Petrogenetic study of Mesoproterozoic volcanic rocks of North Delhi fold belt, NW Indian shield: implications for mantle conditions during Proterozoic

Mesoproterozoic North Delhi fold belt of NW Indian shield comprises three volcano-sedimentary basins viz. Bayana, Alwar and Khetri aligned parallel to each other from east to west. Each basin contains excellent exposures of mafic volcanic rocks. Major, trace and rare earth element abundances of volcanic rocks of the three basins are significantly diverse. Bayana and Alwar volcanics are tholeiites bearing close similarity with low Ticontinental flood basalts. However, Bayana volcanics are characteristically enriched in incompatible trace elements and REEs while Alwar volcanics display least enriched incompatible trace element abundances and flat REE patterns. The Khetri volcanics exhibit a transitional composition between tholeiite and calc-alkaline basalts. REE based source modeling suggests that Bayana suite was formed from the melts derived from 1 % to 10 %(avg.4 %) of the partial melting of a spinel lherzolite source giving a residual mineralogy of 56 % Olv, 25 % Opx and19 % Cpx. Whereas Alwar suite evolved through 12 %–20 %(avg. 15 %) partial melting of the same source with a residual mineralogy 61 % Olv, 25 % Opx and 14 % Cpx.Khetri volcanics are exposed at two localities Kolihan and Madhan–Kudhan. The Kolihan volcanics were derived from 1 % to 6 %(avg. 4 %) partial melting with residualmineralogy 56 % Olv, 25 % Opx and 19 % Cpx whereas the magma of Madhan Kudhan volcanic suite was generated by 15%–30 % partial melting of the same source leaving behind 64 % Olv, 25 % Opx and 11 % Cpx as residual mineralogy. This source modeling proves that melts of Bayana and Alwar tholeiites were generated by partial melting of a common source within the spinel stability field under the influence of mantle plume. During the course of ascent, Bayana melts were crustally contaminated but Alwar melts remained unaffected. There was two tier magma production in Khetri region, one from the partial melting of the mantle wedge overlying the subducted oceanic plate which formed Kolihan suite and two the melting of the subducted plate itself generating Madhan–Kudhan volcanics. It is interpreted that during Mesoproterozoic(1,800 Ma), the continental lithosphere of NW Indian shield suffered stretching, attenuation and fracturing in response to a rising plume. Consequently, differential crustal extension coupled with variable attenuation brought the asthenosphere to shallower setting which led to the production of tholeiitic melts. These melts enroute to the surface suffered variable lithospheric contamination depending upon the thickness of traversed crust. The Khetri basin attained maturity which resulted in the generation of true oceanic crust and its subsequent destruction through subduction. The spatial existence of three suites of mafic volcanics of diverse chemical signatures is best example of subduction–plume interaction. It is therefore, proposed that the Mesoproterozoic crust of NW Indian shield has evolved through the operation of a complete Wilson cycle at about1,832 Ma, the age of mafic volcanics of Khetri basin.