Thermobarometry of the Rajmahal Continental Flood Basalts and Their Primary Magmas: Implications for the Magmatic Plumbing System

The Late Aptian Rajmahal Traps originated through Kerguelen-Plume-related volcanism at the eastern margin of the Indian Shield. Clinopyroxene and whole-rock thermobarometry reveals that the Rajmahal magmas crystallized at P-T conditions of ≤~5 kbar/~1100–1200 °C. These pressures correspond to upper...

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Main Authors: Nilanjan Chatterjee, Naresh C. Ghose
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Minerals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/13/3/426
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author Nilanjan Chatterjee
Naresh C. Ghose
author_facet Nilanjan Chatterjee
Naresh C. Ghose
author_sort Nilanjan Chatterjee
collection DOAJ
description The Late Aptian Rajmahal Traps originated through Kerguelen-Plume-related volcanism at the eastern margin of the Indian Shield. Clinopyroxene and whole-rock thermobarometry reveals that the Rajmahal magmas crystallized at P-T conditions of ≤~5 kbar/~1100–1200 °C. These pressures correspond to upper crustal depths (≤~19 km). Modeling shows that the Rajmahal primary magmas were last in equilibrium with mantle at P-T conditions of ~9 kbar/~1280 °C. The corresponding depths (~33 km) are consistent with gravity data that indicate a high-density layer at lower crustal depths below an upwarped Moho. Thus, the high-density layer probably represents anomalous mantle. It is likely that the mantle-derived magmas accumulated below the upwarped Moho and were subsequently transported via trans-crustal faults/fractures to the upper crust where they evolved by fractional crystallization in small staging chambers before eruption. In the lower part of the Rajmahal plumbing system, buoyant melts from the Kerguelen Plume may have moved laterally and upward along the base of the lithosphere to accumulate and erode the eastern Indian lithospheric root. The Rajmahal plumbing system was probably shaped by tectonic forces related to the breakup of Gondwana.
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spelling doaj.art-fab0921a780f4f75a7ff86de3580d61d2023-11-17T12:48:25ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2023-03-0113342610.3390/min13030426Thermobarometry of the Rajmahal Continental Flood Basalts and Their Primary Magmas: Implications for the Magmatic Plumbing SystemNilanjan Chatterjee0Naresh C. Ghose1Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USADepartment of Geology, Patna University, Patna 800005, IndiaThe Late Aptian Rajmahal Traps originated through Kerguelen-Plume-related volcanism at the eastern margin of the Indian Shield. Clinopyroxene and whole-rock thermobarometry reveals that the Rajmahal magmas crystallized at P-T conditions of ≤~5 kbar/~1100–1200 °C. These pressures correspond to upper crustal depths (≤~19 km). Modeling shows that the Rajmahal primary magmas were last in equilibrium with mantle at P-T conditions of ~9 kbar/~1280 °C. The corresponding depths (~33 km) are consistent with gravity data that indicate a high-density layer at lower crustal depths below an upwarped Moho. Thus, the high-density layer probably represents anomalous mantle. It is likely that the mantle-derived magmas accumulated below the upwarped Moho and were subsequently transported via trans-crustal faults/fractures to the upper crust where they evolved by fractional crystallization in small staging chambers before eruption. In the lower part of the Rajmahal plumbing system, buoyant melts from the Kerguelen Plume may have moved laterally and upward along the base of the lithosphere to accumulate and erode the eastern Indian lithospheric root. The Rajmahal plumbing system was probably shaped by tectonic forces related to the breakup of Gondwana.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/13/3/426flood basaltRajmahal Trapsthermobarometryprimary magmamagma plumbing system
spellingShingle Nilanjan Chatterjee
Naresh C. Ghose
Thermobarometry of the Rajmahal Continental Flood Basalts and Their Primary Magmas: Implications for the Magmatic Plumbing System
Minerals
flood basalt
Rajmahal Traps
thermobarometry
primary magma
magma plumbing system
title Thermobarometry of the Rajmahal Continental Flood Basalts and Their Primary Magmas: Implications for the Magmatic Plumbing System
title_full Thermobarometry of the Rajmahal Continental Flood Basalts and Their Primary Magmas: Implications for the Magmatic Plumbing System
title_fullStr Thermobarometry of the Rajmahal Continental Flood Basalts and Their Primary Magmas: Implications for the Magmatic Plumbing System
title_full_unstemmed Thermobarometry of the Rajmahal Continental Flood Basalts and Their Primary Magmas: Implications for the Magmatic Plumbing System
title_short Thermobarometry of the Rajmahal Continental Flood Basalts and Their Primary Magmas: Implications for the Magmatic Plumbing System
title_sort thermobarometry of the rajmahal continental flood basalts and their primary magmas implications for the magmatic plumbing system
topic flood basalt
Rajmahal Traps
thermobarometry
primary magma
magma plumbing system
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/13/3/426
work_keys_str_mv AT nilanjanchatterjee thermobarometryoftherajmahalcontinentalfloodbasaltsandtheirprimarymagmasimplicationsforthemagmaticplumbingsystem
AT nareshcghose thermobarometryoftherajmahalcontinentalfloodbasaltsandtheirprimarymagmasimplicationsforthemagmaticplumbingsystem