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Redox conditions and nature of Pan-African granites from the E–W trending Cauvery Shear Zone, Southern Granulite Terrain of Central Tamil Nadu, India: Constraints from magnetic susceptibility and biotite chemistry

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Abstract

Pan-African (ca. 620–390 Ma) granites (sensu lato) are exposed as small circular to elliptical intrusive bodies (stocks or plutons), viz., Karamadai (Kar), Sirumugai (Sir), Punjaipuliyampatti (Pun), Tiruchengodu (Tir), Sankari (San), and Idappadi (Ida) along the E–W trending Cauvery shear zone (CSZ) of Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT), central Tamil Nadu. Mineralogically all these plutons share a similar composition (plagioclase–K-feldspar–quartz–biotite–(±hornblende±garnet)–muscovite–apatite–zircon–magnetite–ilmenite–monazite) but differ in its relative proportions as well as textures. The observed magnetic susceptibility (MS) values (< 3.00 × 10–3 SI unit) of these granites largely correspond to ilmenite (reduced type) granite series, probably intrinsic to the source region. Compositionally biotites of these granites are primary and co-precipitated with muscovite in a peraluminous (S-type) granitic magma. Although biotites from these granites are mostly Fe-biotites, however, three distinct compositional groups can be classified based on variable XMg content; Idappadi (Ida)–Tiruchengodu (Tir) granite biotites with low XMg, Sankari (San), Sirumugai (Sir) and Punjaipuliyampatti (Pun) granite biotites with high XMg and Karamadai (Kar) granite biotites with moderate XMg. Biotites of Ida and Tir granite exhibit 2Al↔3Fe substitution which is typical to a peraluminous (S-type) host magma with syn-collisional affinity. However, Kar, San, Sir and Pun granite biotites crystallized from transitional host magmas between metaluminous (I-type) and peraluminous (S-type) in syn- to post-collision tectonics. Mineral assemblage, biotite chemistry, ilmenite (reduced) series nature (Ida granite: log fO2 = −15.76 to −16.18, T = 780°–690 °C; San and Sir granites: log fO2 = −14.59 to −15.05, T = 820°–730°C; Kar granite; log fO2 = −14.66 to −15.78, T = 790°–710 °C) of the studied granites indicate that these are derived from melting of mixed crustal sources (infracrustal and metapelitic). Therefore, the comprehensive studies of the discussed granite plutons of the Southern Granulite Terrain of central Tamil Nadu indicate that they were formed and evolved under differential reducing conditions, during a protracted thermal event related to amalgamation and growth of the Pan-African supercontinent.

Research Highlights

  1. 1.

    Granites of pan-African age (650–320 ma) are exposed as isolated bodies within the E–W trending Cauvery Shear Zone in the central part of Southern Granulite Terrain, Tamil Nadu.

  2. 2.

    Seven plutons were selected for petrogenetic studies during the Gondwana amalgamation.

  3. 3.

    All the granitic variants share a common mineral assemblage (Qz + K-felspar + Na-plagioclase – Biotite ± Amphibole).

  4. 4.

    Magnetic Susceptibility values of these granitic plutons are <3.00 × 10–3 SI units, indicating ilmenite granite series.

  5. 5.

    The biotite composition is indicative of three distinct compositional fields, peraluminous (s-type) host magma formed in syn-collisional setting and origin from the heterogeneous crustal source.

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modified from Heinrich (1946) and Foster (1960) showing the biotites crystallization Field A: Primary biotites and field B: hydrothermal biotites (after Foster 1960). The Fe2SiO4–SiO2–Fe3O4 (FMQ), Ni–NiO (NNO) and Fe3O4–Fe2O3 (HM) buffers of biotite stability fields are plotted after Wones and Eugster (1965). (b) Temperature (°C) vs. Log fO2 (bar) of biotite stability under isobaric condition (P = 2070 bars) taken from Wones and Eugster (1965) plotted for biotites of Sankari and Punjaipuliyampatti (red arrow), Karamdai (blue arrow) and Idappadi (green arrow). See text for discussion.

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Acknowledgements

Authors like to thanks officer of GSI, State Unit Tamil Nadu for their guidance and assistance in the fieldwork during 2016–2019. This paper is published with the permission of the DG, GSI. The authors also would like to thank Prof Santosh Kumar, Kumaun University and is gratefully acknowledged for the insightful comments and detailed article review that improved the manuscript significantly and also participated in field work. Gajender Kumar, a research scholar of Kumaun University is thanked for using software on biotite classification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Madras, Chennai, 600 005, Tamilnadu, India

    R Anshu & S Ramasamy

  2. Department of Geology, Kumaun University, Nainital, 263 001, Uttarakand, India

    Anjali Solanki

  3. Geological Survey of India, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata, 700 016, West Bengal, India

    Sonam Singh & S Raju

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Contributions

R Anshu: Primary field data collection, petrography and petrological studies, petrochemical calculations, mineral chemistry and manuscript preparation; Anjali Solanki and Sonam Singh: Primary field data collection and petrography; S Ramasamy: Research guidance and manuscript preparation; and S Raju: Primary field data collection (2006–2008), petrography and petrological studies, petrochemical calculations and mineral chemistry.

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Correspondence to S Raju.

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Communicated by N V Chalapathi Rao

Supplementary material pertaining to this article is available on the Journal of Earth System Science website (http://www.ias.ac.in/Journals/Journal_of_Earth_System_Science).

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Anshu, R., Solanki, A., Ramasamy, S. et al. Redox conditions and nature of Pan-African granites from the E–W trending Cauvery Shear Zone, Southern Granulite Terrain of Central Tamil Nadu, India: Constraints from magnetic susceptibility and biotite chemistry. J Earth Syst Sci 130, 96 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01578-2

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