Formation and tectonic evolution of granulites from the Biligiri Rangan and Niligiri hills, S. India: geochemical and isotopic constraints

Abstract

The granulites of the Biligiri Rangan (BR) and Niligiri Hill ranges are characterised by distinct field, geochemical and isotopic signatures. The B.R. Hill granulites contain a significant metasedimentary component (pelite-BIF-Mn-horizons), whilst metasediments are rare in the Niligiri granulite terrain. Lithologic and structural continuity between the two terrains cannot be demonstrated as they are separated by E-W running Moyar shear zone. Isotopic data suggest that B.R. Hills and Niligiri granulites have had different pre-crustal histories. Sm-Nd model TDM ages and U-Pb zircon concordia upper intercept age suggest that the protoliths of B.R.Hill quartzo-feldspathic charnockites accreted at 3.4Ga. On the other hand, Sm-Nd model TDM ages indicate that the magmatic protoliths of Niligiri granulites differentiated from mantle at 2.6 Ga. Geochemical data from the B.R. Hills charnockites, particularly low-Mg numbers (0.2-0.3), low content of transition and HFS elements and strongly fractionated REE patterns with HREE depletion, suggest that their magmatic protoliths were derived by partial meltingof young, hydrated oceanic crust, in which garnet and amphibole were important residual phases. The high content of transition elements together with low total LREE and less-or unfractionated REE patterns of the B.R. Hills mafic granulites imply the derivation of their protoliths from long term depleted mantle sources. On the other hand the high Mg numbers (0.5-0.6), high content of transition and HFS elements, moderately fractionated REE patterns with HREE enrichment suggest that the protoliths of the Niligiri granulites are interpreted to have formed by melting of metasomatized mantle wedge with olivine and spinel as residual phases. The Niligiri terrain was accreted onto the Dharwar Craton at C.2.6 Ga and the two terrains witnessed a common major granulite event at 2.51 Ga.