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Palaeo-weathering Characteristics and Nature of Source Lithology of a Carbonaceous Metasedimentary Unit in the Dalma Volcano-sedimentary Belt, North Singhbhum Mobile Belt, Eastern India

  • Research Article
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Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

The Palaeo to Mesoproterozoic Dalma volcano-sedimentary basin (DVSB) is a typical greenstone belt sequence within the North Singhbhum Mobile Belt (NSMB) of Singhbhum Crustal Province (SCP), eastern India. The volcano-sedimentary belt is situated in the central portion of NSMB and separates the Chaibasa and Dhalbhum formation lying at its south from the Chandil Formation at its north. The metasedimentary unit comprises carbonaceous phyllite, carbonaceous cherty quartzite, quartz mica schist and quartzite. In the present work, the Au-rich carbonaceous metasedimentary rocks were studied to understand the source rocks characteristic, paleoweathering history and possible tectonic set-up. Geochemical classification diagrams based on the major oxide data indicates that these units belong to arkose to wacke field and the protolith underwent moderate to high degree of chemical weathering. Based on critical elemental ratios, it is inferred that the sediments were subjected to moderate degree of physical weathering, associated with sediment sorting and recycling. A fractionated REE pattern coupled with prominent negative Eu anomaly and elevated Th/Sc ratios indicate a felsic provenance for these metasedimentary units. The data further suggests that the sediments were deposited in a passive margin tectonic setting, during a prolonged period of upliftment and erosion of the Archean Singhbhum granite complex.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful to the Director, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad for providing necessary permission to carry out the research work. MK greatly acknowledges the financial support received from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad in the form of research fellowship. Thanks are also due to the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India for some of the facilities availed vide project number NRDMS/01/07/014. Authors are also thankful to Bureau Veritas Commodities Ltd (Vancouver, Canada), and SAIF IIT, Bombay for carrying out whole rock geochemical analysis. Thanks are also due to the editor, Prof. B. Mahabaleswar for editorial guidance. Authors are also grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for providing valuable comments and suggestions that has immensely improved the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Applied Geology, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, 826 004, India

    Mousoma Khatun, Sahendra Singh & Rajarshi Chakravarti

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  1. Mousoma Khatun
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Khatun, M., Singh, S. & Chakravarti, R. Palaeo-weathering Characteristics and Nature of Source Lithology of a Carbonaceous Metasedimentary Unit in the Dalma Volcano-sedimentary Belt, North Singhbhum Mobile Belt, Eastern India. J Geol Soc India 94, 53–61 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-019-1266-x

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