Trace elements and REE geochemistry of Siriwasan carbonatite,Chhota Udaipur,Gujarat

The Siriwasan carbonatite-sill along with associated alkaline rocks and fenites is located about 10 km north of the well-known Amba Dongar carbonatite-alkaline rocks diatreme, in the Chhota Udaipur carbonatite-alkaline province. Carbonatite has intruded as a sill into the Bagh sandstone and overlying Deccan basalt. This resulted in the formation of carbonatite breccia with enclosed fragments of basement metamorphics, sandstone and fenites in the matrix of ankeritic carbonatite. The most significant are the plugs of sövite with varied mineralogy that include pyroxene, amphibole, apatite, pyrochlore, perovskite and sphene. REE in sövites is related to the content of pyrochlore, perovskite and apatite. The carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of some sövite samples and an ankeritic carbonatite plot in the “mantle box” pointing to their mantle origin. However, there is also evidence for mixing of the erupting carbonatite magma with the overlying Bagh limestone. The carbonatites of Siriwasan and Amba Dongar have the same Sr and Nd isotopic ratios and radiometric age, suggesting the same magma source. On the basis of available chemical analyses this paper is aimed to give some details of the Siriwasan carbonatites. The carbonatite complex has good potential for an economic mineral deposit but this is the most neglected carbonatite of the Chhota Udaipur province.