Research Projects

Continental Late Cretaceous (LIPs) are formed by flood basalts and a plumbing system of regional dyke swarms, sill complexes, layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions, and crustal magmatic underplates. Identifying LIPs in the Phanerozoic is easier due to the extensive erosion with flood basalts. Several distinct Precambrian LIP events have been identified in the Indian Shield, but many large magmatic units remain unexplored, particularly in the Bastar and Singhbhum cratons. Srivastava et al. (2022) have identified a megacraton 'DHABASI' in the southern Indian Shield, which incorporates the Dharwar, Bastar, and Singhbhum cratons. However, several events are still missing in the Bastar and Singhbhum cratons. The project aims to fill gaps in geochemical and geochronological data on unclassified/unidentified mafic events in the Bastar and Singhbhum cratons, providing genuine distribution and extent of LIPs, their genetic linkage, and likely reconstruction supercontinents. Field data, mapping of distinct mafic units, whole-rock geochemical (including radio-isotopes) and mineral chemistry will be used to address the probable related to the petrogenesis of distinct mafic magmatic activities, including the role of crust during their emplacement and the source region from which magma was extracted. Geochronology of unclassified/unidentified mafic dyke swarms in the Bastar and Singhbhum cratons will be achieved to refine the LIP "barcode" record. Developing a 'water-based' mineral separation laboratory using the Wilfley Shaking Table at the Department of Geology, BHU will help speed up dating of magmatic events and facilitate discussions on the reconstruction of ancient supercontinents and the newly discovered megacraton 'DHABASI'.