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Chemical Geology 121 ( 1995 ) 73-90

Petrogenesis and timing of volcanism in

the Rajmahal flood basalt province, northeastern India
Ajoy K. Baksi
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA

Received 26 April 1994; revision accepted 3 October 1994

Abstract
A suite of rocks from the Rajmahal-Bengal-Sylhet Traps of northeastern India has been analyzed to ascertain
the timing and duration of volcanism and elucidate their petrogenesis. 4Ar/39Ar step-heating studies identified
specimens that suffered post-crystallization loss of 4Ar" and indicate the Rajmahal Province was extruded in ~ 2
Ma around 117 Ma ago. Trace- and rare-earth-element data suggest the existence of three different types of magmas. Rajmahal quartz tholeiites were formed from primary melts, following considerable gabbroic fractionation.
Bengal Trap olivine tholeiites represent lavas formed by large partial melting of mantle material, leaving garnet in
the residue. Alkali basalts in the Bengal Traps appear to represent partial melts of mantle containing LILE-enriched sections, rather than very small ( < 2%) melts of a garnet lherzolite source. Whole-rock ~lSO-values for
slightly altered tholeiites fall in the range + 5.9 to +6.6%0, indicating mantle-derived melts that have suffered
minor crustal contamination; two alkali basalts, formed following considerable crystal fractionation of primary
magmas, yield values of ~ + 7.2%0. Sr-Nd isotopic analyses show two different contamination trends, overlapping
those observed in an earlier study of surface Rajmahal quartz tholeiites, with the most primitive material showing
S7Sr/S6Sr ~ 0.70400, 143Nd/144Nd ~ 0.51280 at 117 Ma ago. The Bengal Trap olivine tholeiites were formed following assimilation of high-S7Sr/S6Sr (granulitic?) material. The main contamination trend includes quartz tholeiites from the Rajmahal Traps and alkali basalts from the Bengal Traps. Tholeiites, showing considerable isotopic
modification, suggest ingestion ofa high-Sr component, unlikely to be upper-crustal material; for the alkali basalts,
with high Sr ( ~ 1000 ppm) and Nd ( ~ 55 ppm ) contents, incorporation of a few percent of"exotic" material (in
the source region?) is indicated. Carbonatite is the probable contaminant, strengthening the postulated link between flood basalt volcanism and carbonatite-lamproites in this area. The occurrence of two lavas with reversed
magnetic polarity, in association with the 4Ar/39Ar ages reported herein, suggests the ISEA reversed event is
displayed in the lavas of the Rajmahal Traps.

1. Introduction
T h e Rajmahal Traps o f northeastern India
(Fig. 1 ) consist o f at least 25 flows o f quartz
tholeiitic and basaltic andesitic composition,
with a total thickness o f up to 600 m, containing
fEW]

intertrappean shales and sandstones, and overlie

( U p p e r Triassic?) sediments and a m e t a m o r phic basement; in the eastern area, the lavas dip
gently beneath the Gangetic alluvium (Pascoe,
1950; Klootwijk, 1971; M a h o n e y et al., 1983).
T h e recovery o f basaltic material by drilling to
depths o f ~ 5 k m in the Gangetic alluvium to the
southeast o f the surface Rajmahal exposures (the

0009-2541/95/$09.50 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All fights reserved

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74

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

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88*
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t

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I

" Shillov

iiiiiiii!iii!iii!!!:l
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INDIA

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Fig. 1. Geological map of eastern India, showing exposures of Rajmahal and Sylhet Traps, together with locations of drillholes
from which Bengal Trap samples were recovered (1=B-1038; 2=A-531; 3=A-538; 4=Jalangi; 5=Burdwan; 6=Galsi;
7= Debagram; 8= Nadia). (Modified from Baksi et al., 1987. )

Bengal Traps, see Fig. 1 ) has been detailed elsewhere (Sengupta, 1966). Based on K-Ar dates
and geochemical similarities, it was suggested the
Rajmahal, Bengal and Sylhet Traps (lying ~ 400
km to the east) initially covered ~2-105 km 2,
and form a single flood basalt province (Baksi et
al., 1987 ). A genetic link between the Kerguelen
hotspot activity in the southeast Indian Ocean
and the formation of the Rajmahal Traps has
been debated in the literature (Mahoney et al.,
1983; Baksi et al., 1987; Curray and Munasinghe, 1991; Muller et al., 1993).
A study of surface Rajmahal material showed
the lavas were normally magnetized and gave
scattered K-Ar dates (McDougall and McElhinny, 1970). These authors suggested "a reliable minimum age" of ~ 103-108 Ma for the
outpouring of the lavas [ dates recalculated to the
decay constants and isotopic abundances recommended by Steiger and J~iger ( 1977 ) ]. A single whole-rock specimen, studied by the 4Ar/
39Ar incremental heating technique, indicated
post-crystallization loss of 4Ar*, and an age of
> 108 Ma (Dalrymple and Lanphere, 1974).

These results indicate the Rajmahal Traps were

formed during the Cretaceous Normal Superchron. A detailed paleomagnetic study confirmed that the Rajmahal Traps show normal
magnetic polarity; two sites, out of a total of 27,
showed reversed polarity; the lava underlying one
of these sites showed a reversed overprint on a
normal polarity, indicating that the reversed polarity of the overlying lava is not spurious (Klootwijk, 1971 ). A section of the Rajmahal Traps
displays a short reversed event within the Cretaceous Normal Superchron.
K - A r dates and major-/trace-element chemistry for a suite of rocks from the Rajmahal-Bengal-Sylhet Traps were reported earlier (Baksi et
al., 1987 ). Herein, I present the results of further
geochemical and geochronological analyses carried out on the same rocks. 4Ar/39Arincremental heating studies led to better constraints on
their crystallization ages. For petrogenetic purposes, trace- and rare-earth-element (REE) concentrations and S r - N d - O isotopic composition
were determined; to enable comparison with the
results of an earlier geochemical study on surface

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

Rajmahal rocks (Mahoney et al., 1983), a split

of one of their uncontaminated rocks was also
analyzed. These new results place tighter constraints on both the timing of volcanism and the
petrogenesis of this province.

2. Analytical techniques
Three surface Rajmahal Trap quartz tholeiites, two alkali basalts and two olivine tholeiites
from the Bengal Traps, and a single quartz tholeiite from each of the Sylhet and Bengal Traps
were studied (see Fig. 1 for sample location
sites). Trace elements and REE were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) at Washington State University; basalt standard BHVO-1 was analyzed to
verify the accuracy of these results. Sr-Nd isotopic compositions were measured at The Open
University (U.K.) by C.J. Hawkesworth following standard techniques (Lightfoot et al., 1990);
whole-rock oxygen isotopic values were determined by J.R. O'Neil.
Analytical data are listed in Table 1; earlier ICP
determination of major and trace elements
(Baksi et al., 1987) are generally in good agreement with ICP-MS values, except for Rb and Nb
( < 10 ppm). Some of the specimens reported on
earlier, and further studied herein, were crushed
in a tungsten carbide mill prior to shipment to
LSU (D.K. Paul, pers. commun., 1992). Hence,
the values of the following elements are suspect
due to contamination [ see Frey et al. ( 1991 ) for
further discussion ]: Co (Baksi et al., 1987 ) and
Ta (this study); thus, N b / T a ratios for surface
Rajmahal rocks fall in the range 4-7, as compared to ~ 20 for the other rocks (see Table 1 ).
4Ar/39Arage determinations were carried out
at the U.S. Geological Survey at Menlo Park,
California, U.S.A. (MP) and at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (Q) using
coarse-crushed whole-rock basalts. For the former set, the TRIGA reactor was used for neutron
irradiation, using SB-3 Biotite (age= 162.9 Ma;
Lanphere et al., 1990) as the monitor. All 4Ar/
39Ar ages reported herein are relative to this
standard. Step-heating was done by radio-fre-

75

quency induction heating and the gas samples

analyzed on a multi-collector mass spectrometer
(Stacey et al., 1981 ); corrections for interfering
reactions were applied following Dalrymple et al.
( 1981 ). For the analyses at Queen's University,
neutron irradiations were achieved at the McMaster University Reactor, using Fish Canyon
Tuff-3 Biotite (age=27.95 Ma calibrated to
162.9 Ma for SB-3 Biotite; Baksi et al., 1992);
details of the techniques used are available elsewhere (Baksi, 1994). Some of the rocks were
analyzed following acid washing, involving 20
min of ultrasonic cleaning of powdered material
in dilute nitric acid, followed by repeated washing in distilled water. This procedure removes alteration products from the rocks, and improved
the quality of the results obtained (Baksi and
Farrar, 1991 ). A summary of the geochronological results is presented in Table 2.
In an earlier report (Baksi et al., 1987), thinsection descriptions were obtained from coauthors in India, since only crushed samples were
available at LSU. 4Ar/39Ar dating and geochemical studies indicated that some of the
whole-rock specimens had suffered sufficient alteration to be discernible in petrographic examination. Thin sections of the rocks were obtained
from D.K. Paul (India), examined under the
microscope at LSU, confirmed visible alteration
in some of the rocks (see the Appendix).

3. 4Ar]39Ar dating results

The data were evaluated on age spectra and isochron plots. A plateau is defined as three or
more contiguous steps, carrying > 50% of the total 39Ar,yielding ages that agree within 95% confidence limits using a standard confidence value
test (Dalrymple and Lanphere, 1969). Steps defining plateau sections were examined on isochron plots (York, 1969 ); straight lines yielding
initial argon ratios not significantly different
from the atmospheric argon value (Lanphere and
Dalrymple, 1978 ) and exhibiting MSWD-values
of <2.5 (Brooks et al., 1972) were accepted as
yielding useful geochronological information. In
particular, plateau sections for intermediate-high

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

76

Table 1
Results of geochemical analyses on basalts from the Rajmahal Province

Rock type

RM82-8

A-531

A-538

B-1038

QT

QT

QT

QT

Nadia
QT

Burdwan
OT

Jalangi
OT

49.7
15.2
1.50
10.7
0.17
10.1
9.9
0.28
2.15
0.29
2.5

49.8
15.3
1.51
9.75
0.17
10.5
10.1
0.26
2.29
0.29
1.9

Debagram
AB

Galsi
AB

BHVO-I
Standard

Major elements (%):

SiO:
A1203
TiO2
FeO*
MnO
CaO
MgO
K20
Na20
P205
LOI

52.0
14.9
1.75
10.9
0.19
10.7
6.5
0.16
2.7
0.19
0.5

51.8
15.1
1.62
10.7
0.20
11.1
6.5
0.17
2.56
0.23
0.3

51.7
14.0
2.06
12.4
0.20
10.6
5.6
0.28
2.69
0.29
0.4

51.3
14.6
1.99
13.0
0.29
9.2
6.2
0.15
2.92
0.29
1.9

50.0
14.3
2.59
13.7
0.23
10.1
5.75
0.23
2.72
0.38
1.5

51.9
15.6
2.94
9.1
0.14
6.4
5.9
3.55
3.50
0.92
2.5

51.9
15.3
2.93
8.95
0.12
5.95
6.8
3.77
3.28
1.00
3.5

50.2
13.8
2.76
12.1
0.17
I 1.5
7.3
0.53
2.35
0.28
n,d.

Minor elements (ppm ):

Ni
Cr
V
Sr
Zr
Zn

50
195
270
230
100
95

55
240
310
215
95
95

45
1 l0
330
225
115
110

55
75
330
260
120
110

35
45
355
280
215
115

210
790
215
350
90
85

190
690
225
355
90
80

220
360
165
970
390
120

200
280
160
1,100
440
115

105
260
310
390
165
95

9.5
21.4
2.9
14.5
5.1
1.8
5.9
I. 1
6.7
1.4
3.7
0.50
3.1
0.45
100
0.90
10.1
38
2.8
1.5a
0.19
1.9
9.3
0.13

10.5
23.1
3.2
15,0
4,9
1,7
5.6
1,0
6,5
1,3
3.8
0.50
3.1
0.47
365
0.86
8.1
36
2.7
0.4
0.12
3.7
2.2
1.13

22.8
46.2
5.7
25.8
7.2
2.4
7.6
1.3
8.3
1.7
4.7
0.62
3.9
0.59
165
2.2
23.4
45
4,7
1.2
0.38
3.9
0.7
0.02

10.9
23.0
3.1
14.6
4.3
1.7
4.4
0.75
4.6
0.91
2.4
0.32
2.0
0.30
165
0.62
7.9
23
2.1
0.4
0.09
2.8
1.9
0.34

10.5
22.3
2.9
13.5
3.9
1.5
4.2
0.71
4.3
0.83
2.3
0.30
1.8
0.27
160
0.5
8.1
22
2.0
0.4
0.10
2.9
2.1
0.85

44.9
94
12.0
54.0
12.7
4.2
9.5
1.4
7.5
1.3
3.3
0.41
2.4
0.36
625
2.8
31
34
7.5
1.5
0.61
8. I
33
1.23

54.6
111
13.9
59.8
13.2
4.3
9.9
1.4
7.4
1.3
3.3
0.41
2.4
0.34
755
3,2
40
35
8.2
2.0
0.71
8.7
40
0.85

16.0
37.4
5.3
24.7
6.1
2.1
5.9
0.86
5.2
0.95
2.5
0.35
2.0
0.30
130
1.3
20
28
4.3
1.2
0.44
3.4
9
n.d.

0.70394
+2.3
+6.6

0.70606
- 1.8
+4.4

0.70543
-0.4
+6.6

0.70804
n.d.
+6.6

0.70828
+0.1
+6.4

0.70439
+2.1
+7.3

0.70544
+0.0
+7.0

n.d.
n.d.
n.d.

Rare,earth and trace elements (ppm):

La
Ce
Pr
Nd
Sm
Eu
Gd
Tb
Dy
Ho
Er
Tm
Yb
Lu
Ba
Th
Nb
Y
Hf
Ta
U
Pb
Rb
Cs
(S~Sr/~TSr)r
~rqd~r~ (%o)
6180 (%0)

7.2
16.5
2.4
12.1
4.4
1.6
5.2
0.96
6.1
1.3
3.3
0.45
2.8
0.43
70
0.60
6.5
31
2.6
0.9"
0.13
1.5
2.6
0.03
0.70405 b
+3.1 b
n.d.

5.9
13.7
2.1
10.6
4.0
1.4
4.8
0.87
5.7
1.1
3.3
0.44
2.7
0.41
60
0.39
5.6
30
2.1
1.3a
0.08
1.2
0.7
0.02
0.70403
n.d.
+5.9

Major and minor elements analyzed by XRF for RM82-8 and BHVO- 1, primarily by ICP for other rocks (see Baksi et al., 1987); rare-earth and trace elements
by ICP-MS at Washington State University. Major-element totals normalized to 100.0%; LOI = loss of weight on firing at 1000C for 20 rain. n.d. = not
determined. Sr and Nd isotopic compositions determined by C.J. Hawkesworth, c o r ~ e d to 117 Ma. end{77 presumes present-day CHUR 143Nd/~*4Nd= 0.512638.
O-isotopic compositions determined by J.R. O'Neil. Rock types: QT = quartz tholeiite; OT = olivine tholeiite; AB = alkali basalt.
"Ta values in error (see text ).
bResults from Mahoney et al. ( 1983 ); Sr isotopic value lowered by 0.00010 for interlaboratory difference in analyses reported for NBS 987 Sr.

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

77

Table 2
S u m m a r y o f 4Ar/39Ar step-heating analyses on whole-rock basalts from the Rajmahal Province

Debagram, alkali basalt, Bengal Traps: K = 2.85%, K - A r date = 117 _+2 Ma a

MP, 0.43 g, 8 steps, total gas a g e = 117.6 _+ 1.0 Ma
plateau age (steps 4 - 7, 640-890 C, 48% gas ) = 117.0 _+0.3 Ma
isochron result: a g e = 116.9 _+ 1.1 Ma, (4Ar/39Ar)i= 297 _+ 11, M S W D = 0 . 1 9

Galsi, alkali basalt, Bengal Traps: K = 3.03%, K - A t d a t e = 118 _+2 Ma

Q, 0.10 g, 9 steps, total gas a g e = 118.1 _+ 1.1 Ma
plateau age (steps 4-8, 740-1060C, 88% gas) = 117.3 _+ 1.0 Ma
Q, 0.12 g, 7 steps, "total gas" age = 118.0 _+0.6 Ma (degassed at 500 C for 15 m in )
plateau age (steps 3-6, 800-1080C, 70% gas) = 117.1 _+0.3 Ma
c o m b i n e d isochron result: age = 116.2 _+0.3 Ma, (4Ar/39Ar)i = 329 _+30, M S W D = 0.64
A-531, quartz tholeiite, Rajmahal Traps: K = 0.14%, K - A r date = 113 -+ 4 Ma
MP, 1.04 g, 8 steps, total gas age = 114.4 _+0.9 Ma
marginal plateau age ( steps 5 - 7, 780-930 C, 66% gas ) = 115.5 1.3 Ma
isochron result: a g e = 118.8-+ 1.5 Ma, (4Ar/39Ar)L= 238 37, M S W D = 0 . 6 5
Q ( A W ) , 1.45 g, 7 steps, "total gas" a g e = 117.3 _+ 1.3 Ma (degassed at 450C for 25 rain )
plateau age (steps 2-4, 650-790 C, 65% gas ) = 117.5 0.5 Ma
i sochron result: age = 114.7 _+3.8 M a , . 7 (4Ar/39Ar)i = 420 -+ 220, M S W D = 0.05
A-538, quartz tholeiite, Rajmahal Traps: K = 0.23%, K - A r date = 88 -+ 2 Ma
MP, 1.06 g, 9 steps, total gas a g e = 85.2 -+ 2.5 Ma
no plateau age: m a x i m u m step age 640C ~ 110 Ma
isochron (steps 4-8, 6 4 0 - 9 5 5 C , 40% gas): a g e = 123_+6 Ma, (4Ar/39Ar),=264_+ 9, M S W D = 2 . 5
Q ( A W ) , 1.30 g, 7 steps, "total gas" age=91.7-+ 1.3 Ma (degassed at 400C for 25 min)
no plateau, steps 3-5, 33% gas, age ~ I 11 Ma
isochron result: a g e = 111.3 _+2.2 Ma, (4Ar/39Ar)~= 290 35, M S W D = 0.56
RM82-8, quartz tholeiite, Rajmahal Traps: K = 0.12%, no K - A r date
Q (AW), 1.40 g, 7 steps, "'total gas" age = 103.0 _+ 1.8 Ma (degassed at 450C for 25 min )
no plateau, steps 2-3 ( 7 1 0 - 7 6 0 C , 43% gas), age ~ 111 Ma
isochron (steps 2-4, 53% gas): a g e = 110.9-+ 1.6 Ma, (4Ar/39Ar)i=290 65, M S W D = 5.0
Burdwan, olivine tholeiite, Bengal Traps: K = 0.22%, K - A r date = 122 _+3 Ma
Q, 0.55 g, 5 steps, total gas a g e = 118.9 _+ 1.5 Ma
no plateau
Q, 1.02 g, 7 steps, "total gas" age = 121.5 _+ 1.2 Ma (degassed at 480 C for 25 min)
no plateau, steps 3-5 ( 7 2 0 - 8 9 0 C , 46% gas), age ~ 122 Ma
isochron result: a g e = 116.5 -+ 2.2 Ma, (4Ar/39Ar)~= 405 -+ 50, M S W D = 1.0
Jalangi. olivine tholeiite, Bengal Traps: K = 0.21%, K - A r date = 107 _+3 Ma
Q ( A W ) , 1.05 g, 7 steps, "total gas" a g e = 113.8 _+2.0 Ma (degassed at 450C for 25 min)
plateau age: steps 2-4 (640-810C, 63% gas), age = 116.9 2.3 Ma
isochron result: age = 114.2 -+ 2.5 Ma, (4Ar/39Ar)i = 430 -+ 140, M SWD = 1.8
B- 1038, quartz tholeiite, Sylhet Traps: K = 0.12%, K - A r date = 108 4 Ma
Q (AW), I. 10 g, 6 steps, "total gas" age = 125 -+ 9 Ma (degassed at 550 C for 30 min )
no plateau, ascending step ages
isochron (steps 4-6, 53% gas): age = 105 -+ 15 Ma, ( 4 A r / 3 9 A r ) i = 386 30, M S W D = 0.64.
Nadia, quartz tholeiite, Bengal Traps: K = 0.18%, K - A r date = 128 _+7 Ma
M P, 1.06 g, 9 steps, total gas age = 216.6 _+2. I M a
no plateau, saddle-shaped age spectrum, m i n i m u m step age (710 C) ~ 116 Ma
Q ( A W ) , 1.50 g, 7 steps, "total gas" age = 158.7 _+2.5 Ma (degassed at 450C for 25 min )
no plateau, m i n i m u m step age ( 710 C) ~ 120 Ma
M P = d e t e r m i n e d at U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, U.S.A.; Q = d e t e r m i n e d at Queen's University, Kingston,
Ontario, Canada; A W = r o c k s washed in dilute nitric acid prior to fast neutron irradiation (see text). All errors listed at the 16
level.
a K - A r data from Baksi et al. (1987).

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

78

indicates no measurable amount of 39Ar has recoiled out of the sample; the 39Ar lost from the
K-rich phases degassed in steps 2 and 3 (see Fig.
2) recoiled into contiguous K-poor phases degassed in the fusion step. Therefore, a "plateau"
age, 117. l + 0.3 Ma, was calculated from steps 47 only, carrying 48% of the total 39Ar; an isochron plot for these steps yields essentially the
same age, with an acceptable initial argon ratio
and MSWD-value (see Table 2). This flow was
erupted at 117 Ma.

temperature steps were taken to reflect argon release from a mineral assemblage that has remained closed to K and Ar loss or gain since
crystallization. All errors are reported at the 1tr
level, internal precision.
3.1. Debagram - - Alkali basalt, Bengal Traps
Results of an analysis at MP, shown in Fig. 2,
exhibit features resulting from 39AFrecoil for finegrained whole-rock basalts (Turner and Cadsgas, 1974; Baksi, 1990, 1994). The total gas age,
117.6_+ 1.1 Ma, in good agreement with the earlier K - A t value ( 117 _+2 Ma; Baksi et al., 1987 ),

140

140

140

Pllle|u

:E

Plsteau Ages

Age

117.10.3

117.31.0
117.10.3

Me

130

130

120

120 i i

PIItIIU

Me
Ms

130

:.-.,

: ....

Ages

115.51.3 Ms (MP)
117.50.S Ms ( 0 )

12O

110

110

<

DEBAGRAM
20

40

100

60

80

20

100

140

40

60

80

100

100

20

140

140

No plotssu
Age 111 Me

110
GALSI

12o

120

130

100

120

r"

~ m

. . - +

<

::I . . . .

20

tel

--

~-~

40

60

Plateau

Age

80

el,;

60

100

2O

116,92.3

130

40

Ms

210'

No plateau
age -105

leochron

...J
:~4

110"

80

100

50
20

40

Cumulative

60

80

%39Ar

100

......

~===:V-'~"~:~
.....
"L._

.J

::::

BURD~NAN

i
20

,
4

Io

"

60

1O

100

No pistesu
Age - l S S Ms ?

300

:.i'[ ...... i

O0

...,
I

25O
20O

i ....... ---

........ l

JALANGI

"''+"''"1,

It

35O
Ms

130
I0

I:: - I

1~

L!

...i
~.
D. 1009O

....

110

O0

r----,

f ..... :
r . . . . . "L. . . . . . .

170

12o

<

00

<

2S0"

140'

:E

iii

60

n
n

60

No plstssu
Age - 1 2 0 Ms

No Plslsou
Age > 111 Me

ID
0
4[ tO0

40

* . . . . . . t,
20

. .
40

Cumulative

r ....

150

e.lo3e
.
60
%39Ar

,
80

~J::::::Ni'O:~

100

...........

100
20

40

Cumulative

60

80

100

%39Ar

Fig. 2. Age spectra for 'mAr/39Ar incremental heating studies on whole-rock basalts from the Rajmahal Province. Solid and dotted
lines denote runs at Menlo Park and Queen's University, respectively. Debagram and Galsi: Bengal Trap alkali basalt; A-531, A538 a n d RM82-8: Rajmahal Trap quartz tholeiites; Burdwan and Jalangi: Bengal Trap olivine tholeiites; B-I038: Sylhet Trap
q u a r t z t h o l e i i t e ; Nadia: Bengal Trap quartz tholeiite. All errors shown and listed at the 1drlevel, internal precision.

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

3.2. Gaisi - - Alkali basalt, Bengal Traps

A preliminary run at MP yielded a plateau age
of 117.0_+0.5 Ma for steps carrying only 47% of
the total 39Ar (Baksi, 1988). Splits of this rock
were analyzed twice at Q; for one of the runs, a
degassing step at 500C was used (see Table 2)
to avoid over-loading the gas clean-up system,
since this can result in pressure scattering during
mass spectrometry, yielding incorrect results
(Baksi and Farrar, 1991). The total gas age
( 118.0+0.6 Ma) is in agreement with the K-Ar
date and indicates no 39Ar recoil out of the specimen, though the age spectra show features resulting from 39Ar recoil redistribution within the
rock (see Fig. 2). Plateau ages are 117.3 -+ 1.0 and
117.1 -+ 0.3 Ma, and the pooled isochron plot for
the two runs yields essentially the same age, with
an acceptable initial argon ratio and MSWDvalue (see Table 2 ). This flow was formed contemporaneously with Debagram at 117 Ma. The
agreement between K - A r dates, 4Ar/39Ar total
gas and plateau ages for the alkali basalts suggests no discernible post-crystallization movement of K by alteration.

3.3. A-531 - - Quartz tholeiite, Rajmahal Traps

Splits of this rock were analyzed both at MP
and at Q; the results are shown in Fig. 2. The
agreement between the total gas age ( 114.4 + 0.9
Ma at M P ) and the K - A r date ( 1 1 3 + 4 Ma;
Baksi et al., 1987) indicates no overall recoil loss
of 39Ar, although the age spectrum shows a pattern typical of fine-grained basalts exhibiting 39mr
recoil redistribution. Three steps (5-7), carrying 41% of the total 39mr, define a "plateau" age
of 115.5 + 1.3 Ma. An isochron age of I 18.8 + 1.5
Ma, with an initial argon ratio lower than that of
atmospheric argon and an acceptable MSWDvalue (Table 2), serves as an older limit for the
age of this rock (cf. Lanphere and Dalrymple,
1978 ). The Q run, on an acid-washed split, yields
a three-step plateau of 117.5___0.5 Ma, and is
supported by isochron analysis (see Table 2).
This lava flow was extruded at ~ 116 Ma; the
lowest-temperature-step age in the MP run indi-

79

cates a small amount of 4Ar* loss due to

alteration.

3.4. A - 5 3 8 - Quartz tholeiite, Rajmahal Traps

An analysis at MP yielded an inverted Ushaped age spectrum (Fig. 2 ) indicative of postcrystallization loss of 4Ar*. There is no overall
loss of 39Ar, since the total gas age (85 _+3 Ma)
is in agreement with the K-Ar date (88___2 Ma;
Baksi et al., 1987). The highest-step age (110
Ma) is regarded as a minimum value for the time
of crystallization. Steps 4-8 define an "isochron" (Table 2) with a low initial argon ratio
and MSWD = 2.5; the resulting age of 123 + 6 Ma
is an overestimate of the correct value (cf. Lanphere and Dalrymple, 1978 ), and along with the
age spectrum, indicates an age in the range 110120 Ma. This rock degassed readily at low temperatures (75% of the total 39At released by
700C, compared to 25% for the geochemically
similar A-531); a substantial fraction of the K
within this rock resides in one of the alteration
phases (smectite?). A second split, analyzed at
Q following acid washing, shows the same type
of age spectrum, with maximum step ages of I 11
Ma (see Table 2 ). This sets a lower limit for the
age of crystallization.

3.5. RM82-8 ~ Quartz tholeiite, Rajmahal

Traps
This specimen, part of an earlier geochemical
study of the Rajmahal Traps (Mahoney et al.,
1983 ), was analyzed after acid washing at Q, and
yields an inverted U-shaped age spectrum with
maximum step ages of ~ 110 Ma (see Table 2).
Isochron analysis yields the same age with a high
MSWD-value, and serves as a minimum value
for the time of extrusion of this lava.

3.6. Burdwan - - Olivine tholeiite, Bengal Traps

Splits of the rock were analyzed twice at Q; the
second run resulted in more precise step ages,
since it was degassed at 480C prior to incremental heating. The age spectra (Fig. 2) show
descending staircase patterns, with no proper

80

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

plateaux; the total gas age of 118.9 _+ 1.5 Ma is in

agreement with the K-Ar date of 122 + 3 Ma
(Baksi et al., 1987 ). Steps 3-5 of the second run,
carrying 46% of the total 39Ar, define an isochron with an age of 116.5 _+2.2 Ma and an initial argon ratio considerably higher than the atmospheric value (Table 2 ). The low-temperature
steps yield ages greater than the crystallization
value due to: (a) possible recoil loss of 39mr out
of the K-rich sites, a n d / o r (b) excess argon contained in these phases, whereas the highest-temperature fractions reveal ages younger than crystallization value resulting from 39Ar gain (by
recoil) in these K-poor phases. The crystallization age is tentatively taken to be 116 Ma.
3.7. Jalangi - - Olivine tholeiite, Bengal Traps

An acid-washed split was analyzed at Q following a degassing step at 450C. The age spectrum displays features caused by recoil loss of
39Ar for a specimen showing partial loss of 4Ar*.
A three-step plateau of 116.9_2.3 Ma is obtained (see Fig. 2 ) and is supported by isochron
analysis (Table 2 ); the relevant section of the age
spectrum shows features typical of minor recoil
loss of 39Ar. Within the limited quality of the results obtained on these fine-grained, altered
rocks, the Bengal Trap olivine tholeiites were
formed contemporaneously with the alkali basalts (Debagram and Galsi) and Rajmahal Trap
quartz tholeiite A-531, at ~ 117 Ma.
3.8. B-I038 ~ Quartz tholeiite, Sylhet Traps

An acid-washed split was analyzed at Q following a degassing step at 550C. The age spectrum shows (low precision) step ages increasing
with extraction temperature. Though no plateau
section is recovered (Fig. 2), an isochron plot
(steps 5-7, carrying 53% of the total gas ) yields
an age of ~ 105 Ma with a high initial argon ratio
(see Table 2). This high-temperature result suggests the Sylhet Traps may be coeval with lava
flows in the Rajmahal and Bengal Traps; K-Ar
results on flows and dykes from the Sylhet Traps
(Sarkar et al., 1992) support this contention.
Thin-section examination, together with unu-

sual geochemical signatures, suggest B-1038 may

have been altered by reaction with groundwater.
3. 9. Nadia - - Quartz tholeiite, Bengal Traps

This specimen gave scattered K-Ar dates

( ~ 120-135 Ma; Baksi et al., 1987). Analysis at
MP indicates a refractory rock, releasing only
30% of the total 39Ar at temperatures < 925 C,
and the total gas age ( ~ 217 Ma) is considerably
older than the K - A r dates (Table 2). Apparent
ages > 1 Ga for the first few percent of gas, drop
monotonically to ~ 116 Ma at ~ 700 C and then
increase steadily to ~ 215 Ma. Saddle-shaped age
spectra are common for igneous rocks containing excess 4Ar, and the minimum step age may
be close to the crystallization age (Lanphere and
Dalrymple, 1976). The very high initial step ages
reflect gross 39Ar recoil loss out of clay minerals.
Following acid washing to remove these alteration products, a run was attempted at Q. The age
spectrum is unusual (Fig. 2 ); the lowest-step age
is ~ 120 Ma, and most intermediate-high temperature steps yield ages of ~ 155 Ma. It is unclear whether the minimum step ages carry geologically useful information, for the highertemperature steps are indicative of an age greater
than ( ~ I 17 Ma) for other specimens in this
study. If a crystallization age of ~ 155 Ma is assumed, it is noted that the 4At* "lost" from the
second step is balanced by the occurrence of "excess" 4Ar in step 4 (see Fig. 2). The minimum
step ages may indicate an older flow reheated by
nearby Rajmahal volcanism at ~ 117 Ma. This
specimen, recovered from a drillhole in the Gangetic alluvium from a depth of 4.5 km (see Appendix), is inhomogeneous, based on the 4Ar/
39Ar dating studies and earlier K-Ar results
(Baksi et al., 1987).
All three surface Rajmahal quartz tholeiites
(A-531, A-538 and RM82-8) show very similar
geochemical and isotopic signatures (see below). Foland et al. ( 1993 ) carried out 4Ar/39Ar
dating of fine-grained basalts from Antarctica
with massive argon loss; their results suggest that
the highest ages in inverted U-shaped age spectra
for matrix and pyroxene fractions should closely
approximate the crystallization age. In the

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

Rajmahal Traps, it would be highly fortuitous if

rocks as (geochemically) similar as A-531, A-538
and RM82-8 were formed with an intervening
period of ~ 6 Ma (117-111 Ma ago). I suggest
the quartz tholeiites of the Rajmahal Traps and
the alkali basalts and olivine tholeiites of the
Bengal Traps were all formed within a short interval of time ( < 2 Ma) around 117 Ma ago. The
Sylhet Traps may be of similar age, whereas the
deepest sample recovered from the Bengal Traps
(Nadia) is considerably older. In the absence of
stratigraphic control for the Bengal Trap material (see Appendix), and their position relative
to the Rajmahal Traps, it is not possible to evaluate the temporal relationship between the different rock types in this study. It has been suggested that the extrusion of the Rajmahal Traps
is genetically linked to the faunal extinction event
at the Albian-Aptian stage boundary (Rampino
and Stothers, 1988 ). The latter event is dated at
111 + 1 Ma (Obradovich, 1992) and appears to
postdate the volcanic episode forming the
Rajmahal Province.

4. Trace-/rare-earth-element geochemistry

81

100

b.

"o
to
tO
o
IZ
10

La C e P r Nd

SmEu GdTb Dy Ho ErTmYb Lu

1000

'

OT

k.

o
o
tr

A-531

. . . . .

"o 100
to
tO
10

(t3)
1

'

'

La C e P r Nd

SmEu GdTb Dy Ho ErTmYb Lu

Fig. 3. Rare-earth-elementconcentrations in Rajmahal Province basalts normalized to chondritic values: (a) all quartz
tholeiites; and (b) Bengal Trap alkali basalts (AB= average
of Dcbagram and Galsi) and olivine tholeiites ( O T = average
of Burdwan and Jalangi) compared to least contaminated
Rajmahal quartz tholeiite.

4.1. Effects of alteration

Table l presents the geochemical data for the
rocks studied earlier (Baksi et al., 1987), together with one of the least contaminated samples (RM82-8) from the collection of Mahoney
et al. (1983). REE concentrations are shown
normalized to chondritic values in Fig. 3 and
trace-element data are presented in the form of
PMN plots [abundances normalized to the primordial mantle values of Wood et al. (1981 )],
in Fig. 4. Modelling calculations were carded out
for partial (batch)melting and crystal (Rayleigh) fractionation using the distribution coefficients of Hanson (1980) for REE and Henderson (1982) for other elements. The estimated
precision ( _+5%) of the REE analyses reported
herein indicates that only > 10% crystal fractionation of plagioclase would have led to detectable Eu anomalies in the REE plots.

Thin-section examination (see Appendix) indicates all samples have suffered alteration; this
may be reflected in Rb, K and Ba contents in
some instances. In particular, the quartz tholeiite from the Sylhet Traps (B-1038) shows gross
enrichment in Ba; its 81SO-value is unusual
( + 4.4%0, see Table 1 ) and suggests interaction
with groundwater (see below). Loss on ignition
values (see Table 1 ) are low for the surface
Rajmahal tholeiites and generally higher for all
drillhole recovered samples from the Bengal
Traps. The effects of alteration (on the alkali elements) should be most apparent in the 4mF/39Ar
age spectra. Neglecting the artifact of 39Ar recoil
resulting from fast neutron irradiation of finegrained rocks, the alkali basalts and A-531 show
minimal effects of alteration (see Fig. 2 ).

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

82
100
c

lO

E
el

er

4~

i
i
,
.1 R b B a T h

i
K

,
Nb

,
La

,
Ce

,
Sr

,
Nd

i
P

i
Zr

i
Sm

i
Y

TI

1000

g
~;

100

10

REE pattern at slightly elevated levels - - (La/

Yb)N ~ 2.3. The quartz tholeiite from the Bengal Traps (Nadia) shows higher amounts of REE
and moderate to strong enrichment of the light
REE (LREE) - - (La/Yb)N ~4. It shows a low
( ~ 10) Sr/Nd ratio and displays a very different
PMN plot (Fig. 4a), with low levels of Rb and
K, strong enrichment of elements Ba through Y;
the high values of Ta and Nb appear to be primary (i.e. not caused by laboratory contamination during grinding, as the N b / T a ratio is ~ 20).
This rock is chemically very different from the
other quartz tholeiites, and together with the
geochronological results, indicate Nadia is not
comagmatic with the other rocks in this study.

E
.:1

......

AB
OT
A-531

4.3. Olivine tholeiites ~ Bengal Traps

(b)
E

.1 R b

Ba Th

Nb

La

Ca

St

Nd

Zr

Sm

TI

Fig. 4. Incompatible elements normalized to primordial

mantle (Wood et al., 1981 ) for basalts from the Rajmahal
Province. Symbols as for Fig. 3.

4.2. Quartz t h o l e i i t e - Rajmahal, Sylhet and

Bengal Traps
The surface Rajmahal rocks (A-531, A-538
and RM82-8) show humped REE patterns, slight
La enrichment and (La/Yb)N ~ 2 (see Fig. 3a).
Based on Sr-Nd isotopic data, Mahoney et al.
(1983) suggested that RM82-8 was an uncontaminated sample; similar PMN patterns suggest
A-531 and A-538 have suffered little or no contamination, although A-538 shows higher
amounts of elements Rb through K (Fig. 4a).
Using a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) -type
source, most elemental abundances in these rocks
are satisfactorily modelled by assuming 20%
batch melting followed by fractionation of 10%
ol + 10% cpx + 5% plag. Low large-ion lithophile
element (LILE) concentrations for A-531, a relatively unaltered sample based on 4Ar/39Ar dating results, suggest derivation from a depleted
mantle source; by contrast, A-538 and RM82-8,
whose age spectra argue for considerable alteration, show significantly higher amounts of LILE.
The Sylhet Trap rock (B-1038) shows a similar

Based on low Y values, Baksi et al. ( 1987 ) argued that Burdwan and Jalangi were formed by
partial melting of a mantle source leaving garnet
in the residue. This is supported by the REE patterns, showing some enrichment in the LREE
[ (La/Yb)N ~ 4 ] and the lowest values of the
heavy REE (HREE) (see Fig. 3b) for comparable MgO contents. The PMN plot (Fig. 4b)
shows enrichment by factors of 50-100% over A531 for elements Rb through P and is satisfactorily modelled by 10% batch melting of a MORBtype source, followed by fractionation of 1-2%
olivine and titanomagnetite. Mg numbers ( ~ 68;
Baksi et al., 1987 ) also indicate these rocks were
formed from primary melts with little crystal
fractionation; such magmas with relatively low
LILE levels would be sensitive to crustal contamination (cf. Weaver and Tarney, 1983 ).

4.4. Alkali basalts - - Bengal Traps

Debagram and Galsi, with low MgO, FeO*
contents and low C a O / A I z O 3 ratio, were formed
from primary melts following fractional crystallization of 15% cpx+ 5% plag. These rocks, which
can be termed high-Ti basalts since Ti/Y ~ 500
and Z r / Y ~ 12, are higher than the cut-off values of ~ 410 and ~ 6, respectively, for such rocks
(Hergt et al., 1991 ). They exhibit steeply dipping REE patterns [ (La/Yb)N ~ 15 ], and show

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

enrichment of elements K through Sm (see Fig.

4b), indicating derivation as small partial melts;
relative depletion in HREE (see Fig. 3b) suggests garnet was left as a residue. Though many
continental alkali basalts show strong compositional similarities to ocean island basalts (see
Hole et al., 1993 and references therein), Debagram and Galsi show unusual characteristics
(high La/Nb, Ba/Nb, K/Nb and Ba/Th ratios)
and these continental basalts appear to be derived from different mantle sources. Most of the
elemental concentrations (e.g., REE) can be
patterned by very small ( ~ 2%) partial melts of
a garnet lherzolite source; serious divergences
occur for K, Ba (and Nb?), which call for ~3
enrichment. An alternate mode of derivation
would be higher ( > 10%) partial melting of metasomatized sections of the mantle (cf. Menzies
and Murthy, 1980). The K/Rb ratios of Debagram and Galsi ( ~ 750) are unusual for high-K
basalts; they appear to be primary, since undisturbed age spectra argue against loss of ~ 50% of
Rb, whilst leaving the K content undisturbed.
This value is different from alkali basalts from
other localities ( ~ 300-500), such as the Deccan Traps (India), Cameroon Line (West Africa), Karoo (South Africa) and South Australia. Hole et al. (1993) suggested Antarctic
Peninsula alkali basalts, exhibiting some unusual chemical signatures, were derived as lowdegree melts of sections of the upper mantle that
had undergone a series of melt-extraction episodes. These rocks show high K/Rb ratios, but
exhibit considerably lower amounts of LILE,
lower Ba/K, U / N b and Ba/Zr ratios than Debagram and Galsi; this may indicate differences
in the mode of producing depleted upper-mantle
sections below eastern India during early Cretaceous time, and below the Antarctic Peninsula
~ 100 Ma later. Alternatively, melts derived from
regions containing amphibole (K-richterite),
which is unlikely to be a residue in the presence
of garnet, could lead to high K/Rb ratios; however, amphiboles derived from the upper mantle
typically contain < 2% K (Boettcher and O'Neil,
1980; Menzies and Murthy, 1980), which is too
low. Low-degree melts of depleted sections of the
upper mantle containing metasomatized sec-

83

tions could have led to the composition exhibited by Debagram and Galsi. If the Rajmahal
Province is genetically linked to hotspot activity,
the plume incubation model for large (continental) igneous provinces (Kent et al., 1992a) may
have relevance for the chemical diversity of the
lavas noted in this study.
Trace-element ratio plots, including Mahoney
et al.'s ( 1983 ) data, highlight some petrogenetic
features. In general, surface Rajmahal specimens
and quartz and olivine tholeiites from the Bengal
and Sylhet Traps form a coherent group. Ratios
such as Ce/Pb and N b / U should be useful petrogenetic indicators, as they are largely unaffected
by partial melting processes, but are very different in oceanic magmas and continental crust. Ce/
Pb ratios for samples herein fall in the range 813, unlike oceanic lavas ( ~ 25 ), and may reflect
addition of continental material. Though the
quartz tholeiites and the alkali basalts show Nb/
U ratios close to oceanic magmas ( ~ 50; Hofmann, 1988 ), the olivine tholeiites show higher
( ~ 85 ) values; this cannot be due to incorporation of typical continental crust, which shows
N b / U ratios of ,-, 10-15 (Hofmann, 1988). For
the alkali basalts, chondritic Sr/Nd values
( ~ 18 ) and high levels of Sr and Nd ( ~ 1000 and
,-,55 ppm, respectively) reflect primary features. On a Zr/Nb vs. Y/Nb plot (Fig. 5a), all
tholeiitic samples define a trend that could represent mixing between a depleted source and an
enriched component; however, typical crustal
contaminants would lead to a subparaUel trend.
A source mixing-melting relation for the Rajmahal and Bengal Trap rocks is indicated on a La/
Yb vs. Ba/Yb plot (Fig. 5b); the Sylhet Trap rock
(B-1038) shows anomalous enrichment in Ba,
and Nadia departs significantly from the trend.
Evaluation on a Zr/Y vs. Ti/Y plot (Fig. 5c)
permits comparison with rocks from other Mesozoic flood basalt provinces. The quartz and olivine tholeiites lie close to the trend for partial
melting of a primitive mantle, and overlap with
the range for Deccan basalts. The alkali basalts
show Ti/Y ratios similar to Paran~i high-Ti basalts (Brazil), Karoo picrites, and some Formation of the Siberian Traps (Russia), but with
considerably higher Zr/Y values (see Lightfoot

84

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

10

e j "

[] . ~ , / O

Z~

>-

~A

11111

(a)
L
15

B O ~ ~ . . (b)
O .N

30

10

Zr/Nb

,
20

La/Yb
: ~ LAMPRC~TE

mm
C~B

Nh

,B l, --o

7-

Sediment

(d)
2

12

Zr/Y

100

0.0

i
0.1

0.

Rb/Ba

Fig. 5. Selected trace-element ratio plots for Rajmahal Province flood basalts. Legend: M83= samples from Mahoney et al.
(1983); QT=A-531, A-538, B-1038 (B), Nadia (N); OT=Burdwan, Jalangi; AB=Debagram and Galsi (all this study);
PM=primordial mantle. Estimated analytical errors shown by bars" in (a), (b) and (c). Field for Post-Archaean Terrestrial
Shale of Taylor and McLennan ( 1985 ) shown in (c). Fields for MORB, average oceanic basalt, lamproite and sediment shown
in (d) after Hergt et al. ( 1991 ).

et al., 1993, fig. 6); they plot between MORB and

the lamproite field, typical of partial melts leaving garnet in the residue. Three rocks (RM8211, -12 and R-20; Mahoney et al., 1983 ) suggest
contamination of mantle-derived melts by sediments; this is supported by a Rb/Ba vs. Ti/Y plot
(Fig. 5d), wherein most samples show MORB
like T i / Y ratios, but with slightly low Rb/Ba values. Since mantle melting processes do not readily affect Rb/Ba ratios (Hergt et al., 1991 ), this
suggests differences in their mantle source
regions.

5. S r - N d - O isotopic data

Whole-rock ~80-values for the slightly altered quartz tholeiites (Table 1 ) are typical for
basic lavas; a value of + 5.9%0 for A-531 is close
to that of uncontaminated mantle-derived melts
(Kyser et al., 1982). A-538 shows a slightly

higher value of + 6.6%o; fresh glass in this lava

flow, was probably altered to smectite at low
temperature, leading to an increase of ~ 1%o in
the 3~80-value (cf. Muehlenbachs and Clayton,
1972). The Sylhet Trap rock shows a very low
value ( + 4.4%o) and possibly reflects post-crystallization reheating and recrystallization (in the
presence of low-~80 groundwater? - - see Appendix); Carlson (1984) argued that a Columbia River basalt (ORGR N2-3; Washington,
U.S.A. ) showing high Ba content and 8~80-value
of + 4.9%0, resulted from alteration. The olivine
tholeiites show values ~ 0.5%0 higher than A-531,
and reflect admixture of a crustal component to
mantle-derived melts. Results of + 7.0 to + 7.3%0
for the alkali basalts are within the range observed by Kyser et al. (1982) for oceanic alkali
basalts.
Fig. 6 presents the Sr-Nd isotopic composition for rocks from the Rajmahal Province. Plots
of Ba/Zr vs. Sr and Nd isotopic ratios (Fig. 6a

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

85

0.'/~

(a)

~a

I-

"o

oo

'~

(1)
CO

0,706

0
N

CO
r,.

~--

r,~

-3

e ~ oQ

(c) 3

" ' " " ' " ' " ' " ......

"~......

~+

~73o

(b)

o
B

eo, #

.3

"

"%

Ba/Zr

'

"

Ba/Zr

"

o.7o3

o.7o6

o.7o9

( 8 7 S r / 8 8 S r)T

Fig. 6. a and b. Sr and Nd isotopic composition for rocks from the Rajmahal Province vs. Ba/Zr. Most samples define mixing
arrays; Nadia and B-1038 showanomalous positions (see text).
c. Sr-Nd isotopic composition plot; straight lines denote main contamination trends (see text). Isotopic data corrected to 117
Ma.
Symbols as for Fig. 5.
and b) show linear arrays; specimens Nadia and
B-1038 are discordant. The former is not com-

agmatic with the other specimens and the latter

has suffered gross Ba enrichment. The Sr-Nd
isotopic plot (Fig. 6c) fits well with the results
of Mahoney et al. ( 1983 ), and supports the contention that the Rajmahal, Bengal and Sylhet
Traps are genetically linked. Based on these data,
A-538 (and A-531?) represents the least contaminated material. Most of the other specimens
fall on the trend (solid line in Fig. 6c) noted by
Mahoney et al. (1983). Jalangi, and a single
specimen from the Mahoney et al. ( 1983 ) study,
represent contamination by different material,
considerably enriched in 878r/86Sr (dotted line
in Fig. 6c). As noted earlier (Mahoney et al.,
1983 ), the least contaminated material contains
~ 230 ppm of Sr, with 878r/86Sr ,-, 0.70400 and
~Nd(r) ~ + 2.5%o; surface Rajmahal rocks showing significant contamination ( R M 8 2 - 1 1 , -12
and R-20; Mahoney et al., 1983 ) contain ~ 50%
more Sr.
Evaluation of the nature and source of contaminants reflected in the Sr-Nd isotopic plot is
required. The high-aTSr/a6Sr contamination
trend (dotted line in Fig. 6c) includes the Bengal
Trap olivine tholeiite(s) and a single surface
Rajmahal rock (RM82-5; Mahoney et al., 1983 ).
All three rocks show higher ( ~ 25 ) S r / N d ratios

than uncontaminated material ( ~ 18 ), atypical

of upper-crustal material (granites, shale, continental shield areas with S r / N d < 15; Taylor and
McLennan, 1985). A granulitic component is
possible based on high ( ~ 3 0 ) S r / N d ratio
(Taylor and McLennan, 1985 ), together with the
high ( ~ 85 ) N b / U ratios of the olivine tholeiites
(depletion of U?), their low Rb contents (see
Table 1 ) and that o f R M 8 2 - 5 (0.5 ppm; Mahoney et al., 1983). Granulites from various terrains show wide scatter on a Sr-Nd isotopic plot,
often in the direction of high 87Sr/86Sr ratios
(Taylor and McLennan, 1985). O-isotopic ratios for non-quartzose mafic granulites from
Western Australia average ~ + 7.2%00 (A.F. Wilson and Baksi, 1984); a similar contaminant is
in line with the ~ ]SO-values for Burdwan and Jalangi (see Table 1 ). A section of the Rajmahal
Traps rests unconformably on metamorphic
basement (see Fig. 1 ) and granulites are found
in the Raniganj coalfields ~ 100 km to the southwest (Pascoe, 1950).
The contaminant controlling the main trend
(solid line in Fig. 6c) remains problematic.
Rocks R M l l , -12 and R - 2 0 from the Mahoney
et al. (1983) collection appear to have assimilated upper-crustal material (sediment? - - see
Fig. 5c and d). These rocks contain ~ 50% more
Sr (and higher Ba, Nd, Zr and Nb contents) than

A.K. Baksi I Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

86

positions for the two alkali basalts (see Table 1 ).

Further, Galsi shows higher C e / P b and N b / U
ratios (enrichment in LREE and N b ) than Debagram, not higher U and Pb contents, as would
result from crustal contamination. The composition of the alkali basalts may reflect contamination in the source region, where incorporation
of a few percent of material with unusually high
Sr and Nd contents would alter trace-element and
isotopic compositions of the resulting magma
more readily than comparatively larger amounts
of material at the crustal level. Plots of 1/Sr vs.
878r/86 and l i N d vs. ~NO (Fig. 7) were utilized
to gain insight into the nature of this additional
isotopic component, which had ~ 2500 ppm Sr,
87Sr/86
~ 0.710, together with ~ 120 ppm Nd, eNd
~ - 11%0. This places severe petrologic constraints on the material, with carbonatite as the
most likely candidate. Galsi shows considerable
enrichment in Ba, Sr and Nb over the "uncontaminated" Debagram; these elemental enrich-

the uncontaminated tholeiites. Incorporation of

upper-crustal material and considerable ( ~ 30%)
crystal fractionation could produce these signatures; this is unlikely, since the major-element
composition of these rocks are similar to the uncontaminated ones (Mahoney et al., 1983, table
1 ). A contaminant with higher Sr content than
upper-crustal material (Post-Archean Shale, Iand S-type granites; Taylor and McLennan,
1985 ) seems to be required. The Bengal Trap alkali basalts lie on the same trend; the Sr-Nd isotopic ratios of Debagram and the uncontaminated quartz tholeiites are similar, whereas Galsi
has suffered considerable isotopic modification.
Presuming Debagram was similar to the primary
alkaline magma that was contaminated to produce Galsi, the additional component could be
upper-crustal material, but requires > 10% crystal fractionation to produce the higher Sr and Nd
contents of Galsi; this is unlikely, as it would have
led to measurably different major-element com-

0.713

~,..-

I--

0.708

I,.

'...--"..

U)
r~

............................
'""i ...... ...........

-:

.........

(a)

:0I

0.703

".

........ I
I

0 . 0 0 2

0 . 0 0 4

l/Sr

(ppm

" 1)

.,-

/_i
/~Qi
~/

"=0

........

ii
.s

.............

i "

i-

........

...........

:...~---

...0 ......

.....

. .......

.. ........
i. ..........

. .......

"o

Z
0

i....i..........
-15

0.0

0.04

liNd

0.08

(ppm

" 1)

Fig. 7. Sr-Nd isotopicdata evaluatedfor mixingtrends (circlesdenote Rajmahal Trap rocks;squares BengalTrap alkali basalts):
( a ) 1/Sr vs. STSr/~6Sr; and (b) 1/Nd vs. end-Mixing lines suggest a contaminant with very high Sr and Nd contents (see text).

A.K. Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

ments, along with the elevated Z r / H f and La/

Sm ratios noted for the alkali basalts, would result from contamination by carbonatitic material (cf. Dupuy et al., 1992). Such rocks commonly display ~180-values of +6.5 to +7.5%0
(Conway and Taylor, 1969) and the oxygen isotopic composition of the contaminated material
would not be radically altered (note ~taO-values
of Debagram and Galsi in Table 1 ). The Sr and
Nd isotopic ratios of the postulated contaminant
is unusual for carbonatites, though values of
0.710 and -8%0, respectively, have been noted
for Proterozoic age material from Algeria (Bernard-Griffiths et al., 1988). These types of isotopic ratios occur dominantly in continental rift
environments - - the Group II potassic rocks of
M. Wilson (1989). This contamination hypothesis should be evaluated in light of the postulated
link between the Rajmahal volcanism and carbonatite-alkaline suites (Kent et al., 1992b; Sarkar et al., 1992) in the rift dominated tectonic
regime existing in northeast India at ~ 120 Ma
ago. A lamproite dyke in the Jharia coalfield,
~ 100 km southwest of the Rajmahal Traps, with
an Rb-Sr age of 110 Ma (Dayal et al., 1993),
postdates Rajmahal volcanism; contamination of
the primary magma by carbonatitic material
would therefore appear to have occurred in the
upper mantle.

6. Constraints on the age of I S E A reversed event

The Rajmahal Traps were formed during the

Cretaceous Normal Polarity Superchron ( ~ 11983 Ma). The existence of a brief interval of reversed polarity ( < 100 ka) during this superchron, designated as the ISEA interval, has been
postulated to occur during Aptian time
(VandenBerg et al., 1978; Tarduno, 1990). 4Ar/
39Ar data indicate that the ages for the magnetic
reversals close to the long Cretaceous Normal
Polarity (K-N) Superchron on earlier timescales are incorrect. Thus, Pringle et al. (1992)
suggest a minimum age of 121.8 Ma for the M0
anomaly, compared to ~ 119 Ma in an earlier
compilation (Harland et al., 1982 ), and a minimum age of 115 Ma for the ISEA reversed event.

87

The data reported herein suggest the Rajmahal

Traps were formed at ~ 117 Ma, and two lavas
exhibiting reversed magnetic polarity (Klootwijk, 1971 ) were apparently erupted during the
ISEA reversed polarity interval.
Paleomagnetic studies place northeastern India at ~ 50S latitude at the time of eruption of
the Rajmahal lavas (McDougall and McElhinny, 1970; Klootwijk, 1971 ). A possible genetic link between the Kerguelen hotspot, the
Ninetyeast Ridge and the Rajmahal flood basalt
province, would involve critical evaluation of
geochronological and geochemical data for rocks
from these areas, and is beyond the scope of this
paper.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the

Ardhendu-Roma Foundation. The suite of samples from the Rajmahal Province was obtained
through D.K. Paul of the Geological Survey of
India and a split of RM82-8 from Doug Macdougall. Chris Hawkesworth supplied the Sr-Nd isotopic data and Jim O'Neil the O-isotopic values.
I am indebted to Brent Dalrymple for providing
access to the argon dating laboratory at Menlo
Park, arranging the fast neutron irradiation at the
TRIGA Reactor, and supplying a split of the SB3 Biotite standard; Elliott Kollman provided
considerable help in the laboratory. Edward Farrar permitted use of the facilities at Queen's University (supported by grants from NSERC) and
arranged for the fast neutron irradiations at
McMaster University. Gary Byerly examined
thin sections of the rocks and provided detailed
comments. Fred Frey, Alan Brandon and an
anonymous reviewer made numerous constructive comments on earlier versions of the
manuscript.

Appendix - - Thin-section descriptions

A-531 andA-538. Surface exposures of Rajmahal Traps. Medium-grained rocks with fresh feldspar and pyroxene phenoerysts set in a groundmass of plagioclase, pyroxene, opaques

88

A.K, Baksi / Chemical Geology 121 (1995) 73-90

and glassy material. A-538 is more fine grained and displays

more glassy material. Smectite extensively replaces olivine
and appears to fill vesicles (A-531) or form from alteration
of glass (A-538). Both samples display a few very large ( > 1
m m l ram) phenocrysts of plagioclase feldspar, showing
two-stage crystallization.

B-1038. Surface exposure, Sylhet Trap. Fine-grained rock

displaying recrystallized laths of feldspar set in groundmass
of opaques, pyroxene, feldspar and a secondary mineral - epidote (?).
Nadia. Bengal Trap, taken from borehole depth of ~ 4440 m.
Fine-grained rock, with olivine grains extensively altered to
smectite. Fresh feldspar laths set in groundmass ofpyroxene,
altered olivine and opaques. Patches of clay minerals appear
to have recrystallized.
Burdwan and Jalangi. Bengal Traps, taken from borehole
depths of ~ 2850 and ~ 2690 m. Relatively fine-grained rocks,
with olivine extensively altered to smectite. Fresh feldspar
phenocrysts set in groundmass of augite, opaques and plagioclase. Jalangi displays some fine-grained secondary mineral
(epidote?) and a few veins filled with zeolite (?).
Debagram and Galsi. Bengal Traps, taken from borehole
depths of ~ 1050 and ~ 1280 m. Medium-grained rocks, with
olivine phenocrysts extensively altered to smectite. Plagioclase phenocrysts (slightly altered in Galsi) set in groundmass rich in glass, altered olivine, pyroxene and opaques. Debagram displays minor ( < 1%) amount of (primary) biotite
in the groundmass.

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