Soda-granites from South of Tatanagar, Bihar, India

Abstract

AbstractThe nature and origin of some soda-granites from the western part of the Singhbhum shear zone, Bihar, India, are discussed. These soda-granites are responsible for copper sulphide, apatite-magnetite, and uraniferous mineralization within the shear zone. Earlier workers regarded these rocks as sheared materials representing a portion of the high sodic residual liquid from the neighbouring Singhbhum granite magma. The present work indicates that these rocks are migmatitic in nature and are the products of progressive replacement of pre-existing pelitic and semi-pelitic schists by felspathic materials. Migmatization is essentially post-shearing in age while the Singhbhum granite is pre-shearing in age. The migmatitic materials appear to have been derived by the partial melting of the Singhbhum granite during shearing, particularly in depth, as a result of sudden release of confining pressure consequent upon shearing and generation of heat caused by friction at the base of the shear zone. The resulting liquids, which were albite rich, found easy passage through the shear zone and brought about migmatization and mineralization in its wake.