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Anomalous Seismic Velocity Drop in Iron and Biotite Rich Amphibolite to Granulite Facies Transitional Rocks from Deccan Volcanic Covered 1993 Killari Earthquake Region, Maharashtra (India): a Case Study

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Abstract

65 Ma Deccan Volcanic Province of western India forms one of the largest flood basaltic eruptions on the surface of the earth. The nature of the concealed crust below this earthquake prone region, which is marked by several low velocity zones at different depths has hardly been understood. These low velocity zones have been invariably interpreted as fluid-filled zones, genetically connected to earthquake nucleation. While carrying out detailed geological and petrophysical studies on the Late Archean basement cores, obtained from a 617 m deep KLR-1 borehole, drilled in the epicentral zone of 1993 Killari earthquake region of the southern Deccan Volcanic Province, we came across several instances where we observed remarkable drop in measured P-wave velocity in a number of high density cores. We provide detailed petrographic and geological data on 11 such anomalous samples which belong to mid-crustal amphibolite to granulite facies transitional rocks. They are associated with a mean P-wave velocity of 6.02 km/s (range 5.82–6.22 km/s) conforming to granitic upper crust, but in contrast have a high mean density of 2.91 g/cm3 (range 2.75–3.08 g/cm3), which characterise mid to lower crust. This velocity drop, which is as much as 15 % in some cores, is primarily attributed to FeOT enrichment (up to about 23 wt%) during the course of mantle-fluid driven retrogressive metasomatic reactions, caused by exhumation of deep-seated mafic rocks. Presence of Iron content (mainly magnetite), widely seen as opaques in thin sections of the rocks, seems to have resulted into sharp increase in density, as well as mean atomic weight. Our study indicates that the measured V p is inversely related to FeOT content as well as mean atomic weight of the rock.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Drs. Kasturi Chakravarty and Profs. J. P. Srivastava and S. P. Singh for petrographic examination of the thin sections and many useful discussions. We also thank Drs. Kesav Krishna and M. Satyanarayanan for geochemical analysis and Dr K. J. P. Laxmi for her help in petrophysical measurements. We are also thankful to Mr. G. Koti Reddy and Prof. Mrinal K. Sen, Ex-Director, National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, for making available the samples for the analysis. This study has been supported by The Emeritus Scientist project of Dr. O. P. Pandey and SHORE PS0205 project of CSIR-NGRI. Permission accorded by the Director, CSIR-NGRI, Hyderabad to publish this work is also gratefully acknowledged. The critical and constructive reviews by Prof. Hartmut Kern and the anonymous reviewer are highly appreciated.

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  1. Priyanka Tripathi

    Present address: Geological Survey of India, Bandalaguda, Hyderabad, 500068, India

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  1. CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India

    O. P. Pandey, Priyanka Tripathi, Nimisha Vedanti & D. Srinivasa Sarma

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Pandey, O.P., Tripathi, P., Vedanti, N. et al. Anomalous Seismic Velocity Drop in Iron and Biotite Rich Amphibolite to Granulite Facies Transitional Rocks from Deccan Volcanic Covered 1993 Killari Earthquake Region, Maharashtra (India): a Case Study. Pure Appl. Geophys. 173, 2455–2471 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-016-1268-1

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