The Central India Tectonic Zone: A geophysical perspective on continental amalgamation along a Mesoproterozoic suture

摘要

The Central India Tectonic Zone (CITZ) is a prominent divide and a major suture zone between the North Indian and South Indian crustal blocks. The resistive upper crust as modeled in the magnetotelluric data from CITZ suggests a dominant tonalite-trdondhjemite-granodiorite composition associated with an accretionary complex characterized by mainly felsic rock components. The highly conductive bodies in this zone might represent mafic/ultramafic-layered intrusives derived from a deeper reservoir of underplated basaltic magma related to the formation of the Cretaceous Deccan flood basalts. The uniformly thick mafic lower crust below the cratons on both sides of the suture is interpreted as the accreted remnants of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic subducted slabs. We redefine the nature of deep faults traversing the CITZ, which were described as steep and penetrating the Moho by previous workers, and classify them as listric faults with gentle dips at depth. Seismic reflection data from the eastern side of the suture suggest a northwestward subduction of the Bhandara Craton. Reflection data from the central part of the CITZ show northerly dip in the southern part suggesting northward subduction of the Dharwar Craton. However, an opposite trend is observed in the northern part of the suture with a southward dip of the Bundelkhand craton. Based on these features, and in conjunction with existing magnetotelluric models, we propose a double-sided subduction history along the CITZ. This would be similar to the ongoing subduction-accretion process in the western Pacific region, which possibly led to the development of paired collision-type and Pacific-type orogens. One important feature is the domal structure along the central part of the suture with a thick felsic crust occurring between mafic and intermediate crust. The high resistivity felsic domain suggests underplated sediments/felsic crust that would have caused the doming. Our model also accounts for the extrusion of regional metamorphic belts at the orogenic core, and the occurrence of high pressure-ultrahigh-temperature paired metamorphic belts within the suture.