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Provenance and Depositional Setting of Black Shales from the Dhalbhum Formation, North Singhbhum Mobile Belt, Eastern India

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Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

The Paleoproterozoic black shales of the Dhalbhum Formation exposed to the north of the Dalma metavolcanic suite is comprised of siliciclastic rocks and a minor amount of carbonaceous rocks. Geochemical studies were carried out to study the provenance and depositional setting of black shales. The average values of Co, V, U, and Cr/V (1.29) and Ni/Co (2.77) ratios in the black shales of Dhalbhum Formation are higher as compared to those of the Post-Archean Australian shale (PAAS) values (Cr/V=0.73, Ni/Co=2.39). The chondrite normalized rare earth elements (REEs) patterns, indicate the enrichment in LREE (ELREE/HREE =10.73) and flat HREEs. The immobile element ratios Th/Sc (1.14), Th/Co (1.120), Cr/Th (16.161), and La/Sc (2.80) of studied samples indicate that sediments were derived from felsic rocks, which is also corroborated by La-Th-Sc ternary diagram. The sediments deposited at the active continental margin generally show REE pattern intermediate between a typical andesite and PAAS. A continental margin tectonic setting is distinguished by La-Th-Sc, Th-Co-Zr/10 and Th-Sc-Zr/10, which is further corroborated by Yb vs Th/Ta diagram where the samples plot in the field of active continental margin.

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Acknowledgement

The authors are thankful to Chairman, Department of Geology, A.M.U, Aligarh and Director, NGRI, Hyderabad for granting permission to carry out the chemical analysis of rock samples. We are also thankful to the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions. Authors are thankful to Drs. A.K. Krishna, M. Satyanarayan and S.S. Sawant in generating the geochemical data.

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    Naurin Khan Malik & Shabber Habib Alvi

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Malik, N.K., Alvi, S.H. Provenance and Depositional Setting of Black Shales from the Dhalbhum Formation, North Singhbhum Mobile Belt, Eastern India. J Geol Soc India 97, 735–743 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-021-1754-7

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