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Tectonic evolution of Nellore Schist Belt along the southeastern margin of Eastern Dharwar Craton, South India: A critical study with a geological and geophysical approach

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Abstract

The Nellore Schist Belt (NSB) along the southeastern margin of Eastern Dharwar Craton (EDC) is similar to all other Late Archaean greenstone belts of EDC. The NSB of EDC is bounded by Proterozoic Cuddapah sediments including the deformed and metamorphosed Mesoproterozoic Nallamalai Fold Belt (NFB) in the west; and high-grade Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic Eastern Ghat Mobile Belt (EGMB) towards further east. Two parallel Western and Eastern arms of different environmental facies of NSB found to be evolved in foreland and back-arc/continental-arc basinal setups, respectively. An initial Late Archaean subducting coupled with the east to west convergence mechanism with regards to evolution of the NSB is discussed in detail. Based on gravity and seismic studies, an elliptical gravity high over the Eastern arm and with its gradual decrease in intensity towards the Western arm indicates the presence of a high-density layer over the Eastern arm of NSB with its continuity and wedging out below the Western arm defines the subducting and convergence mechanism from east to west in concurrence with several established studies. Accordingly, the NSB is differentiated as one continuous single segment, i.e., Late Archaean in contrary to earlier views. The steep gravity gradient in the west defines the Cuddapah Eastern Marginal Thrust, which separates the NFB in the west and NSB in the east. A similar gravity gradient is differentiated as low-angle Malakondasatram Thrust corroborating with the geological features in the eastern part, which defines the eastern limit of EDC. In the NSB domain of Kanigiri–Pamuru area, an isolated structurally controlled Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary unit is established unconformably overlying both Western and Eastern arms of the NSB. This unit is transformed as high-grade kyanite schist in the Vinjamuru domain of extreme eastern part at the EGMB front. The occurrence of Mesoproterozoic high-grade schist over the low-grade schist of NSB is interpreted as a post-dated overprint with composition and layer specific metamorphism in response to the Proterozoic tectono-thermal events of Easternghat orogeny.

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Acknowledgements

This article is an outcome due to first author’s involvement as mapper, researcher and as faculty in the training programmes of Geological Survey of India in allied domains for longer periods. A number of critical discussions and suggestions with many friends and colleagues have made it possible in taking-up of this research work. The help rendered by many young colleagues of GSI is highly acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Formerly, Geological Survey of India (Retd.), Hyderabad, India

    M Burhanuddin

  2. Geophysics Division, Geological Survey of India, Southern Region, Hyderabad, India

    B Ravi Kumar

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  1. M Burhanuddin
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M Burhanuddin: Conceptualising the research work, geological data generation, interpretation, integration and manuscript preparation. B Ravi Kumar: Literature collection, geophysical data processing, interpretation, integration and manuscript preparation.

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Correspondence to M Burhanuddin.

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Communicated by N V Chalapathi Rao

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Burhanuddin, M., Kumar, B.R. Tectonic evolution of Nellore Schist Belt along the southeastern margin of Eastern Dharwar Craton, South India: A critical study with a geological and geophysical approach. J Earth Syst Sci 131, 35 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01753-5

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