Variations in magnetic properties of target basalts with the direction of asteroid impact: Example from Lonar crater,India

Abstract– The Lonar crater in Maharashtra state, India, has been completely excavated on the Deccan Traps basalt (approximately 65 Ma) at approximately 570 ± 47 ka by an oblique impact of a possible chondritic asteroid that struck the preimpact target from the east at an angle of approximately 30–45^o to the horizon where the total duration of the shock event was approximately 1 s. It is shown by our early work that the distribution of ejecta and deformation of target rocks around the crater rim are symmetrical to the east–west plane of impact ( Misra et al. 2010 ). The present study shows that some of the rock magnetic properties of these shocked target basalts, e.g., low‐field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), natural remanent magnetization (NRM)/bulk susceptibility (χ), and high‐coercivity and high‐temperature (HC_HT) magnetization component, are also almost symmetrically oriented with reference to the plane of impact. Studies on the relative displacements of K₃ (minimum) AMS axes of shocked basalts from around the crater rim and from the adjacent target rocks to the approximately 2–3 km west of the crater center suggest that the impact stress could have branched out into the major southwestward and northwestward components in the downrange direction immediately after the impact. The biaxial distribution of AMS axes in stereographic plots for the unshocked basalts transforms mostly into triaxial distribution for the shocked basalts, although transitional type distribution also exists. The degree of anisotropy (P′) of AMS ellipsoids of the shocked basalts decreases by approximately 2% when compared with those of the unshocked target (approximately 1.03). The NRM/χ (Am^?1) values of the shocked basalts on the rim of the Lonar crater do not show much change in the uprange or downrange direction on and close to the east–west plane of impact, and the values are only approximately 1.5 times higher on average over the unshocked basalts around the crater. However, the values become approximately 1.4–16.4 times higher for the shocked basalts on the crater rim, which occur obliquely to the plane of impact. The target basalts at approximately 2–3 km west of the crater center in the downrange also show a significant increase (up to approximately 26 times higher) in NRM/χ. The majority of the shocked basalt samples (approximately 73%) from around the crater rim, in general, show a lowering of REM, except those from approximately 2–3 km west of the crater center in the downrange, where nearly half of the sample population shows a higher REM of approximately 3.63% in average. The shocked target basalts around the Lonar crater also acquired an HC_HT magnetization component due to impact. These HC_HT components are mostly oriented in the uprange direction and are symmetrically disposed about the east–west plane of impact, making an obtuse angle with the direction of impact. The low‐coercivity and low‐temperature (LC_LT) components of both the unshocked and shocked basalts are statistically identical to the present day field (PDF) direction. This could be chemical and/or viscous remanent magnetization acquired by the target basalts during the last 570 ± 47 ka, subsequent to the formation of the Lonar crater. The shocked Lonar target basalts appear to have remagnetized under high impact shock pressure and at low temperature of approximately 200–300 °C, where Ti‐rich titanomagnetite was the main magnetic remanence carrier.     

A Petrogenetic Model of Basalts from the Northern Central Indian Ridge: 3-11°S

Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts (MORB) from the Northern Central Indian Ridge (NCIR) were recovered between latitudes 3° and 11°S and are olivine tholeiite with higher abundances of K and Rb.They are of typical transitional MORB (T-MORB) variety and appear to have been generated from an enriched-mantle peridotite source. The primitive NCIR MORBs having Mg# ＞ 0.68 are the product of partial melting at an estimated pressure of ～ 1 GPa. It is inferred that the magma was subsequently modified at a pressure ＞ 1 GPa by crystal fractionation and spinel was the first mineral to crystallize followed by separation of relatively Fe-rich olivine with subsequent decrease in pressure. During progressive fractionation at lower pressure (between 1-0.5 GPa), the bulk composition of the magma became systematically depleted in MgO, and enriched in ∑FeO, TiO2, P2O5 and Na2O. There was,however, limited gradual depletion in Al2O3 and CaO and concomitant enrichment in K2O. With the progressive fractionation these basalts became gradually enriched in V, Co, Y, Zr and to some extent in Sr, and depleted in Ni and Cr. In addition, the ∑REE of the magma also increased with fractionation,without any change in (La/Yb)n value.     

Determining the genetic origin of nitrate contamination in aquifers of Northern Gujarat,India

Over the past decades, the Gujarat state of India experienced intensive agricultural and industrial activities, fertilizer consumption and abstraction of groundwater, which in turn has degraded the ground water quality. Protection of aquifers from nitrate pollution is a matter of prime concern for the planners and decision-makers. The present study assessed the spatial and temporal variation of groundwater nitrate levels in areas with different land use/land cover activities for both pre- and post-monsoon period. The pre-monsoon nitrate level (1.6–630.7 mg/L) in groundwater was observed to be higher as compared to the post-monsoon level (2.7–131.7 mg/L), possibly due to insufficient recharge and evaporation induced enrichment of agrichemical salts in groundwater. High HCO₃ ^? (200–1,000 mg/L) as well as SO₄ ^2?/Cl^? (0.111–0.992) in post-monsoon period provides a favourable environment for denitrification, and lower the NO₃ levels during the post-monsoon period. The K vs NO₃ scatter plot suggests a common source of these ions when the concentration is <5 mg/L, the relationships between different pollutants and nitrate also suggest that fertilizers and other sources, such as, animal waste, crop residue, septic tanks and effluents from different food processing units present in the area can be attributed to higher nitrate levels in the groundwater. Appropriate agronomic practices such as application of fertilizers based on calibrated soil tests and proper irrigation with respect to crop can minimize the requirement for inorganic fertilizers, which can bring down the cost of cultivation considerably, and also protect groundwater from further degradation.     

Target rocks,impact glasses,and melt rocks from the Lonar impact crater,India: Petrography and geochemistry

Abstract— The Lonar crater, India, is the only well‐preserved simple crater on Earth in continental flood basalts; it is excavated in the Deccan trap basalts of Cretaceous‐Tertiary age. A representative set of target basalts, including the basalt flows excavated by the crater, and a variety of impact breccias and impact glasses, were analyzed for their major and trace element compositions. Impact glasses and breccias were found inside and outside the crater rim in a variety of morphological forms and shapes. Comparable geochemical patterns of immobile elements (e.g., REEs) for glass, melt rock and basalt indicates minimal fractionation between the target rocks and the impactites. We found only little indication of post‐impact hydrothermal alteration in terms of volatile trace element changes. No clear indication of an extraterrestrial component was found in any of our breccias and impact glasses, indicating either a low level of contamination, or a non‐chondritic or otherwise iridium‐poor impactor.     

Geochronological Constraints on Evolution of Singhbhum Mobile Belt and Associated Basic Volcanics of Eastern Indian Shield

The Singhbhum Mobile Belt (SMB) of the eastern Indian shield represents a roughly east-west-trending arcuate belt of folded supracrustals overlying the granite-greenstone basement of the Singhbhum-Orissa Craton along its northern, eastern and western margins and is bounded by the Chotanagpur Gneissic Complex to further north. The radiometric ages of the basement Singhbhum and equivalent granites and the intrusive anorogenic Mayurbhanj granite pluton constrain the time of evolution of this mobile belt between 3.12 and 3.09 Ga. Hence, the SMB supracrustals also known as Singhbhum Group, is late Mesoarchaean in age and not Proterozoic as thought earlier. The evolution of the SMB was followed by emplacement of some major basic igneous rocks within or adjacent to the supracrustals. These include Simlipal volcanics at >3.09 Ga on the SMB, Mayurbhanj gabbro along with Mayurbhanj granite at 3.09 Ga along the marginal part of the craton near the SMB, and the Dalma volcanics on the SMB along with the Dhanjori volcanics adjacent to SMB at 2.80 Ga. The 2.80 Ga old basic volcanics is also associated with emplacement of some small granite plutons occurring along the marginal part of the craton, one of them, the Tamperkola granite intrudes the SMB. The >3.09 Ga onward igneous activities along the marginal part of Singhbhum-Orissa Craton took place essentially under anorogenic tectonic setting before being affected by a major metamorphism at 2.50 Ga, which is recorded on the Dalma volcanics and on some small granite pluton occurs along the marginal part of the craton. The Jagannathpur and stratigraphically equivalent Malangtoli volcanics, occurring within the Singhbhum-Orissa Craton at the west, were erupted at 2.25 Ga. The boundary between the SMB supracrustals and the Singhbhum-Orissa Craton is demarked by a prominent shear zone known as the Singhbhum Shear Zone, which shows multiple reactivation, the oldest being at 3.09 Ga, followed by subsequent reactivation during Palaeo- and Mesoproterozoic periods at 2.2, 1.8, 1.6-1.5, 1.4 and 1.0 Ga respectively. The Singhbhum Group and the adjacent Chotanagpur Gneissic Complex appear to have evolved from a near shore syn-rift and a distal post-rift stable shelf sedimentary assemblages respectively, which were deposited without any stratigraphic break in a marine basin existed in the present north of the Singhbhum-Orissa Craton. Both of these assemblages were deformed and metamorphosed together during Proterozoic at 2.5 to >2.3 Ga, 1.6 Ga and 1.0 Ga.     

Land degradation analysis of mine-impacted zone of Kolubara in Serbia

This paper presents the effect of land-use changes on land degradation by utilization of remote sensing methods and the Gavrilovi? erosion potential method, due to surface mining activities in the period 2001–2011. Studied area includes the zone of influence of the Rudarski basen Kolubara, which covers the exploitation area of the Kolubara coal basin in the Republic of Serbia. The analysis is based on the processing of Landsat 5 satellite images from 2001 and 2011. In the analysis of satellite images, the supervised classification method was used. The results suggest that the observed spatial–temporal area is exposed to erosion as a result of land-use changes. Preliminary conclusion is that the dominant anthropogenic factor, responsible for changes in land use, is pronounced through the mining activity, industrialization, construction as well as agricultural activities. Very small changes in land use that occurred in the period 2001–2010 have led to relatively small amount of change from the aspect of land degradation. Also, due to the planned exploitation of the mine which included into account the sustainability of ecosystems, primarily through appropriate conservation measures, RB Kolubara is not in danger of a possible erosion processes that could undermine the stability of the basin.     

Application of remote sensing technology for land use/land cover change analysis

Land use/land cover changes over a period of 30 years were studied using remote sensing technology in a part of Gohparu block, Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh. Land use/ land cover maps were prepared by visual interpretation of two period remotely sensed data. Post-classification comparison technique was adopted for this purpose. The loss of vegetation cover was estimated to be 22 percent and 14 percent of the land was found to have been tranformed into wasteland between 1967 and 1996. Overall rate of change was found to be 1.8 percent per year during this period.     

Characterization and evaluation of processes governing the groundwater quality in parts of the Sabarmati basin,Gujarat using hydrochemistry integrated with GIS

Intense agricultural and industrial activities in any area are likely to make groundwater vulnerable with respect to its quality. In one such area which is a part of Sabarmati river basin of Gujarat, factors influencing the groundwater hydrochemistry in pre‐ and post‐monsoon season were evaluated. Groundwater samples were collected from 5 km × 5 km grids on the basis of spectral signature of vegetation and soil, observed on satellite image. Integration of Conventional graphical plots, Piper plot, saturation index values (estimated using PHREEQC) and GIS was helpful not only to create the database for analysis of spatial variation in respective water quality parameters but also to decipher the hydrogeochemical process occurring in such a large area. USSL diagram and % sodium were used to characterise the suitability of groundwater for irrigation. It was observed that leaching of wastes disposed from anthropogenic activities and agrichemicals is the major factor influencing the groundwater quality, in addition to the natural processes such as weathering, dissolution and ion exchange. Sea water relics are also impacting the groundwater quality. Control of indiscriminate and unplanned exploitation of groundwater, application of fertilizers and disposal of industrial wastes in the affected areas can possibly ensure groundwater protection from further pollution and depletion. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A remote sensing based analysis of climate change in Sikkim supported by evidence from the field

The Himalayas hailed as the ‘water towers of the world' feed many perennial rivers which form the lifeline of the Indian sub-continent. Climate change induced rising global temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are currently threatening the glaciers that feed the rivers. The combination of these factors is causing water stresses to a part of the world which is usually considered water abundant. Though there are some large-scale studies done in the Himalayas, regional analysis of changing rainfall patterns and their impacts on vegetation and agriculture is lacking. Here we focus on the Indian state of Sikkim located in the Eastern Himalayas to evaluate these issues using mixed methods. We use satellite data from PERSIANN and MODIS to characterise the regional rainfall, vegetation, and surface temperature trends between 2001 and 2019. While the analysis shows overall declining rainfall trends across most land cover classes, the trends in temperature are mostly positive for the period of study, with winter Land Surface Temperature(LST) values showing the largest area with marginally significant(p0.1) positive trends. In contrast, such patterns are not observed for agriculture. However, the interviews corroborate that even agriculture is impacted, implying that the trends continue at finer spatial scales too. The lack of government support for adaptation and mitigation is also lamented placing the communities at a precarious position to continuing climate change.