Abstract
The origin of spilite from tholeiite basalt is discussed; in support, field and laboratory results are presented. It is contended that the formation of spilite from tholeiite involved differentiation with accumulation of Ca and Si and their final removal from the magma system. In this process the overhead pressure of water, both magmatic and marine, played a role. The latter was the result of the subaqueous eruption of lava probably in shallow marine or estuarine waters.
Attention has been drawn to the differentiation of basalts both before and after their extrusion. Chemistry of the three major groups of rocks, viz., tholeiites, spilite and the intertrappeans (mainly hyaloclastites) occurring in the island of Bombay, is discussed. The occurrence of spilite with pillow character in the Deccan traps of India is mentioned for the first time.
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Sukheswala, R.N. (1974). Gradation of Tholeiitic Deccan Basalt into Spilite, Bombay, India. In: Amstutz, G.C. (eds) Spilites and Spilitic Rocks. International Union of Geological Sciences, vol 4. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-88230-2_14
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