Some regional indicators of the Tertiary–Quaternary geodynamics in the paleocoastal part of the Bengal basin (India)

Sedimentary processes in the paleocoastal part of the Bengal basin that occured in the Tertiary and Quaternary have been addressed. Three indicators were used: sedimentary bedding forms, microstructure of the sediment, and trace fossils. Various forms of sedimentary structures developed under the influence of dynamic geomorphic processes in the study area in the Quaternary. The microstructure analysis of the sedimentary materials was made by two methods: microphotography and Digital Color Analysis (DCA). The microstructure analysis shows that the geomorphic process remained very dynamic in the Quaternary, influencing the form, thickness, and mineral composition of the sediment strata. The enrichment of the sediments in heavy minerals evidences either oscillating or combined flow sedimentation, while under stable conditions light-mineral deposition took place. The digital data of microfabric study by the DCA method also show that larger particles deposited in the oscillating or high-flow environment and evidence a greater amount of heavy minerals like ferruginous materials. Trace fossils found in the sediments of this area also strongly support the concept that the environment remained dynamic during the Tertiary and Quaternary. The Late Tertiary deposition shows that, during these periods, the sediments were transported from tide-dominated marine coast with low flow energy, which is typical of hot and humid conditions. From Late Tertiary to Early Quaternary, the macrotidal coast became mesotidal (wave-dominated). The second phase is the Middle Pleistocene, when the environment was stable, favoring the continuous deposition of finer particles under low- to medium-flow energy conditions. The third phase, the Recent, is marked by the shoreline shift and modification of the environment. In the Early–Middle Holocene, the shoreline started to shift, which modified the geomorphic conditions of this place from coastal to estuarine and, finally, inland fluvial.     

Yearly changes in the seasonal frequency and duration of short-term acid pulses in some Nova Scotia, Canada streams

 The seasonal frequency and duration of low pH events at three sites located in southwestern Nova Scotia were analyzed using measured and synthetic daily pH data. The basins varied in size from 0.3 to 300 km² and were subject to frequent snowmelt events in winter and spring, as well as occasional runoff events during summer and fall. Results showed that, in order to fill in missing data from periods where collection was interrupted, statistical approximations using discharge were not totally acceptable, as generated data consistently missed the extreme values measured. Despite a lack of totally accurate event pH estimates for periods where daily data were missing, analysis showed that in this region, low pH episodes can occur year-round including summer. The highest probabilities of low pH episodes nevertheless occurred in the winter and spring when snowmelts were frequent. Received: 12 November 1999 · Accepted: 18 July 2000     

Dinosaur coprolites from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Lameta Formation of India: isotopic and other markers suggesting a C3plant diet

A single locality of the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Lameta Formation at Pisdura in Central India has yielded a large number of coprolites attributed to titanosaurian dinosaurs. Internally the coprolites are dark grey and contain abundant plant tissues and other organic materials. The plant tissues are mostly of gymnospermous origin. In addition, remains of bacterial colonies, fungal spores and algae are seen in the macerated fraction under scanning electron microscope. The dark grey appearance is probably attributable to fine-grained organic matter within voids in tracheids or xylem. The average ¹³C/¹²C ratio of the organic matter in the coprolites is -24‰ (relative to PDB) suggesting that plants of C₃type were the main diet of their producers. A comparison of δ¹⁵N value (about 4‰ w.r.t. air) of the coprolites with that of faecal matter of modern herbivores and carnivores suggests that gut fermentation may not have been an active mechanism in the digestion process of titanosaurs.     

An overview on geochemistry of Proterozoic massif-type anorthosites and associated rocks

A critical study of 311 published WR chemical analyses, isotopic and mineral chemistry of anorthosites and associated rocks from eight Proterozoic massif anorthosite complexes of India, North America and Norway indicates marked similarities in mineralogy and chemistry among similar rock types. The anorthosite and mafic-leucomafic rocks (e.g., leuconorite, leucogabbro, leucotroctolite, anorthositic gabbro, gabbroic anorthosite, etc.) constituting the major part of the massifs are characterized by higher Na₂O + K₂O, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, Mg# and Sr contents, low in plagioclase incompatible elements and REE with positive Eu anomalies. Their δ ¹⁸O‰ (5.7–7.5), initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7034–0.7066) and ɛ _Nd values (+1.14 to +5.5) suggest a depleted mantle origin. The Fe-rich dioritic rocks occurring at the margin of massifs have isotopic, chemical and mineral composition more close to anorthosite-mafic-leucomafic rocks. However, there is a gradual decrease in plagioclase content, An content of plagioclase and X_Mg of orthopyroxene, and an increase in mafic silicates, oxide minerals content, plagioclase incompatible elements and REE from anorthosite-mafic-leucomafic rocks to Fe-rich dioritic rocks. The Fe-rich dioritic rocks are interpreted as residual melt from mantle derived high-Al gabbro melt, which produced the anorthosite and mafic-leucomafic rocks. Mineralogically and chemically, the K-rich felsic rocks are distinct from anorthosite-mafic-leucomafic-Fe-rich dioritic suite. They have higher δ ¹⁸O values (6.8–10.8‰) and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7067–0.7104). By contrast, the K-rich felsic suites are products of melting of crustal precursors.     

Deformation Modulus of Fly Ash Modified with Lime and Gypsum

Deformation modulus of fly ash is one of the most important mechanical properties generally used in different design problems and also as an input parameter to sophisticated numerical techniques employed to assess the response of different structures resting on fly ash fill or embankment made of fly ash. Deformation modulus is usually expressed in terms of compressive strength. This paper presents the deformation modulus of fly ash modified with lime alone or in combination with gypsum at different strain levels. The values of deformation modulus obtained from both unconfined compression test and unconsolidated undrained triaxial test results are presented herein. The specimens for unconfined compression test and for undrained triaxial tests were cured up to 90 and 28 days, respectively. The effects of addition of lime (4–10%) and gypsum (0.5 and 1.0%) on the deformation modulus of class F fly ash are highlighted. With addition of lime and gypsum, the class F fly ash achieved the deformation modulus in the range of 190 MPa in UCS test and up to 300 MPa in triaxial test specimens tested under all round pressure of 0.4 MPa. Based on the present test results empirical relationships are developed to estimate deformation modulus of modified fly ash from unconfined compressive strength and relationships between initial tangent modulus and secant modulus at different strain levels are also developed.     

Automatic Delineation of Structural Boundaries using Curvature Analysis of Bouguer Gravity Data in Parts of Northwest Himalaya

Curvature describes about the bending of surface by which a surface deviates from flat plane or a curve deviates from straight. The Himalaya has numerous geodynamic features with complex geological setup and extreme undulating topography. In this context, interpretation of gravity data has been used for enhancing important features to delineate structural trend for understanding thrust-fault locations and crustal structural setup in north-west Himalaya. Gravity data interpretation not only help to study varying lateral changes in density with lithological changes but also properties of gradients to interpret sub-surface structure and edges of the geological features. Attempt has been made to interpret various curvatures analysis like maximum, minimum, most-positive and most-negative curvatures using Bouguer gravity data to estimate the automatic thrust-fault locations in Dehradun-Badrinath area falling in the north-western part of Himalaya, India.     

Petrography and major element geochemistry of the Permo-Triassic sandstones, central India: Implications for provenance in an intracratonic pull-apart basin

Detrital mode, composition of feldspars and heavy minerals, and major element chemistry of sandstones from the Permo-Triassic succession in the intracratonic Satpura Gondwana basin, central India have been used to investigate provenance. The Talchir Formation, the lowermost unit of the succession, comprises glacio-marine and glacio-fluvial deposits. The rest of the succession (base to top) comprising the Barakar, Motur, Bijori, Pachmarhi and Denwa formations, largely represent variety of fluvial depositional systems with minor fluvio-deltaic and fluvio-lacustrine sedimentation under a variety of climatic conditions including cold, warm, arid, sub-humid and semi-arid. QFL compositions of the sandstones indicate a predominantly continental block provenance and stable cratonic to fault-bounded basement uplift tectonic setting. Compositional maturity of sandstones gradually increases upwards from the Early Permian Talchir to the Middle Triassic Denwa but is punctuated by a sharp peak of increased maturity in the Barakar sandstones. This temporal change in maturity was primarily controlled by temporal variation in fault-induced basement uplift in the craton and was also influenced by climatic factors. Plots of different quartz types suggest plutonic source rocks for the Talchir sandstones and medium-to high-rank metamorphic plus plutonic source rocks for the younger sandstones. Composition of alkali feldspars in the Permo-Triassic sandstones and in different Precambrian rocks suggests sediment derivation from felsic igneous and metasedimentary rocks. Compositions of plagioclase in the Talchir and Bijori sandstones are comparable with those of granite, acid volcanic and metasedimentary rocks of the Precambrian basement suggesting the latter as possible source. Rare presence of high-K plagioclase in the Talchir sandstones, however, indicates minor contribution from volcanic source rock. Exclusively plagioclase-bearing metasedimentary rock, tonalite gneiss and mafic rocks are the probable sources of plagioclase in the Upper Denwa sandstones. Quartz-rich nature of the sandstones, predominance of K-feldspar over plagioclase and albite rich character of plagioclase in the sandstones is consistent with deposition in an intracratonic, pull-apart basin like the Satpura Gondwana basin. Composition of garnet and its comparison with that from the Precambrian basement rocks suggests mica-schist and amphibolite as possible sources. Predominance of dravite variety of tourmaline in the Permian sandstones suggests sediment supply from metasedimentary rocks. Presence of both dravite and schorl variety of tourmaline in subequal amount in the Triassic sandstones indicates sediment derivation from granitic and metasedimentary rocks. However, schorl-bearing rocks are absent in the basement complex of the study area. A-CN-K plot suggests granites, acid volcanic rock and meta-sediments of the basement as possible sources of the Talchir sandstones and metasedimentary rocks for the Barakar to Pachmarhi sandstones. The Denwa sandstones were possibly derived from K-feldspar-free, plagioclase-bearing metasediments, mafic rocks and tonalite gneiss. Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) values suggest low intensity source rock weathering for the Talchir sandstones and higher intensity source rock weathering for the others. Various bivariate plots of major oxides composition of the sandstones suggest passive to active continental margin setting and even arc tectonic setting for a few samples.     

Petrogenesis of zincian spinel from mamandur base metal sulphide prospect,Tamil Nadu

Zincian spinels (gahnites) from the Mamandur Zn-Pb-Cu prospect of the Southern Granulite Terrain have been studied. Gahnites in the quartzofeldspathic gneiss occur either as (a) porphyroblastic grains closely in association with cordierite and sphalerite or as (b) inclusions in poikiloblastic quartz grains, restricted within quartz veinlets. Compositionally these gahnites belong to two different clusters corresponding to two modes of occurrences. The origin of the porphyroblastic gahnites is linked with the process of desulphidation of sphalerite whereas those occurring as inclusions within poikiloblastic quartz are direct crystallisation products from silica rich hydrothermal solution. A new compositional field for this latter group of gahnites is proposed here.     

Geological evaluation of foundations of ancient monuments and stability of rockcut caves in central India

Geological contributions to the stability of rockcut caves and evaluation of stone block as a construction material are discussed. Rock alteration and microfissuring are proposed to be coded by a deterioration index and usable stone blocks are evaluated on joint frequency measured in the field.