Tectono-Structural Overviews of Iron Formation of North Odisha, India

Abstract

The famous iron formation of north Odisha belongs to the Archaean schist belt comprising of the litho assemblages including the Banded Iron Formation (BIF), Iron Ore and associated rocks. Major iron formations are confined to three different provinces located in the peripheral region encircling the granite complex, which is designated as the North Odisha Iron Ore Craton (NOIOC). These three iron ore belts are intra-cratonic basins that act as depository sites for the BIF, iron ore and associated rocks. The tectonic setting is correlated with the iron ore orogeny and suffered post tectonic deformations. The rocks of all the three belts have undergone multiple phases of deformation including folds and faults. The fold structures in successive phases are superimposed to produce numerous interference patterns.