Magnetostratigraphy and 40Ar–39Ar geochronology of the Malwa Plateau region (Northern Deccan Traps), central western India: Significance and correlation with the main Deccan Large Igneous Province sequences

Upheavals during the Late Maastrichtian: Volcanism, climate and faunal events preceding the end-Cretaceous mass extinction

“…Recently, phase-1 basaltic lava flows from the Malwa Plateau and Mandla area in central India were dated at 67.120.44 Ma based on 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages (Fig. 3B) (Schöbel et al, 2014). Little is known of the volume, tempo and aerial extent of phase-1 volcanism and its potential environmental consequences.…”

“…The age and duration of phase-1 are still uncertain. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages of 67.5±0.6 Ma (Chenet et al, 2007) and 67.12±0.44 Ma (Schöbel et al, 2014) have been proposed for the oldest Deccan eruptions, which are considered the smallest of the three Deccan phases accounting for just 6% of the total eruptions by volume (Chenet et al, 2007(Chenet et al, , 2008. If this estimate is correct, it is doubtful that the observed warming or faunal upheaval could have been caused by the onset of Deccan phase-1.…”

Faunal elements from the Deccan volcano‐sedimentary sequences of India: A reappraisal of biostratigraphic, palaeoecologic, and palaeobiogeographic aspects

“…These authors have suggested the Narmada–Tapti rift zone as the possible source area for the lava flows in the region, with eruptions initiating during normal magnetochron C30N. The Ar–Ar absolute age of 67.12 ± 0.44 Ma certainly supports the above‐inferences (refer to Schӧbel et al, ). The infratrappean deposits within the Malwa sub‐province are known to occur at Papro (District Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh State, north India) while the intertrappean deposits occur at Manawar (District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh State, central India; Figure ).…”

“…Little emphasis has been given to the Malwa sub‐province regarding its palaeontological, geochemical, and chronological relationship(s) compared to other sub‐provinces (particularly in comparison to the Main Central Deccan sub‐province) of the DVP. Recently, Schӧbel, Wall, GanerØd, Pandit, and Rolf () provided the magnetostratigraphic and 40 Ar– 39 Ar chronology for the Malwa sub‐province. These authors have suggested the Narmada–Tapti rift zone as the possible source area for the lava flows in the region, with eruptions initiating during normal magnetochron C30N.…”

Palaeoenvironmental changes associated with Deccan volcanism, examples from terrestrial deposits from Central India

“…Recently, Boucot et al (2013) showed that South and Central India are characterized by sub tropical-arid conditions during the ConiacianMaastrichtian interval. But a late Maastrichtian age for the Lameta beds is indicated by the nannofossil marker Micula murus (Saxena and Misra, 1995) and is therefore not incompatible with the Deccan phase-1, which started around 67.1 Ma (Schöbel et al, 2014). Moreover Salil et al (1997) show that the Lameta smectitic clays derived from the weathering of Deccan basalt, based on REE elements and hence their deposition can be coeval with the onset of Deccan volcanism.…”