The geologic processes involved in attaining strengthened cratonic lithosphere remain debated despite their importance for stabilization and long-term preservation. In central India, stabilization of the Bundelkhand craton has conventionally been attributed to the youngest magmatic event impacting the craton at ~ 2.5 Ga, though the post-amalgamation evolution of the craton prior to Proterozoic basin development is poorly understood. This study presents new basement zircon and apatite U-Pb age data along with new detrital zircon U-Pb age data from Proterozoic marginal sedimentary basin deposits to explore the post-magmatic and burial evolution of the Bundelkhand craton. Apatite from ~ 3.4–2.5 Ga granitoids and gneisses collected across the ~ 250 km wide craton yielded near uniform U-Pb ages between ~ 2.4–2.3 Ga, indicating broad-scale exhumation of the Bundelkhand craton through mid-crustal depths following amalgamation and felsic magmatism. Unroofing of the Bundelkhand craton at this time is corroborated by ~ 2.7–2.5 Ga detrital zircon U-Pb age peaks from basal sandstones of the Bijawar and Gwalior groups, which lie in direct nonconformable contact with the craton along both its southeastern and northwestern margins, respectively. These age populations reveal an abundance of zircon sourced directly from the Bundelkhand craton, and a sub-population of ~ 2.2–2.3 Ga grains provide a maximum depositional age for the oldest strata deposited on the craton. We speculate that the redistribution of heat producing elements associated with shallow emplacement of Bundelkhand granitoids and subsequent erosion may have enhanced lithospheric strengthening and facilitated a long-term thermal regime that promoted craton stability by ~ 2.2 Ga. Following stabilization, far-field marginal tectonism likely influenced the vertical motions within the Bundelkhand craton, inducing stages of broad subsidence and erosion recorded within the strata of the Lower and Upper Vindhyan successions.

尽管克拉通岩石圈对稳定和长期保存具有重要意义，但其所涉及的地质过程仍存在争议。在印度中部，邦德尔坎德克拉通的稳定通常归因于在约 2.5 Ga 影响克拉通的最年轻的岩浆事件，尽管对元古代盆地发育之前克拉通的合并后演化知之甚少。本研究提供了新的基底锆石和磷灰石 U-Pb 年龄数据以及来自元古代边缘沉积盆地沉积物的新碎屑锆石 U-Pb 年龄数据，以探索邦德尔坎德克拉通的岩浆后和埋藏演化。来自约 3.4-2.5 Ga 花岗岩和片麻岩的磷灰石在约 250 公里宽的克拉通上收集，在约 2.4-2.3 Ga 之间产生了接近均匀的 U-Pb 年龄，表明在合并和长英质岩浆作用之后，Bundelkhand 克拉通通过中地壳深度进行了大规模的挖掘。来自 Bijawar 和 Gwalior 群基底砂岩的约 2.7-2.5 Ga 碎屑锆石 U-Pb 年龄峰值证实了此时 Bundelkhand 克拉通的未顶盖，它们与沿克拉通东南和西北边缘的克拉通直接不整合接触，分别。这些年龄群揭示了大量直接来自邦德尔坎德克拉通的锆石，约 2.2-2.3 Ga 颗粒的亚群为克拉通上沉积的最古老地层提供了最大沉积年龄。