Mineralogy and trace element chemistry of the Siliceous Earth of Barmer basin, Rajasthan:
Evidence for a volcanic origin

M S Sisodia1, U K Singh1, G Lashkari1, P N Shukla2, A D Shukla2 and N Bhandari2
1Department of Geology, JNV University, Jodhpur 342 005, India.
2Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380 009, India.
e-mail: bhandari@prl.ernet.in

We report the presence of a 3{5 cm thick loose fragmental layer in the Siliceous Earth at Matti ka Gol in the Barmer basin of Rajasthan. Petrographic, chemical and mineralogical study reveals the presence of abundant volcanic debris such as glass shards, agglutinates, hollow spheroids, kinked biotites, feldspars showing oscillatory zoning, olivines, ilmenite and native iron. The presence of similar particles in the whole section suggests that the Siliceous Earth is a volcanic ash. Stratigraphic correlation, palynological and microvertebrate data suggest that the Siliceous Earth may have deposited over a short span of time during the Upper Cretaceous to Lower Palaeocene. In view of the possibility that this section may contain K/T impact debris, we looked for grains having impact signatures. Some patches of the Siliceous Earth of Bariyara show the presence of Ni-rich (> 0:5%) vesicular glasses, sanidine spherules, magnesioferrite crystals, soot, etc., but because of their low abundance, it is not possible to establish if they are volcanic, micrometeorite ablation products or a part of the K/T impact ejecta.

Kinematics of large scale asymmetric folds and associated smaller scale brittle{ductile structures in the Proterozoic Somnur Formation, Pranhita{Godavari valley, south India

Gautam Ghosh1¤ and Dilip Saha2
1Department of Geology, Presidency College, Kolkata 700 073, India.
2Geological Studies Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata 700 035, India.
¤e-mail: gautam 0262@redi®mail.com

The development of structural elements and finite strain data are analysed to constrain kinematics of folds and faults at various scales within a Proterozoic fold-and-thrust belt in Pranhita{Godavari basin, south India. The first order structures in this belt are interpreted as large scale buckle folds above a subsurface decollement emphasizing the importance of detachment folding in thin skinned deformation of a sedimentary prism lying above a gneissic basement. That the folds have developed through fixed-hinge buckling is constrained by the nature of variation of mesoscopic fabric over large folds and finite strain data. Relatively low, irrotational °attening strain (X:Z { 3.1{4.8, k < 1) are associated with zones of near upright early mesoscopic folds and cleavage, whereas large °attening strain (X:Z { 3.9{7.3, k < 1) involving noncoaxiality are linked to domains of asymmetric, later
inclined folds, faults and intense cleavage on the hanging wall of thrusts on the °anks of large folds. In the latter case, the bulk strain can be factorized to components of pure shear and simple shear with a maximum shearing strain of 3. The present work reiterates the importance of analysis of minor structures in conjunction with strain data to unravel the kinematic history of fold-and-thrust belts developed at shallow crustal level.

Contrasting metamorphism across Cauvery Shear Zone, south India

Manish M John, S Balakrishnan∗ and B K Bhadra∗∗
Department of Earth Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry 605 014, India.
∗e-mail: sbala−2002@yahoo.com
∗∗Present address: RRSSC/ISRO, CAZRI Campus, Jodhpur 3, Rajasthan, India.

The Palghat Cauvery Shear Zone (CSZ) is a major shear zone that possibly extends into different fragments of Gondwanaland. In the present study mafic granulites occurring on either side of the CSZ in Namakkal area, southern India are examined. Textural features recorded in the mafic granulites are crucial in elucidating the metamorphic history of the southern granulite terrane (SGT).

In the mafic granulites occurring to the south of CSZ, evidence of garnet breaking down during near isothermal decompression (ITD) is indicated by the development of orthopyroxene + plagioclase moats in between quartz and garnet. The presence of comparatively small elongated second generation garnet embedded in pyroxenes from the mafic granulites occurring to the north of CSZ is indicative of the garnet formation via reaction between pyroxenes and plagioclase, which occurred during isobaric cooling (IBC).

Rocks occurring to the south of CSZ have recorded comparatively higher temperature and pressure (849◦C and 9.6 kbar) than those occurring to the north of the CSZ (731◦C and 8.6 kbar) using conventional geothermobarometry. The rocks occurring to the north of CSZ have suffered more complex metamorphic histories in comparison to the southern part. Integrating the results of the present field and metamorphic studies with the earlier investigations and available geochronological data we suggest that the CSZ could represent a suture zone between two different continental blocks that underwent distinct metamorphic evolution.

Reflection of P and SV waves from free surface of an elastic solid with generalized thermodiffusion

Baljeet Singh
Department of Mathematics, Government College, Sector-11, Chandigarh 160 011, India.
e-mail: baljeet@networkindia.net

The governing equations for generalized thermodiffusion in an elastic solid are solved. There exists three kinds of dilatational waves and a Shear Vertical (SV) wave in a two-dimensional model of the solid. The reflection phenomena of P and SV waves from free surface of an elastic solid with thermodiffusion is considered. The boundary conditions are solved to obtain a system of four non-homogeneous equations for reflection coe±cients. These reflection coe±cients are found to depend upon the angle of incidence of P and SV waves, thermodiffusion parameters and other material constants. The numerical values of modulus of the re°ection coe±cients are presented graphically for different values of thermodiffusion parameters. The dimensional velocities of various plane waves are also computed for different material constants.

A moving boundary solution for solidification of lava lake and magma intrusion in the presence of time-varying contact temperature

Ajay Manglik
National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad 500 007, India.
e-mail: ajay@ngri.res.in ajay¡ngri@yahoo.co.in

During the solidification of a lava lake heat is released convectively from the top surface as well as conductively into the country rock from the base, leading to non-uniform solidification. The upper solidified layer grows at a faster rate than the lower solidified layer. Similarly, solidification of magma intrusion within the crust is also non-uniform due to the presence of thermal gradient in the crust. Available analytical solution for solidification of a melt layer assumes only symmetric cooling about the centre of the layer. In the present work a moving boundary solution for thermal evolution and non-uniform solidification of a melt layer incorporating time-varying contact temperature conditions at both of its boundaries is developed. The solution is obtained by using the Fourier spectral approach in the space domain and a modified finite difference scheme in the time domain,
and is validated with available analytical solutions for simple cases and a semi-analytical solution for the case involving temperature gradient in the country rock. This solution can be used to analyse solidification of lava lakes and magma intrusions experiencing time-dependent temperature variation at their contacts with the country rock.

IMF BY dependence of the extent of substorm westward electrojet

T Arun, Ajay Dhar, K Emperumal and B M Pathan
Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Kalamboli (Highway), New Panvel, Navi Mumbai 410 218, India.

In this paper the duskward extension of the westward auroral electrojet is investigated for substorm intervals on the basis of magnetograms recorded at the Indian Antarctic station, Maitri. The database comprises three years from 1998{2000. Based on an initial study of the magnetograms, an arbitrary local time of 2030 MLT is fixed to define the early manifestation of the substorm westward electrojet. Using this criterion 12 substorms are identified and the possible causes examined. Many of these events are observed to be associated with a moderate to intense ring current.The hourly average of the GSM BY-component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) for the hour preceding the substorm onset at Maitri is negative for most of the events. It is suggested that the azimuthal shift of the auroral electrojets in the southern hemisphere resulting from a negative
BY-component of the IMF influences the extent of the substorm westward electrojet. This finding implies that the IMF may have a role in controlling the longitudinal extent of substorm occurrence.

Water quality assessment of Gautami{Godavari mangrove estuarine ecosystem of Andhra Pradesh, India during September 2001

S C Tripathy¤, A K Ray, S Patra and V V Sarma
National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Centre, 176, Lawson's Bay Colony, Visakhapatnam 530 017, India.
¤e-mail: sctripathy@redi®mail.com

Some chemical and biological parameters were analysed at sixteen stations in the mangrove ecosystem, of the neighbouring Gautami{Godavari (GG) river estuary and Kakinada (KKD) bay to understand the present status of water quality and the impact of external terrigenous inputs during southwest (SW) monsoon in the study areas. High concentrations of nutrients in the mangrove ecosystem compared to the bay and estuarine ecosystems reveal the importance of this zone as a source of nutrients to the adjacent coastal ecosystems. Low Si :N:P (29 : 4 : 1) ratios in these ecosystems are due to the enrichment of these nutrients through external anthropogenic inputs even after the utilization by phytoplankton in the biological cycle. The mean Chl b=Chl a and Chl c=Chl a ratios and high phaeopigments (Pp) concentrations compared to Chl b and high ratios
of Chl a=Pp suggests the possibility of the potential growth of phytoplankton populations in lower light intensity and low turbulent areas of these mangrove ecosystems.