The Phanerozoic reconstitution of Indian shield as the aftermath of break-up of the Gondwana land

Abstract

The Indian crust, generally regarded as a stable continental lithosphere, experienced significant tectono-thermal reconstitution during the Phanerozoic. The earliest Phanerozoic tectonic process, which grossly changed the geological and geophysical character of the Precambrian crust, was during the Jurassic when this crustal block broke up from the Gondwana Supercontinent. There were two earlier abortive attempts to fragment the supercontinent in the Palaeozoic. Different types of geological processes were associated with these aborted events. The first was the intrusion of anorogenic alkali granites during the Early Palaeozoic (at 500±50 Ma), while the second was linked with formation of the Gondwana rift basins during Late Palaeozoic. The tectonic history of the Indian Shield subsequent to its separation from the Gondwanaland at around 165 Ma is a complex account of its northward journey, which was culminated with its collision with the northern continental blocks producing the mighty Himalayas in the process. Considerable reconstitution of the Indian Shield took place due to magma underplating when this lithospheric block passed over the four mantle plumes. While the underplating events grossly changed the geophysical character of the Indian Shield in isolated patches, the propagation of the underplated materials was assisted by the deep crustal fractures (geomorphologically expressed as lineaments), which formed during the break-up of the Gondwanaland. Several of these deep fractures evolved through the reactivation of the pre-existing (Precambrian) tectonic grains, while some others developed as new fractures in response to either the extensional stresses generated during the supercontinental break-up or the plume-lithosphere reactions. Significant geomorphological changes occurred in peninsular India subsequent to the continental collision. Most of these changes were brought about by the movements along the lineaments, which fragmented the Indian Shield into a number of rigid crustal blocks. The present day seismic behaviour of the Indian Shield is a reflection of movements of the rigid crustal blocks relative to each other. An interesting feature of the Phanerozoic geological history of the Indian Shield is the evolution of a number of sedimentary basins under different tectono-thermal regimes.