Tectonic evolution of the Satpura Mountain Belt or Central Indian Tectonic Zone

What is it about?

The Satpura Mountain Belt (also referred as Central Indian Tectonic Zone in recent literature) forms an important morphotectonic unit in the central part of India. Some of the recent workers have reported an orogenic event at ~1000–900 Ma (termed ‘‘Sausar orogeny”) which led to amalgamation of the North Indian Block and the South Indian Block and formation of the Satpura Mountain Belt. In this model the stratigraphic relations of two important lithostratigraphic units on either side of the Satpura Mountain Belt (the Sausar Group in the south and the Vindhyan Supergroup on the north) are suggested to be revised from previously held ideas. Critical analyses of available published work in the region to assess the status of the Sausar Group vis a vis the Vindhyan Supergroup was carried out. It is found that the ideas proposed by the recent workers stem from an earlier interpretation that the Sausar Group has monocyclic evolution and the earliest fabric in the Sausar Group is marked by a schistosity with EW strike. Re-mapping of the gneissic rocks and adjacent matasedimentary rocks of Khawasa, Deolapar, and Kandri–Mansar areas revealed presence of gneissic rocks and granulites of two generations, and of four phases of superposed deformations in the metasediments and gneisses. The older gneisses and granulites constitute the basement over which the rocks of the Sausar Group were deposited; and the younger gneisses developed by metamorphism and migmatisation of the rocks of the Sausar Group. The latter types are found in the Khawasa–Ramakona areas. Contrary to the belief of the recent workers that no volcanic activity is present in the Sausar Group, volcanic rocks marked by amygdular basic flows and tuffs have been mapped from different parts of the Sausar Group. Migmatisation and metamorphism of these volcanic rocks (of the Sausar Group) have given rise to amphibolites and granulites in Khawasa and Ramakona areas. Therefore, the use of fabric patterns in these areas to suggest that the granulite facies metamorphism in the Ramakona–Katangi granulite domain was pre-Sausar in age is debatable. Available geochronological data of the Satpura Mountain Belt and its eastward continuation into the Chhotanagpur Gneiss terrain indicate that the basement and cover rocks of these areas were subjected to multiple deformation and metamorphic episodes of similar style and nature. The earliest deformation and metamorphism of the rocks of the Sausar Group and its equivalent rocks to the east took place at ~2100–1900 Ma. The regional EW trend of the belt developed during the second deformation at ~1800–1700 Ma and again at ~1600–1500 Ma. This deformation was accompanied by migmatisation and granulite facies metamorphism in the northern domain of the Sausar Belt and in the Chhotanagpur Gneiss region. Late phase low intensity deformations in the region were associated with thermal events at ~1100–1000 Ma and ~900–800 Ma. The ~EW trending fabric, referred as ‘‘Satpura orogenic trend” in Indian literature marks a major compressional tectonic event, developed during the second deformation of the Sausar Group. This has its counter part in Western Australia as the Capricorn orogeny (~1780–1830 Ma). The development of the Satpura Mountain Belt during the Grenvillian orogeny is ruled out from the synthesis of event stratigraphic data of the region and from its comparison with the Western Australian Craton.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The development of the Satpura Mountain Belt and amalgamation of the north Indian Block with the South Indian Block during the Grenvillian orogeny is ruled out. The earliest tectonic event in the region is identified to be ~2000 Ma. The regional E-W trend of the region (Satpura Trend) is identified to be the result of tectonic deformation at ~1800 and ~1500 Ma.