On the affinity of Chuaria–Tawuia complex: A multidisciplinary study

In this study, biometric and structural engineering tool have been used to examine a possible relationship within Chuaria–Tawuia complex and micro-FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) analyses to understand the biological affinity of Chuaria circularis Walcott, collected from the Mesoproterozoic Suket Shales of the Vindhyan Supergroup and the Neoproterozoic Halkal Shales of the Bhima Group of peninsular India. Biometric analyses of well preserved carbonized specimens show wide variation in morphology and uni-modal distribution. We believe and demonstrate to a reasonable extent that C. circularis most likely was a part of Tawuia-like cylindrical body of algal origin. Specimens with notch/cleft and overlapping preservation, mostly recorded in the size range of 3–5 mm, are of special interest. Five different models proposed earlier on the life cycle of C. circularis are discussed. A new model, termed as ‘Hybrid model’ based on present multidisciplinary study assessing cylindrical and spherical shapes suggesting variable cell wall strength and algal affinity is proposed. This model discusses and demonstrates varied geometrical morphologies assumed by Chuaria and Tawuia, and also shows the inter-relationship of Chuaria–Tawuia complex.Structural engineering tool (thin walled pressure vessel theory) was applied to investigate the implications of possible geometrical shapes (sphere and cylinder), membrane (cell wall) stresses and ambient pressure environment on morphologically similar C. circularis and Tawuia. The results suggest that membrane stresses developed on the structures similar to Chuaria–Tawuia complex were directly proportional to radius and inversely proportional to the thickness in both cases. In case of hollow cylindrical structure, the membrane stresses in circumferential direction (hoop stress) are twice of the longitudinal direction indicating that rupture or fragmentation in the body of Tawuia would have occurred due to hoop stress. It appears that notches and discontinuities seen in some of the specimens of Chuaria may be related to rupture suggesting their possible location in 3D Chuaria.The micro-FTIR spectra of C. circularis are characterized by both aliphatic and aromatic absorption bands. The aliphaticity is indicated by prominent alkyl group bands between 2800–3000 and 1300–1500 cm⁻¹. The prominent absorption signals at 700–900 cm⁻¹ (peaking at 875 and 860 cm⁻¹) are due to aromatic CH out of plane deformation. A narrow, strong band is centred at 1540 cm⁻¹ which could be COOH band. The presence of strong aliphatic bands in FTIR spectra suggests that the biogeopolymer of C. circularis is of aliphatic nature. The wall chemistry indicates the presence of ‘algaenan’—a biopolymer of algae.     

Some aspects of volcanic ash layers in the Central Indian Basin

 Intercalated volcanic ash layers in two deep-sea sediment cores from the Central Indian Basin (CIB) are examined for the possibility of an in situ source of suboceanic volcanism. An in situ source has been predicated based on the bottom morphological structures and activation of seamounts during the geological past. The tentative correlation between depositional ages of the ash layer horizons and the period of global climatic cooling events reinforces the hypothesis that the suboceanic volcanic episode might have been initiated during the onset of glaciation. Received: 20 June 1995 / Revision received: 11 May 1998     

MEM Analysis of Geomagnetic Field Variations Over Narssarssuaq

—Maximum entropy spectral analysis (MESA) has been applied to 24 series of hourly daily data and only one daily mean series for the horizontal (H) and vertical (Z) components of the geomagnetic field for the year 1983 as observed at Narssarssuaq, Greenland (71.2°N, 36.7°E) (gm coordinate). The method has isolated some prominent medium frequency signal components. The maximum peaks for H are at 06 hr (0.174 cycles per day (cpd), 3.2 × 10⁴ db) and 08 hr (0.09 cpd, 3.5 × 10⁴ db). Similarly, the maximum peak in Z is observed at 04 hr (0.114 cpd, 5.7 × 10⁴ db). The spectral results for the daily-mean data indicate periods are greater than two days, with 178.5 days (nearly semiannual) being common to both H and Z. Other harmonics have been found for all the series of H and Z components which are mainly caused by the "Effective Period", i.e., the period produced by the combined effect of the sunspot numbers and the sun’s rotation period. Such frequencies correspond very well with those found in the geomagnetic indices A _p ?, C _p and AE. This suggests that the disturbance transient variations are caused by viscous interaction of the solar energies emanating from sunspot regions with the outermost magnetospheric boundary which, in turn, influences the magnetosphere-iono sphere coupling and produces the medium intensity long-duration continuous auroral activities (MILD CAAs) over high latitude regions. Thus, the higher latitude geomagnetic activities are nothing but the "effective period driven MILDCAAs" having a recurrence tendency of 27/n, where n is an integer.     

Copper Ore Identification using Spectral Similarity Measurement from Hyperion Image,Mapping of Porphyry Copper Mineralized Zone

This work illustrates the effectiveness of hyperspectal image spectroscopy and lab spectroscopy in identification techniques of minerals in alteration zone of ore body. The adopted procedure involves testing of Hyperion image spectra, their processing for noise, spectral matching and spectral similarity measurement with selected library spectra. Average weighted spectral similarity; visual and statistical matching techniques were used to select end-members from image spectra. Minimum noise fraction and pixel purity index technique were used to retrieve end-member spectra from hyperion image. Hyperspectral image like hyperion has the capability to deliver laboratory standard spectroscopic result. This paper illustrates the capability of hyperion image spectra in copper ore identification and mapping of chalcopyrite outcrop. A systematic approach has been made in this paper. This approach describes how image end member spectra and laboratory spectra can be co-related to fetch accurate spectral form of chalcopyrite ores. Thus, statistical and graphical comparison has been carried out between image derived end member spectra and laboratory spectra of chalcopyrite for better accuracy. The visual measurements is satisfactory, R = 0.973 for fine and 0.976 for medium grained chalcopyrite ore. Excellent statistical significance levels (90–97%) are found while comparing these spectra. There are many success stories of sub-pixel and N-dimensional feature space methods to separate the hydrothermal alteration zones from iron oxide mixed ore bodies. Thus, unmixing methods are very useful for mapping of most dominating mineral parts of a pixel from hyperspectral images which have coarse spatial resolution. Finally, mapping of mineralized zone has been achieved through sub-pixel based classifiers like spectral angle mapper (SAM), constrained energy minimization (CEM) and adaptive coherence estimator (ACE) techniques.     

Variation in U-238 and Th-232 enrichment in U-mineralized zone and geological controls on their spatial distribution,Singhbhum Shear Zone of India

The determination of the natural radioactivity has been carried out, by means of gamma-ray spectrometry, in exposed rock samples collected from various geological formations across the Singhbhum Shear Zone of India. The spatial variation in the concentration of primordial radionuclides reflects, in general, the geochemical variance among the analyzed rocks and affirms the earlier views on genesis of uranium mineralization. This study further speculates new possibilities of thorium depletion during shearing and metamorphism. All the obtained U-values were more than the worldwide average U-concentration (which is about 40 Bq/kg). Interestingly, U-concentration in mica schists from Singhbhum group of rocks and in slates and argillaceous quartzites from Iron Ore group of rocks was five to seven times higher than the global values. In contrast, the granites in study area showed comparatively lower U-concentration. The overall results suggest the control of complex metamorphism and shearing on U-distribution in the terrane. The contribution of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K to the total radiation dose in the study area was found to be significant ranging from 110 to 310 nGy/h in comparison with the lower global, as well as Indian average values.     

Facies, dissolution seams and stable isotope compositions of the Rohtas Limestone (Vindhyan Supergroup) in the Son valley area, central India

The early Mesoproterozoic Rohtas Limestone in the Son valley area of central India represents an overall shallowing-upward carbonate succession. Detailed facies analysis of the limestone reveals outer- to inner-shelf deposition in an open marine setting. Wave-ripples, hummocky cross stratifications and edgewise conglomerates argue against a deep marine depositional model for the Rohtas Limestone proposed earlier. Stable isotope analysis of the limestone shows that δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values are compatible with the early Mesoproterozoic open seawater composition. The ribbon limestone facies in the Rohtas Limestone is characterized by micritic beds, each decoupled in a lower band enriched and an upper band depleted in dissolution seams. Band-wise isotopic analysis reveals systematic short-term variations. Comparative enrichment of the heavier isotopes in the upper bands is attributed to early cementation from sea water and water derived from the lower band undergoing dissolution because of lowering of pH at depth. The short-term positive shifts in isotopic compositions in almost every upward gradational transition from a seamed band to a non-seamed band support the contention that dissolution seams here are of early diagenetic origin, although their formation was accentuated under overburden pressure.     

Distribution pattern and morphochemical relationships of manganese nodules from the Central Indian Basin

In the Central Indian Basin manganese nodule abundance was variable in all sediment types. Mean abundance varied from 1.5 in calcareous ooze to 10.2 kg/m² in terrigenous-siliceous ooze sediments. Nodule grade and growth rates are positively correlated only up to 10 mm/My (million years), and grade shows no distinct relationship with abundance. Relationships between the morphochemical characteristics of the nodules and host sediment types are subtle. Both hydrogenetic and diagenetic nodules (with smooth and rough surfaces respectively) occur on almost all sediments, but in variable proportions. Thus, the overall distribution pattern shows that small nodules (<4-cm diameters) of lower grade (average value Ni+Cu+Co=1.21%) with smooth surfaces are more common on red clay, terrigenous, and terrigenous-siliceous ooze transition-zone sediments. By contrast, large nodules (>4-cm diameters) of higher grade (average value Ni+Cu+Co=1.80%) with rough surfaces are more prevalent on siliceous ooze, siliceous ooze-red clay, and calcareous ooze-red clay transition-zone sediments. This implies an enhanced supply of trace metals from pore waters to rough-surface nodules during early diagenesis.     

A Kaapvaal craton debate: Nucleus of an early small supercontinent or affected by an enhanced accretion event?

Incorporation of the Kaapvaal craton within a speculative Neoarchaean–Palaeoproterozoic supercontinent has long been debated, and this idea provides a potential solution to solving the apparently enigmatic provenance of the huge quantities of gold within the famous Witwatersrand auriferous deposits of Kaapvaal. Within a framework of a postulated Neoarchaean “Kenorland” (“northern”; present-day reference) supercontinent, we examine possible “southern” cratons that may have been contiguous with Kaapvaal: Pilbara, Zimbabwe, Dharwar, São Francisco, Amazon, Congo. Brief reviews of their basic geology and inferred evolution in syn-Witwatersrand basin times (c. 3.1–2.8 Ga) show no obvious support for any such supercontinental amalgamations. An alternative idea to explain a measure of gross similarity amongst several Neoarchaean cratons is through global events, such as a c. 3125–3000 Ma cratonic-scale erosive event interpreted for both Pilbara and Kaapvaal, and a much more widespread magmatic event at c. 2760–2680 Ma. We postulate that a global superplume event at c. 3.0 Ga included a plume beneath the Kaapvaal cratonic nucleus, thus halting any subduction around that terrane due to the thermal anomaly. Such a speculative global magmatic event is assumed to have enhanced production of juvenile oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges, including those “offshore” of the thermally elevated Kaapvaal nucleus. Intra-oceanic obduction complexes may have built up fairly rapidly under such conditions, globally, and once the plume event had abated, “normal” plate tectonics would have resulted in composite (greenstone-tonalite, possibly also including granite) terranes accreting with nuclei such as Kaapvaal. This enhanced plume-related cratonic growth can be seen as a rapid accretion event. Formation of the envisaged ophiolite complexes possibly encompassed deformation-related first-order concentration of gold, and once accretion occurred around Kaapvaal's nucleus, from north and west (present-day frame of reference), a second-order (deformation-related) gold concentration may have resulted. The third order of gold concentration would logically have occurred once placer systems reworked detritus derived from the orogens along the N and W margins of Kaapvaal. Such conditions and placer gold deposits are known from many Neoarchaean cratons. The initial source of gold was presumably from the much hotter Mesoarchaean mantle and may have been related to major changes in Earth's tectonic regime at c. 3.0 Ga. The unique nature of Kaapvaal is probably its early stabilization, enabling formation of a complex flexural foreland basin system, in which vast quantities of placer sediments and heavy minerals could be deposited, and preserved from younger denudation through a unique post-Witwatersrand history.     

Insights on the process of two-stage coronae formation at olivine-plagioclase contact in mafic dyke from Palghat Cauvery Shear Zone,southern India

Mineralogy and Petrology - Coronae between olivine and plagioclase are a common replacement texture in mafic rocks by magmatic and metamorphic processes. Mafic dykes from Palghat Cauvery Shear Zone...