First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP, Maharashtra (India) and possible implications
A rare occurrence of a microspherule has been found in the infratrappean sediments, encountered below 338 m thick Deccan volcanic cover in KLR-1 scientific borehole, drilled in the epicentral zone of the 1993 Killari earthquake (Maharashtra, India). Palynological studies of the sediments indicate th...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Geoscience Frontiers |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119300799 |
| _version_ | 1797728819870695424 |
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| author | G. Parthasarathy O.P. Pandey B. Sreedhar Mukund Sharma Priyanka Tripathi Nimisha Vedanti |
| author_facet | G. Parthasarathy O.P. Pandey B. Sreedhar Mukund Sharma Priyanka Tripathi Nimisha Vedanti |
| author_sort | G. Parthasarathy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A rare occurrence of a microspherule has been found in the infratrappean sediments, encountered below 338 m thick Deccan volcanic cover in KLR-1 scientific borehole, drilled in the epicentral zone of the 1993 Killari earthquake (Maharashtra, India). Palynological studies of the sediments indicate their age as Early Permian (Asselian, 298–295 Ma) for deposition. Transmission electron microscope studies reveal that the spherule from the infratrappeans, is having a similar composition to that of the Neoarchean amphibolite to granulite facies mid crustal basement. The spherule is non-spherical in nature, containing mostly FeO (10.70 ± 0.20 wt.%), CaO (13.8 ± 0.5 wt.%), Al2O3 (7.78 ± 0.30 wt.%), MgO (6.47 ± 0.3 wt.%), SiO2 (47.46 ± 0.50 wt.%), TiO2 (2.47 ± 0.3 wt.%), K2O (1.89 ± 0.20 wt.%), and Cl (0.33 ± 0.05 wt.%). Since the Fe composition of the spherule is almost same as the basement rock (10.5 wt.%), and the chlorine content is also in the same range as the basement (0.04–0.24 wt.%), it would suggest possibility of an extraterrestrial impact over the Indian terrain during the erstwhile Gondwana sedimentation period that may be associated with the Permian–Triassic mass extinction, the most severe one in the Earth's history. Keywords: Deccan trap, Killari borehole, Microspherules, Gondwana sediments, Tectonics, P-T impact |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T11:19:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4ea506b33c214a50ae74f987508c6e3c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1674-9871 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T11:19:37Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoscience Frontiers |
| spelling | doaj.art-4ea506b33c214a50ae74f987508c6e3c2023-09-02T01:16:11ZengElsevierGeoscience Frontiers1674-98712019-11-0110622812285First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP, Maharashtra (India) and possible implicationsG. Parthasarathy0O.P. Pandey1B. Sreedhar2Mukund Sharma3Priyanka Tripathi4Nimisha Vedanti5CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, 500007, India; National Institute of Advance Studies, School of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru, 560012, India; Corresponding author. CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, 500007, India.CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, 500007, IndiaCSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, 500007, IndiaBirbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow, 226007, India; Presently at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, IndiaGeological Survey of India, Bandalaguda, Hyderabad, 50068, IndiaCSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, 500007, IndiaA rare occurrence of a microspherule has been found in the infratrappean sediments, encountered below 338 m thick Deccan volcanic cover in KLR-1 scientific borehole, drilled in the epicentral zone of the 1993 Killari earthquake (Maharashtra, India). Palynological studies of the sediments indicate their age as Early Permian (Asselian, 298–295 Ma) for deposition. Transmission electron microscope studies reveal that the spherule from the infratrappeans, is having a similar composition to that of the Neoarchean amphibolite to granulite facies mid crustal basement. The spherule is non-spherical in nature, containing mostly FeO (10.70 ± 0.20 wt.%), CaO (13.8 ± 0.5 wt.%), Al2O3 (7.78 ± 0.30 wt.%), MgO (6.47 ± 0.3 wt.%), SiO2 (47.46 ± 0.50 wt.%), TiO2 (2.47 ± 0.3 wt.%), K2O (1.89 ± 0.20 wt.%), and Cl (0.33 ± 0.05 wt.%). Since the Fe composition of the spherule is almost same as the basement rock (10.5 wt.%), and the chlorine content is also in the same range as the basement (0.04–0.24 wt.%), it would suggest possibility of an extraterrestrial impact over the Indian terrain during the erstwhile Gondwana sedimentation period that may be associated with the Permian–Triassic mass extinction, the most severe one in the Earth's history. Keywords: Deccan trap, Killari borehole, Microspherules, Gondwana sediments, Tectonics, P-T impacthttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119300799 |
| spellingShingle | G. Parthasarathy O.P. Pandey B. Sreedhar Mukund Sharma Priyanka Tripathi Nimisha Vedanti First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP, Maharashtra (India) and possible implications Geoscience Frontiers |
| title | First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP, Maharashtra (India) and possible implications |
| title_full | First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP, Maharashtra (India) and possible implications |
| title_fullStr | First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP, Maharashtra (India) and possible implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP, Maharashtra (India) and possible implications |
| title_short | First observation of microspherule from the infratrappean Gondwana sediments below Killari region of Deccan LIP, Maharashtra (India) and possible implications |
| title_sort | first observation of microspherule from the infratrappean gondwana sediments below killari region of deccan lip maharashtra india and possible implications |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119300799 |
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