Research Projects

The proposed project aims to decipher the tectono-metamorphic history of the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB) by conducting comprehensive petrological investigations in the Western Khondalite Zone, specifically focusing on the Araku Valley sector and Sileru sector in Andhra Pradesh, as well as the Muniguda sector in Odisha. For the first time, integrated petrological investigations in these sectors are being proposed in the present project. Additionally, while most of the occurrences of Mg-Al granulites have been reported only from a few pockets of the EGMB, there is potential for discovering new localities of these granulites, which could offer valuable insights into tectonic evolution and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the geodynamic processes affecting the crustal evolution of the EGMB. Detailed studies will be conducted across these sectors to establish the pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions of metamorphism and to identify lithological discontinuities occurring during various tectono-metamorphic episodes. This research aims to clarify the existing discrepancies in the evolutionary model of the EGMB. The Principal Investigator (PI) has over three decades of experience working with Mg-Al granulites from several parts of the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB), the Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT), and the Eastern Dharwar Craton (EDC), significantly contributing to our understanding of the controversies surrounding the crustal evolution of these granulite terrains.The EGMB comprises various granulite facies rocks, including charnockites, enderbites, mafic granulites, khondalites, calc granulites, Mg-Al granulites, and migmatitic gneisses. Notably, high Mg-Al granulites are particularly valuable for deriving P-T trajectories of metamorphism, as they preserve signatures of metamorphic crystallization through unique textural features. Since P–T pseudosections have emerged as a robust and widely accepted tool for predicting and interpreting mineral paragenesis in metamorphic rocks, integrating reaction textures with pseudosection modelling offers a more comprehensive representation of metamorphic processes. This combined approach provides deeper insights into mineral stability and phase equilibria, surpassing the explanatory power of traditional petrogenetic grids.This methodology will also yield distinct P-T segments for various evolutionary stages and demarcate the style of crustal trajectory, aiding in the deciphering of geodynamic processes. The lack of detailed studies in the proposed sectors has led to many speculations regarding their evolutionary models. Comprehensive investigations in these regions will enable critical assessment and validation of existing tectonic models and interpretations, while also facilitating the development of more stringent petrological constraints on the crustal evolution of the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt.The research proposal is fully integrated across fieldwork, textural analysis, petrological studies, and geochronological assessments of granulite precursors. The outcome of this project will provide valuable insights into the lower continental crust and enhance our understanding of the crustal evolution of high-grade metamorphic rocks exhumed from deep levels of the Earth's crust.