Gold Mineralization within Sonakhan Schist Belt, Central India: Exploration Prospects and Metallotectonic Implications

ISBN: 3845411821

Author: Singh, Sahendra

Condition: New

The late Archean-Paleoproterozoic Sonakhan schist belt occurs within the Raipur District of Chhattisgarh and forms north-eastern part of the Central Indian Craton (CIC)/ Bastar block of Central India.The NW-SE trending Sonakhan schist belt forms a broad synformal basin with steep dipping NNW-SSE trending axial surfaces.The volcano-sedimentary associations in this area contain a complete greenstone sequence consisting of mafic volcanic rocks, felsic volcanic rocks, Banded Iron Formation (BIF).Gold mineralization is associated with volcano-sedimentary sequence in the form of auriferous veins (quartz sulfide carbonate veins within mafic, felsic volcanic rocks and within sulfide facies BIF).The gold mineralization exhibits both lithological and structural controls.Geochemically, the volcanic rocks of Sonakhan belt behave like a single coherent group with low HFSE contents (Nb, Zr, Hf, etc) and exhibit the characteristics of back-arc basin tectonic environment.The hydrothermal alterations in the study area are quite pronounced.The tectonic and fluid evolution model at Sonakhan schist belt favor the Autochthonous type of Geodynamic setting.