Crustal Evolution and Metallogeny in India

Abstract

Crustal Evolution and Metallogeny in India . Sanjib Chandra Sarkar and Anupendu Gupta. 2012. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 840 p. Appendix of 40 glossy plates. ISBN 978-1-107-00715-4. $US140.00. This lengthy volume is a comprehensive contribution to earth science literature that attempts to summarize our present-day basic knowledge of regional geology and ore deposits in India. The lead author has been one of India’s most prominent economic geologists for almost 50 years and the second author is a past Deputy Director of the Geological Survey of India; they are two of the more respected experts on the country’s geology and mineral resources. The volume divides India into seven areas, each represented by a chapter, with one section entitled “Geology and Crustal Evolution” and another, “Metallogeny.” It concludes with a final chapter on India’s geology and mineral deposits within a broader global framework. The book opens with an initial chapter on southern India, which includes the Dharwar and Southern Granulite provinces. It includes only five pages on the Kolar goldfields, India’s historically most important gold producer, and an upto-date section on the presently producing Hutti gold deposit. The BIF-hosted iron ores of Karnataka state, rare earths in beach sands, and bauxite resources are also described. Only one page addresses the Mangampeta bedded barite deposit, which contains almost 25% of the global barite resource. Chapter 2 discusses the Bundelkhand (northern) and Bastar (southern) provinces of the central Indian shield. The region contains important deposits of Mn, bauxite, and Fe-rich BIFs, with the latter covered through 20 pages of the text, which include a description of the …