Dr.Virupakshi soma sekhar

The lower part of the Proterozoic Cuddapah Basin exposes three quartzite sequences, namely, Gulcheru, Pulivendla, and Gandikota formations. Gulcheru Quartzites show angular to subangular texture, whereas Pulivendla and Gandikota quartzites contain rounded to subrounded detrital grains. Mineralogically, all quartzites are predominantly composed of quartz with subordinate amount of feldspar, mica, and heavy minerals. Clay and silt are present as a matrix while silica and carbonate act as a cementing material. Based on detrital modes and major element geochemistry, these sediments are classified as arkose to subarkose. The petrological and geochemical attributes of the basal formations of the Cuddapah quartzite indicate cyclic weathering under variable humid subtropical climate. The CIA values of these quartzites suggest moderate to intense chemical weathering for the Gulcheru and Gandikota quartzites and low to moderate chemical weathering for Pulivendla Quartzites. The major element ratios (SiO 2 /Al 2 O, K 2 O/Na 2 O), trace element ratios, chondrite-normalised REE patterns and UCC normalised multi element diagrams suggest that these quartzites were predominantly derived from the felsic sources, with subordinate contribution from mafic sources. Provenance studies and mixing models, in conjunction with palaeocurrent data suggest that these quartzites of the Lower Cuddapah Supergroup received sediments from various sources including Eastern Dharwar Craton as well as from more juvenile crust.

Petrological and geochemical studies have been carried out on Pulivendla and Gandikota Quartzite from Chitravati Group of Cuddapah Supergroup to decipher the provenance and depositional environment. Both the units are texturally mature with sub-rounded to well-rounded and moderately to well-sorted grains. Majority of the framework grains are quartz, in the form of monocrystalline quartz, followed by feldspars (K-feldspar and plagioclase), mica, rock fragments, heavy minerals, with minor proportion of the matrix and cement. Based on major element geochemical classification diagram, Pulivendla Quartzite is considered as quartz-arenite and arkose to sub-arkose, whereas Gandikota Quartzite falls in the field of lith-arenite and arkose to sub-arkose. Weathering indices like CIA, PIA, CIW, ICV, Th/U ratio and A–CN–K ternary diagram suggest moderate to intense chemical weathering of the source rocks of these quartzites. Whole rock geochemistry of quartzites indicate that they are primarily from the first-cycle sediments, along with some minor recycled components. Also their sources were mostly intermediate-felsic igneous rocks of Archean age. The tectonic discrimination plots, Th–Sc–Zr/10 of both these formations reflect active to passive continental margin setting. Chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns, and various trace element ratios like Cr/Th, Th/Co, La/Sc and Th/Cr indicate dominantly felsic source with minor contribution from mafic source. Th/Sc ratios of Pulivendla and Gandikota Quartzite are in close proximity with average values of 2.83, 3.45 respectively, which is higher than AUCC (Th/Sc = 0.97), demonstrating that the contributions from more alkali source rocks than those that contributed to AUCC.

The Nallamalai Fold Belt comprises late Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic sedimentary rocks deformed into a fold-and-thrust belt along the eastern side of Peninsular India. The age of thinskinned thrusting, folding and low-to medium-grade metamorphism in the belt is unclear, with estimates ranging from Palaeoproterozoic to early Palaeozoic. A possible Pan-African age for thrusting has previously been inferred from Rb–Sr dating of muscovite in shear zones from the adjacent Krishna Province (501 – 474 Ma) but these structures are separated from the Nallamalai Fold Belt by a major thrust. Here, we present in situ U–Pb dating of metamorphic monazite within a low-grade metasedimentary rock in the Nallamalai Fold Belt at the Mangampeta barite mine. Our date of 531 ± 7 Ma for the monazite is the first direct evidence that west-to NW-directed nappe stacking, folding and low-grade metamorphism in the fold belt are related to Pan-African incorporation of India into the Gondwana supercontinent.

The Cuddapah Basin is one of many Proterozoic, intracontinental sedimentary basins across Peninsular India. The basin comprises several unconformity-bounded successions, the lowermost of which (the Papaghni Group and overlying Chitravati Group) are intruded by dolerite sills that contact metamorphosed their host rocks. A mafic-ultramafic sill from the base of the Tadpatri Formation in the Chitravati Group was previously dated at c. 1885 Ma, and interpreted to be part of a large igneous province (LIP). We have dated two samples of a felsic tuff from the upper part of the Tadpatri Formation at 1864 ± 13 Ma and 1858 ± 16 Ma; combining data from the two samples yields a weighted mean date of 1862 ± 9 Ma. Mafic sills intrude rocks stratigraphically above the tuffaceous beds, indicating that mafic magmatism continued until after c. 1860 Ma. Given that the sills intruded lithified rocks, some of the sills may be considerably younger than 1860 Ma. Mafic volcanic rocks are also known from below the unconformity at the base of the Chitravati Group, within the basal Papaghni Group (N c. 1890 Ma). Collectively, these data indicate that mafic sill emplacement spanned more than 30 myr so that it is likely to have been a protracted event or a series of events, and, therefore unlikely to represent a LIP. The time span for mafic magmatism is more compatible with episodic, lithospheric extension (passive rifting) during basin evolution than it is with a mantle plume (active rifting).