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Hornblende-dehydration melting in mafic rocks and the link between massif-type charnockite and associated granulites, Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt, India

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Abstract

A massif-type (intrusive) charnockite body in the Eastern Ghats granulite belt, India, is associated with hornblende-bearing mafic granulite, two-pyroxene granulite and enderbitic granulite. The charnockite is characterised by pervasive gneissic foliation (S1). This is axial planar to the folded layers of hornblende-bearing mafic granulite (F1 folds), indicating that the granulite protoliths were present before the development of S1. Two-pyroxene granulite and enderbitic granulite occur as lenticular patches disposed along the foliation and hence could be syngenetic to S1. The tonalitic to granodioritic, metaluminous to weakly peraluminous compositions and relatively high Sr/Rb of the charnockite are consistent with its derivation by partial melting of a mafic protolith. Strong Y depletion, lack of Sr depletion and strongly fractionated REE patterns with high (La/Yb)N ratio, but relatively lower HREE (Gd/Lu) fractionation with marked positive Eu anomalies, suggest major residual hornblende (as well as garnet), but not plagioclase, consistent with the hornblende dehydration melting in the source rocks. Such a residual mineralogy is broadly similar to those of some of the hornblende-bearing mafic granulite inclusions, which have compositional features indicative of a restitic nature. Quantitative modelling supports an origin for the charnockite melts by partial melting of a hornblende-rich mafic granulite source, although source heterogeneity is very likely given the rather variable trace element contents of the charnockite. The whole-rock and mineral compositions of the two-pyroxene granulites and enderbitic granulites are consistent with them representing peritectic phase segregations of hornblende-dehydration melting. A clockwise P-T path implies that melting could have occurred in thickened continental crust undergoing decompression.

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Acknowledgements

The Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, provided the facilities for this work and a research fellowship to R.K. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, provided financial support for the analytical work. We gratefully acknowledge the analytical facilities provided by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun and the University Science Instrumentation Centre, Roorkee. Bruce Cruikshank and John Pyke (AGSO) are thanked for whole-rock analyses. Finally we thankfully acknowledge critical comments and suggestions from two anonymous reviewers.

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  1. J. W. Sheraton

    Present address: Stoneacre, Bream Road, St Briavels, GL15 6TL, Lydney, Gloucester , UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, J.K. College, Purulia 723101, India

    Rajib Kar

  2. Geological Studies Unit, Indian Statistical Institute , 203 B T Road, Calcutta 700035, India

    S. Bhattacharya

  3. Department of Geology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia

    J. W. Sheraton

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Correspondence to S. Bhattacharya.

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Kar, R., Bhattacharya, S. & Sheraton, J.W. Hornblende-dehydration melting in mafic rocks and the link between massif-type charnockite and associated granulites, Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt, India. Contrib Mineral Petrol 145, 707–729 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-003-0468-8

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