Formation of Paleo- to Meso-Archean continental crust in the western Dharwar Craton, India: Constraints from U-Pb zircon ages and Hf-Pb-Sr isotopes of granitoids and sedimentary rocks

The combination of U-Pb zircon ages with Hf-Sr-Pb isotopes of different intrusive and extrusive felsic and sedimentary rocks provides constraints on the petrogenetic evolution of the continental crust in the western Dharwar Craton, India. The oldest detrital zircon preserved formed at-3.6 Ga and represents a relic of the oldest felsic crustal material in the region. The dominant granitoid units of the western Dharwar Craton contain zircon grains with magmatic ages between 3.4 Ga and 3.0 Ga that indicate the formation of major felsic continental crust during this interval.Trace element abundances of the granitoids indicate that the oldest members of the intermediate to felsic suite derived by partial melting of mafic material at-3.6-3.4 Ga. The initial bulk rock Hf isotope compositions of these granitoids are consistent with their formation by melting of even older mafic material that was slightly enriched relative to the depleted mantle composition. This mafic and slightly enriched material formed by mantle melting at -< 3.8 Ga. The Hf isotope compositions of individual zircon grains, obtained by two different analytical techniques (in-situ and complete dissolution followed by chromatographic separation) give evidence for the presence of such older mafic material (<3.8 Ga) that formed the immediate precursor of their granitoid host rocks. Such a mafic source for the granitoids is consistent with Pb-Sr isotope systematics of these that shows no indication of Eoarchean enriched/evolved material in the western Dharwar Craton. The mafic source material of the granitoids thus represents an intermediate stage of crust formation that started after 3.8 Ga with the formation of mafic crust by mantle melting. The combined geochronological and isotopic constraints suggest that the Mesoarchean felsic crust of the Dharwar Craton formed by differentiation of melts derived from an amphibolite/eclogite source rock and included increasing contributions of reprocessed crustal material with time from-3.6 to 3.0 Ga. The major interval of growth of felsic continental crust was from 3.4 to 3.0 Ga. The younger generation of granitoids formed mostly by reworking of older intermediate to felsic crust. These different felsic magmatic bodies with distinct petrogeneses and sources, that include the depleted mantle, older mafic crust and the evolved continental crust, became essential elements of the stable continental crust of the western Dharwar Craton, the majority of which was generated from 3.4 to 3.0 Ga.

Automated summary

Combining U-Pb zircon ages with Hf-Sr-Pb isotopes, this study provides insights into the petrogenetic evolution of the continental crust in the western Dharwar Craton, India. The research reveals the presence of the oldest felsic crustal material in the region, and the formation of major felsic continental crust during a specific time interval. The study also suggests that the Mesoarchean felsic crust in the Dharwar Craton was formed through differentiation of melts from different source rocks and incorporated reprocessed crustal material over time.