Petrology, geochemistry and geochronology of the Chilka Lake igneous complex, Orissa state, India

Abstract

The Chilka Lake igneous complex of Orissa, the largest known anortosite massif of the Indian Shield, occurs in a catazonal environment of high-grade metamorphics of the Eastern Ghats Precambrian Orogenic Province. The syntectonic massif consists of the anorthositic Balugaon dome, leuconoritic Rambha lobe and quartz-mangeritic Kallikota cover. A completely gradational suite comprising anorthosite-leuconorite-norite-minor jotunite (the anorthositic suite) constitutes most of the complex. The subordinate of suite of acid rocks spatially associated with this is of a broad quartz-mangeritic lithology with minor granitic rocks (the acidic suite). Geochemical evolution of the complex in the sequence anorthosite-leuconorite-norite-jotunite-acidic rocks shows moderate iron enrichment in the noritic-jotunitic stage and is marked by an overall decrease in Al 2O 3, CaO, MgO, Ni/Co, Sr/Ba, K/Rb and increase in SiO 2, K 2O, V/Ni, K/Ba and Rb/Sr. Such progressive variation in geochemical parameters appears (i) essentially gradual and frequently overlapping in rock members of the intergradational anorthositic suite and (ii) rather abrupt across transition zones between the anorthositic suite and the acidic suite due to near absence of intervening intermediate lithologies. RbSr whole rock isochron studies indicate that the complex was emplaced ca. 1400 Ma ago. The initial 87Sr/ 68Sr (0.70661) implies limited hybridisation of the parent magma prior to emplacement. A critical appraisal of all the available evidence suggests that (i) the anorthositic suite of rocks form a perfectly consanguinous and comagmatic assemblage and (ii) the spatially associated acidic suite emerged through a convergence of magmatic and metasomatic processes (the latter brought about by contact anatexis of the host rocks). The complex as well as the host metamorphics are intruded by an atectonic suite of noritic dykes emplaced ca 850 Ma ago.