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Sm-Nd ages of two meta-anorthosite complexes around Holenarsipur: Constraints on the antiquity of Archean supracrustal rocks of the Dharwar craton

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Abstract

Whole-rock Sm-Nd isochron ages are reported for two stratiform meta-anorthosite complexes emplaced into the Archean supracrustal-gneiss association in the amphibolite facies terrain around Holenarsipur, in the Dharwar craton, South India. While these metaperidotite-pyroxenite-gabbro-anorthosite complexes are petrologically and geochemically similar, they differ in the intensity of tectonic fabric developed during the late Archean (c. 2.5 Ga) deformation. They also differ in their whole-rock Sm-Nd isochron ages and initial Nd isotopic compositions: 3.285 ± 0.17 Ga,ɛNd0.82 ± 0.78 for the Honnavalli metaanorthosite complex from a supracrustal enclave in the low-strain zone, and 2.495 ± 0.033 Ga, ɛNd = -2.2 ± 0.3 for the Dodkadnur meta-anorthosites from the high-strain southern arm of the Holenarsipur Supracrustal Belt (HSB). We interpret these results as indicating that the magmatic protoliths of both meta-anorthosite complexes were derived from a marginally depleted mantle at c. 3.29 Ga but only the Dodkadnur rocks were isotopically reequilibrated on a cm-scale about 800 Ma later presumably due to the development of strong penetrative fabrics in them during Late Archean thermotectonic event around 2.5 Ga. Our results set a younger age limit at c. 3.29 Ga for the supracrustal rocks of the HSB in the Dharwar craton.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Geophysical Research Institute, 500 007, Hyderabad, India

    Y. J. Bhaskar Rao, Anil Kumar & R. Srinivasan

  2. Institute of Precambrian Geology and Geochronology, St. Petersburg, Russia

    A. B. Vrevsky

  3. Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Sciences, 560 012, Bangalore, India

    G. V. Anantha Iyer

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  1. Y. J. Bhaskar Rao
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  4. R. Srinivasan
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  5. G. V. Anantha Iyer
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Bhaskar Rao, Y.J., Kumar, A., Vrevsky, A.B. et al. Sm-Nd ages of two meta-anorthosite complexes around Holenarsipur: Constraints on the antiquity of Archean supracrustal rocks of the Dharwar craton. J Earth Syst Sci 109, 57–65 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02719149

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