Research Projects

The study of lithosphere structure, mantle plume role, and spatial-temporal magmatic activity is crucial for understanding global plate tectonics and building better plate reconstruction models. However, the ability to develop robust models is limited due to information on the unknown extent of continental rocks, the masking effect of large magmatic episodes, and thick sediments. The lithosphere in northeast India holds key information about the Mesozoic-Cenozoic history of Gondwana. However, opinions exist about the evolution of the Shillong-Meghalaya Plateau (SMP) and the nature of the lithosphere in the intervening region of the Chotanagpur Granite-Gneiss Complex (CGGC) and SMP. Earlier studies often described the SMP as a detached body of the Indian shield/Eastern ghat mobile belt or the extension of the CGGC and Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ). The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has limited broadband seismic stations, and gradiometric measurements from the Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite mission provide unprecedented coverage and more sensitivity to spatial structures and subsurface density distribution than conventional terrestrial gravity measurements. The study proposes an integrated study of gravity gradients and geoid from GOCE with terrestrial magnetic and seismological data to unravel issues associated with the geodynamic evolution of the lithosphere beneath Northeast India.