Late Archaean Supracrustals of the Goa-Dharwar sector (GDS) are composed of a thick sequence of greywacke sequence with narrow intercalations of quartzite, BIF and carbonates. Mafic volcanics occupy the base of the sequence. The greywackes are predominantly tuffacious containing chlorite-sericite and hornblende. Arkosic variations containing biotite dominate the western part of the sector. Fine-grained variations occur as isolated narrow lenses within other types of greywackes. The conglomeratic greywackes are localized along the western and the eastern margins of the sector. All of the greywackes are all typically immature containing coarser clasts of mostly plagioclase (18-23%) and quartz (32-34%). Lithic fragments of felsic volcanic rocks are common. The matrix is dominated by mafic material. Biotite and amphibole are related to metamorphic recrystallization. Chlorite, sericite, epidote, carbonate and chert are products of the interplay of diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism. Fe-Ti oxide, sphene, apatite and zircon are usual accessories. But for slight enrichment in K 2 O, the major element chemistry of the GDS greywackes is similar to the chemistry of Late Archaean greywackes. They also compare in respect of V, Co, Hf contents, K Nd ratios, steep REE patterns with distinct LREE enrichment and HREE depletion. The GDS greywackes however are distinctly enriched in Rb, Ba, Sr, Th, U, Cu, Zr, Ce/Ce* and depleted in Cr, Ni, and Zn. The conglomeritic and biotite bearing verities contain considerable proportions of clasts derived from the basement tonalitic/granitic terrain. The common tuffacious greywackes containing hornblende and biotite-sericite however include only volcanic clasts and bear evidence of derivation from submarine weathering of predominantly felsic volcanics erupted on a large scale to form a magmatic arc in the later stages of geosynclinal deposition. Geochemical data suggest that the GDS greywackes were laid down in progressively changing basin geometry from a passive to active continental margin and island arc setting.

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The Channagiri Mafic-Ultramafic Complex occupies lowermost section of the Neoarchaean Shimoga supracrustal group in the Western Dharwar Craton. It is a segmented body occupying the interdomal troughs of granitoids. The magnetite deposits occur in the northeastern portion; typically occupying the interface zone between gabbro and anorthositic. Mineralogically, the deposits are simple with abundant magnetite and ilmenite. Hogbomite is a consistent minor mineral. Magnetites are typically vanadiferous (0.7–1.25% V2O5). Ilmenite consistently analyses more MgO and MnO than coexisting magnetite. Chlorite, almost the only silicate present; lies in the range of ripidolite, corundophilite and sheridanite. The chromiferous suit occupying eastern side of Hanumalapur block (HPB) contains Fe-Cr-oxide analysing 37.8–11.9% Cr2O3 and 40.5–80% FeOt. In these too, chlorite, typically chromiferous (0.6–1.2% Cr2O3), is the most dominant silicate mineral. Geochemistry of V-Ti-magnetite is dominated by Fe, Ti and V with Al, Si, Mg and Mn contributing most of the remaining. Cr, Ni, Zn, Co, Cu, Ga and Sc dominate trace element geochemistry. The Cr-magnetite is high in Cr2O3 and PGE. Two separate cycles of mafic magmatism are distinguished in the CMUC. The first phase of first cycle, viz., melagabbro-gabbro, emplaced in the southeastern portion, is devoid of magnetite deposits. The second phase, an evolved ferrogabbroic magma emplaced in differentiated pulses, occupying northeastern portion of the complex, consists of melagabbro→gabbro-anorthosite→V-Ti magnetite→ferrogabbro sequence. Increase in oxygen fugacity facilitated deposition of V-Ti magnetite from ferrogabbroic magma pulse emplaced in late stages. The second cycle of chromiferous PGE mineralized suite comprises fine-grained ultramafite→alternation of pyroxinite-picrite→Crmagnetite sequence formed from fractionation of ferropicritic magma. HPB also includes >65m thick sill-like dioritic phase at the base of the ferriferous suit and a sinuous band of coarse-grained ultramafite enclosed within the chromiferous suit; both unrelated to the two mafic magmatic cycles.