示此段岩层沉积于晚石炭世—早二叠世的冷水型海洋环境。岩层中的坠石结构、压裂面以及与其同层位产出的冷水型生物群为冰海杂砾岩的成因提供了有力的证据,指示其形成于冰川作用下,是由冰筏搬运的海相沉积。通过资料综合收集、对比,确定了冰海杂砾岩形成的古构造及古地理、古气候控制条件。根据古构造位置及古地理特征,大致总结出了以该地区为代表的冈瓦纳相冰海杂砾岩的沉积及成因模式。     

Monazite dating of granitic gneisses and leucogranites from the Kerala Khondalite Belt,southern India: implications for Late Proterozoic crustal evolution in East Gondwana

Two stages of granitic magmatism occurred during the Pan-African evolution of the Kerala Khondalite Belt (KKB) in southern India. Granitic gneisses were derived from porphyritic granites, which intruded prior to the main stage of deformation and peak-metamorphism. Subsequently, leucogranites and leucotonalites formed during fluid-absent melting and intruded the gneiss sequences. Monazites from granitic gneisses, leucogranites and a leucotonalite were investigated by conventional U-Pb and electron microprobe dating in order to distinguish the different stages of magma emplacement. U-Pb monazite dating yielded a wide range of ages between 590–520 Ma which are interpreted to date high-grade metamorphism rather than magma emplacement. The results of this study indicate that the KKB experienced protracted heating (>50 Ma) at temperatures above 750–800 °C during the Pan-African orogeny. The tectonometamorphic evolution of the study area is comparable to southern Madagascar which underwent a similar sequence of events earlier than the KKB. The results of this study further substantiate previous assertions that the timing of high-grade metamorphism in East Gondwana shifted from west to east during the Late Proterozoic.     

Comparative Study of Cyclicity of Lithofacies in Lower Gondwana Formations of Talchir Basin, Orissa, India: A Statistical Analysis of Subsurface Logs

Cyclic characters of Karharbari, Barakar and Barren Measures Formations of the Talchir Gondwana basin have been studied in the subsurface logs statistically using first order Markov chain and entropy analyses. Results strongly suggest that the sediments of these formations were deposited by Markovian mechanism and all the three formations represent cyclic sedimentation. The complete cycles of all the three formations are identical and exhibit fining-upward character. Each complete cycle starts with a thin conglomerate or pebbly to coarse-grained sandstone at the base and successively followed by medium- and fine-grained sandstones, interbedded sandstone-shale, shale and terminates with a coal seam at the top. There are, however, minor variations of facies transition in different formations. Entropy analysis also corroborates these findings. The upward sequence of facies states, which is stationary at individual localities, is non-stationary over the entire area. Broad regional variations in the depositional environment, that are not significant at the local scale, may be the plausible explanation. The Karharbari, Barakar and Barren Measures sediments of the Talchir Gondwana basin fit suitably into the concept of fluvial cycles.     

Petrology and geochemistry of the Salma dike, Raniganj coalfield (Lower Gondwana), eastern India: linkage with Rajmahal or Deccan volcanic activity?

The Gondwana (Early Permian to Early Cretaceous) basins of eastern India have been intruded by ultramafic–ultrapotassic (minette, lamproite and orangeite) and mafic (dolerite) rocks. The Salma dike is the most prominent among mafic intrusives in the Raniganj basin. This dike is tholeiitic in composition; MgO varies from 5.4 to 6.3% and the mg number from 54 to 59. In general, the major and trace element abundances are uniform both along and across the strike. There is geochemical and mineralogical evidence for fractional crystallization. The chondrite normalized REE pattern of the Salma dike (La/Yb_n=3.5) is similar to that of Deccan dikes of the Son–Narmada rift zone, western India. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr varies from 0.70552 to 0.70671 suggesting assimilation of crustal material. Some trace element abundances (e.g. Ti, Zr, Y) of the Salma dike are comparable to Group I Rajmahal basalts. The ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar whole rock age of 65 Ma for the Salma dike is less than the ca. 114 Ma age for the Rajmahal basalt, but is similar to the generally accepted age for Deccan volcanic rocks. Despite geographical proximity with the Rajmahal basalt, the Salma dike is believed to be related to late phase of Deccan volcanic activity.     

Geochronology of the khondalite belt of Trivandrum Block, Southern India: Electron probe ages and implications for Gondwana tectonics

In a comprehensive U–Pb electron microprobe study of zircon and monazite from the khondalite belt of Trivandrum Block in southern Kerala, we present age data on five key metapelite locations (Nedumpara, Oottukuzhi, Kulappara, Poolanthara and Paranthal). The rocks here, characterized by the assemblage of garnet–sillimanite–spinel–cordierite–biotite–K–feldsapr–plagiocalse–quartz–graphite, have been subjected to granulite facies metamorphism under extreme thermal conditions as indicated by the stability of spinel + quartz and the presence of mesoperthites that equilibrated at ultrahigh-temperature (ca. 1000 °C) conditions. The oldest spot age of 3534 Ma comes from the core of a detrital zircon at Nedumpara and is by far the oldest age reported from this supracrustal belt. Regression of age data from several spot analyses in single zircons shows “isochrons” ranging from 3193 ± 72 to 2148 ± 94 Ma, indicating heterogeneous population of zircons derived from multiple provenance. However, majority of zircons from the various localities shows Neoproterozoic apparent ages with sharply defined peaks in individual localities, ranging between 644–746 Ma. The youngest zircon age of 483 Ma was obtained from the outermost rim of a grain that incorporates a relict core displaying ages in the range of 2061–2543 Ma.The cores of monazites also show apparent older ages of Palaeo-Mesoproterozoic range, which are mantled by late Neoproterozoic/Cambrian rims. The oldest monazite core has an apparent age of 2057 Ma. Extensive growth of new monazite during latest Neoproterozoic to Cambrian–Ordovician times is also displayed by grain cores with apparent ages up to 622 Ma. The homogeneous core of a sub-rounded monazite grain yielded a maximum age of 569 Ma, markedly younger than the 610 Ma age reported in a previous study from homogenous and rounded zircon core from a metapelite in Trivandrum Block. These younger ages from abraded grains that have undergone fluvial transport are interpreted to indicate that deposition within the khondalite belt was as young as, or later than, this range. Probability density plots indicate that majority of the monazite grain population belong to Late Proterozoic/Cambrian age (ca. 560–520 Ma) with major peaks defining sharp spikes in individual localities.The age data presented in this study indicate that the metasediments of the Trivandrum Block sourced from Archaean and Paleo-Mesoproterozoic crustal fragments that were probably assembled in older supercontinents like Ur and Columbia. The largest age population of zircons belong to the Neoproterozoic, and are obviously related to orogenies during the pre-assembly phase of Gondwana, possibly from terrains belonging to the East African Orogen. Several prominent age spikes within the broad late Neoproterozoic–Cambrian age range displayed by monazites denote the dynamic conditions and extreme thermal perturbations attending the birth of Gondwana. Our study further establishes the coherent link between India and Madagascar within the East Gondwana ensemble prior to the final assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent.     

Depositional Record of Tidal-Flat Sedimentation in the Permian Coal Measures of Central India: Barakar Formation, Mohpani Coalfield, Satpura Gondwana Basin

The Permian Barakar Formation in the Mohpani coalfield, Satpura Gondwana basin, is composed of three broad lithologies that occur repetitively and are iterdigitated: (1) several metres thick coarse- to medium-grained sandstone bodies with scoured bases, (2) 5-20 m thick medium- to fine-grained sandstone bodies and (3) 5-20 m thick mudstone-dominated packages with variable proportions of centimetre- to decimetre-scale, fine- to medium-grained sandstone, carbonaceous shale and coal. The Barakar strata were previously interpreted as deposits of braided rivers and associated inter-channel flood basin in a continental setting. However, this study recognizes signatures of tidal current from the mudstone-dominated packages implying marine influence during Barakar sedimentation.

The mudstone-dominated sediment bodies are the focus of this paper and comprise of three lithofacies that bear imprints of tidal processes during Barakar sedimentation: (1) heterolith, (2) sandstone, and (3) coal-carbonaceous shale, which alternate with one another within individual bodies. The heterolithic facies show interlayering of sandstone and claystone resembling flaser, wavy and lenticular bedding, as well as pinstripe stratification. Successive sandstone-mudstone couplets indicate periodic waxing and waning of flows. Within individual heterolithic packages, the sandstone:claystone ratio along with the bedding style, varies cyclically upwards giving rise to alternate sandstone-dominated and claystone-dominated intervals suggesting tidal velocity fluctuation reflective of spring-neap lunar cycle. Thickness plots of successive sand-mud couplets also reveal cyclic variation with a conspicuous periodicity of around 12 couplets per cycle, which corroborates the spring-neap-spring (or neap-spring-neap) lunar cycle. Presence of abundant desiccation cracks indicates periodic emergence and points towards an intertidal setting. The sandstone facies is characterized by a variety of wave-generated features such as bundled and chevron upbuilding of lamina, bi-directional foreset orientations, offshooting and draping laminae, scour-and-drape feature, swollen lens-like geometries suggesting their emplacement under storm-induced combined-flow on the tidal-flat. The coal-carbonaceous shale facies represent supratidal marsh environment.     

Relics of eclogite facies assemblages in the Ceará Central Domain, NW Borborema Province, NE Brazil: Implications for the assembly of West Gondwana

The Borborema Province, in the NE of Brazil, is a rather complex piece in the Brazil–Africa puzzle as it represents the junction of the Dahomeyide/Pharusian, Central African, Araçuai and Brasilia fold belts located between the West-African/São Luis, Congo/São Francisco and Amazonas craton. The correlation between the Dahomeyides from W-Africa (Ghana, Benin, Togo, and Mali) and the Borborema Province involves the Médio Coreaú and Central Ceará domains. The inferred continuation of the main oceanic suture zone exposed in the Dahomeyides of W Africa is buried beneath the Phanerozoic Parnaíba Basin in Brazil (northwest of the Médio Coreaú domain) where some high density gravity anomalies may represent hidden remnants of an oceanic suture. In addition to this major suture a narrow, nearly continuous strip composed of mainly mafic pods containing relics of eclogite-facies assemblages associated with partially migmatized granulite-facies metapelitic gneisses has been found further east in the NW Borborema Province. These high pressure mafic rocks, interpreted as retrograded eclogites, are located between the Transbrasiliano Lineament and the Santa Quitéria continental arc and comprise primitive to evolved arc-related rocks with either arc- or MORB-type imprints that can indicate either deep subduction of oceanic lithosphere or roots of continental and oceanic magmatic arcs. Average peak P–T conditions under eclogite-facies metamorphism (T = 770 °C and P = 17.3 kbar) were estimated using garnet–clinopyroxene thermometry and Jd content in clinopyroxene. Transition to granulite-facies conditions, as well as later widespread re-equilibration under amphibolite facies, were registered both in the basic and the metapelitic rocks and suggest a clockwise P–T path characterized by an increase in temperature followed by strong decompression. A phenomenon possibly related to the exhumation of a highly thickened crust associated with the suturing of the Médio Coreaú and Central Ceará domains, two distinct crustal blocks separated by the Transbrasiliano Lineament.     

First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP,Maharashtra (India) and possible implications

A rare occurrence of a microspherule has been found in the infratrappean sediments, encountered below 338 m thick Deccan volcanic cover in KLR-1 scientific borehole, drilled in the epicentral zone of the 1993 Killari earthquake (Maharashtra, India). Palynological studies of the sediments indicate their age as Early Permian (Asselian, 298–295 Ma) for deposition. Transmission electron microscope studies reveal that the spherule from the infratrappeans, is having a similar composition to that of the Neoarchean amphibolite to granulite facies mid crustal basement. The spherule is non-spherical in nature, containing mostly FeO (10.70 ± 0.20 wt.%), CaO (13.8 ± 0.5 wt.%), Al₂O₃ (7.78 ± 0.30 wt.%), MgO (6.47 ± 0.3 wt.%), SiO₂ (47.46 ± 0.50 wt.%), TiO₂ (2.47 ± 0.3 wt.%), K₂O (1.89 ± 0.20 wt.%), and Cl (0.33 ± 0.05 wt.%). Since the Fe composition of the spherule is almost same as the basement rock (10.5 wt.%), and the chlorine content is also in the same range as the basement (0.04–0.24 wt.%), it would suggest possibility of an extraterrestrial impact over the Indian terrain during the erstwhile Gondwana sedimentation period that may be associated with the Permian–Triassic mass extinction, the most severe one in the Earth's history.     

Fold-Thrust-Belt Structure of the Proterozoic Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt: A Proposed Correlation Between India and Antarctica in Gondwana

The Proterozoic Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt along the east coast of India shares a thrusted lower contact with the surrounding cratons. The thrust, known as the Terrane Boundary shear zone, is associated with two large lateral ramps resulting in a curved outline on the northwestern corner of the mobile belt. The Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt is divided into two lithotectonic units, the Lathore Group and the Turekela Group, based on their lithological assemblages and deformational history. On the basis of published data from a Deep Seismic Sounding (DSS) profile of the Eastern Ghats crust, the Terrane Boundary Shear Zone is considered to be listric in nature and acts as the sole thrust between craton and mobile belt. The Lathore and Turekela Groups are nappes. With this structural configuration the NW part is described as a fold thrust belt. However, the thrusting postdates folding and granulite metamorphism that occurred in the Eastern Ghats, as in the Caledonide type of fold thrust belt of NW Scotland. The Terrane Boundary Shear Zone is interpreted to be contiguous with the Rayner-Napier boundary of the Enderby Land in a Gondwana assembly.     

Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Felsic Magmatism Along Transcrustal Shear Zones in Southern India: U-Pb Electron Microprobe Ages and Implications for the Amalgamation of the Gondwana Supercontinent

We report U-Pb electron microprobe ages for zircon and monazite from two granitic plutons from southern India, the Vattamalai granite within the Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone system and the Pathanapuram granite within the Achankovil Shear Zone. A zircon grain from the Vattamalai granite has a core age of 693±132 Ma and is surrounded by a thick overgrowth with an age of 504±104 Ma. Monazites from the Vattamalai granite show a small range of ages between 500-520 Ma. PbO vs. ThO₂* plots of the monazites define a precise isochron age of 517±6.7 Ma (MSWD = 0.25). The oldest zircons in the Pathanapuram pluton are in the range 961-1149 Ma, with younger overgrowths at ~540-560 Ma. Monazite cores from the granite lie in the range of 526-574 Ma, whereas rims and bright overgrowths range from 506-539 Ma. These monazites define two linear arrays in PbO vs. ThO₂* plots with cores yielding an isochron age of 550±25 Ma (MSWD = 0.58) and the rims defining an age of 515±15 Ma (MSWD = 0.68).The age data from the granite plutons indicate multiple thermal imprints in southern India with the latest orogeny during the Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian (Pan-African). The older zircon cores up to 1149 Ma from the Pathanapuram pluton suggest inherited components of late Mesoproterozoic age, caught up within the granite magma. However, the dominant 570-520 Ma ages obtained from both zircons and monazites closely compare with similar ages for magmatism and metamorphism from throughout the East African Orogen. Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian felsic magmatism occurred along both the Palghat-Cauvery Shear System and the Achankovil Shear Zone, indicating that these shears were active at this time and may have served as pathways for the emplacement of magmas generated at depth. The magmatism represents part of the various collisional-extensional episodes that marked the final amalgamation of the Gondwana supercontinent.