Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Geochemical characteristics of the Late Cretaceous radiolarian cherts from North Andaman Island, Bay of Bengal, India

  • Published:
Journal of Earth System Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

The radiolarian cherts of Late Cretaceous age are reported in the Andaman-Nicobar ophiolites of Bay of Bengal, India. They are of chocolate-coloured (Type-I) and light pink-coloured (Type-II) varieties, juxtaposed and tectonically associated with phyllites, claystones and basalts and are exposed in eastern part of North Andaman Island. These cherts are composed of radiolarian tests in a fine-grained ferruginous matrix. Type-I radiolarian cherts have low SiO2, and high Al2O3, Fe2O (T)3 , MgO, Na2O and TiO2 and trace elements as compared to Type-II cherts. Al–Fe–(∑REE–Ce) diagram of the studied cherts indicates a mixed terrigenous and volcanogenic source. LaN/CeN ratios (0.76–0.89 for Type-I and 0.71–0.88 for Type-II) and Ce-anomalies (Ce/Ce* = 1.15–1.33 for Type-I and 1.07–1.38 for Type-II) and other elemental ratios in these cherts suggest that they were deposited in continental margin environments. It has been suggested that the studied samples of cherts were deposited at different places, were scrapped off the subducting plate, became tectonically juxtaposed. They were obducted onto the leading edge of the Eurasian continent during the Late Cretaceous prior to the currently active Andaman–Java subduction, that was probably initiated during the Late Miocene.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acharyya S K, Ray K K and Sengupta S 1990 Tectonics of ophiolites belt from Naga Hills and Andaman Islands, India; In: Structures and Tectonics (eds) Naha K, Ghosh S K and Mukhopadhayay D, Proc. Indian Acad. Science (Earth. Planet. Sci.) 99 187–199.

  • Acharyya S K 2007 Collisional emplacement history of the Naga–Andaman ophiolites and the position of the eastern Indian suture; J. Asia Earth Sci. 29 229–242.

  • Aitchison J C and Flood P G 1990 Geochemical constraints on the depositional setting of Palaeozoic cherts from the New England orogen, NSW, eastern Australia; Mar. Geol. 94 79–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balaram V and Rao T G 2003 Rapid determination of REEs and other trace elements in geological samples by microwave acid digestion and ICP–MS; Atomic Spectroscopy 24(6) 206–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baltuck M 1982 Provenance and distribution of Tethyan pelagic and hemipelagic siliceous sediments, Pindos Mountains, Greece; Sedim. Geol. 31 63–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandopadhyay P C 2005 Discovery of abundant pyroclasts in the Namunagarh Grit, South Andaman: Evidence for the arc volcanism and active subduction during the Paleogene in the Andaman Sea; J. Asia Earth Sci. 25 95–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boström K, Peterson M N A, Joensuu O and Fisher D E 1969 Aluminum poor ferromanganoan sediments on active oceanic ridges; J. Geophys. Res. 74 3261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curray J R 2005 Tectonic and history of the Andaman Sea region; J. Asia Earth Sci. 25 187–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Girty G H, Ridge D L, Knaack C, Johnson D and Al-Riyami R K 1996 Provenance and depositional setting of Paleozoic chert and argillite, Sierra Nevada, California; J. Sedim. Res. 66 107–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halamic J, Gorican S, Slovenec D and Kolar-Jurkovsek T 1999 Middle Jurassic radiolarite–clastic succession from the Medvednica Mt. (NW Croatia); Geol. Croatia 52(1) 29–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halamic J, Marchig V and Gorican S 2001 Geochemistry of Triassic radiolarian cherts in northwestern Croatia; Geol. Carpa. 52(6) 327–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton W 1979 Tectonics of the Indonesian Region; U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper, 1070p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jafri S H and Sheikh J M 2013 Geochemistry of pillow basalts from Bompoka, Andaman-Nicobar Islands, Bay of Bengal, India; J. Asia Earth Sci. 64 27–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jafri S H, Balaram V and Govil P K 1993 Depositional environments of Cretaceous radiolarian cherts from Andaman–Nicobar Islands, northeastern Indian Ocean; Mar. Geol. 112 291–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jafri S H, Charan S N and Govil P K 1995 Plagiogranite from the Andaman ophiolite belt, Bay of Bengal, India; J. Geol. Soc. London 152 681–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jafri S H, Sarma D S and Sheikh J M 2010 Hyaloclastites in Pillow basalts, South-Andaman Island, Bay of Bengal, India; Curr. Sci. 99 1825–1828.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkyns H C and Winterer E L 1982 Palaeoceanography of Mesozoic ribbon radiolarites; Earth. Planet. Sci. Lett. 60 351–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanmera K 1976 Comparision between past and present geosynclinal sedimentary bodies; Kagaku (Science), Iwanamishoten, Tokyo 46 284–291, 371–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karunakaran C, Ray K K and Saha S S 1964 Geology of south Andaman Islands; Proceedings of 22nd International Geological Congress, India 11 79–97.

  • Karunakaran C, Roy K K and Saha S S 1968 Tertiary sedimentation in the Andaman-Nicobar geosyncline; J. Geol. Soc. India 9 32–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krishna K, Murty N N and Govil P K 2007 Multielement analysis of soils by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry; Atomic Spectroscopy 28 202–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ling H Y, Chandra R and Karkare S G 1996 Tectonic significance of Eocene and Cretaceous radiolaria from South Andaman Island, northeast Indian Ocean; Island Arc 5 166–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsumoto R and Ijima A 1983 Chemical sedimentology of some Permo-Jurassic and Tertiary bedded cherts in Central Honshu, Japan; In: Siliceous Deposits in the Pacific Region (eds) Ijima A, Hein J R and Siever R, Developments in Sedimentology, Elsevier, Amsterdam 36 175–191.

  • McDonough W F and Sun S S 1995 Composition of the Earth; Chem. Geol. 120 223–253.

  • Murray R W, Buchholtz ten Brink M R, Gerlach D C, Price Russ G and Jones D L 1991 Rare earth, major, and trace elements in chert from the Franciscan Complex and Monterey Group, California: Assessing REE sources to fine-grained marine sediments; Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 55 1875–1895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray R W, Leinen M and Isern A R 1993 Biogenic flux of A1 to sediment in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean; evidence for increased productivity during glacial episodes; Paleoceanogr. Paleoclimatol. 8 651–670.

  • Murray R W 1994 Chemical criteria to identify the depositional environment of chert: General principles and applications; Sediment. Geol. 90 213–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pal T and Bhattacharya A 2010 Greenschist-facies sub-ophitic metamorphic rocks of Andaman Islands, Burma–Java subduction complex; J. Asia Earth Sci. 39 804–814.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pal T, Chakraborty P P, Gupta T D and Singh C D 2003 Geodynamic evolution of the outer-arc-forearc belt in the Andaman Islands, the central part of Burma–Java subduction complex; Geol. Mag. 140(3) 289–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pederson R B, Searle A, Carter A and Bandopadhyay P C 2010 U–Pb Zircon age of the Andaman ophiolite: Implications for the beginning of subduction beneath Andaman–Sumatra arc; J. Geol. Soc. London 167 1105–1112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ray K K, Sengupta S and Van den Hul H T 1988 Chemical characteristics of volcanic rocks from Andaman ophiolite, India; J. Geol. Soc. London 145 393–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roy D K, Acharyya S K, Ray K K, Lahari T C and Sen M K 1988 Nature of occurrence, age and depositional environment of the oceanic pelagic sediments associated with the ophiolite assemblage, South Andaman Islands, India; Indian Miner. 42(1) 31–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarma D S, Jafri S H, Fletcher I R and McNaughton N J 2010 Constraints on the tectonic setting of the Andaman ophiolites, Bay of Bengal, India, from SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology of plagiogranite; J. Geol. 118 691–697.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sengupta S, Ray K K and Acharyya S K 1990 Nature of ophiolite occurrences along the eastern margin of the Indian plate and their tectonic significance; Geology 18 439–442.

  • Shimizu H and Masuda A 1977 Cerium in chert as an indication of the marine environment of its formation; Nature 266 346–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg M, Bonnot-Courtois C and Tlig S 1983 Geochemical contribution to the understanding of bedded chert; In: Siliceous deposits in the Pacific Region (eds) Iijima A, Hein J R and Siever R, Developments in Sedimentology, Elsevier, Amsterdam 36 193–210.

  • Sugisaki R 1984 The relation between chemical composition and sedimentation rate of Pacific ocean-floor sediments deposited since the Middle Cretaceous: Basic evidence for chemical constraints on depositional environments of ancient sediments; J. Geol. 92 235–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sugisaki R, Yamamoto K and Adachi M 1982 Triassic bedded cherts in central Japan are not pelagic; Nature 298 644–647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki T and Hada H 1979 Cretaceous tectonic mélange of the Shimanto belt in Shikoku, Japan; J. Geol. Soc. Japan 85 467–479.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vohra C P, Haldar D and Roy A K G 1989 The Andaman–Nicobar ophiolite complex and associated mineral resources – current appraisal; In: Phanerozoic Ophiolites of India (ed.) Ghose N C, Suman Publications, Patna, pp. 281–315.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Director, CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad for his permission to publish this work. This work is supported from CSIR-NGRI GENIAS project funds. The authors are thankful to Dr A Keshav Krishna for XRF analysis, Dr M Satyanarayan for trace and REE analysis. We sincerely thank Prof. N V Chalapathi Rao for Editorial handling and constructive comments by the Journal Reviewers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, India

    S H Jafri, D Srinivasa Sarma, Tavheed Khan & D K Singh

Authors
  1. S H Jafri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D Srinivasa Sarma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tavheed Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. D K Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D Srinivasa Sarma.

Additional information

Communicated by N V Chalapathi Rao

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jafri, S.H., Sarma, D.S., Khan, T. et al. Geochemical characteristics of the Late Cretaceous radiolarian cherts from North Andaman Island, Bay of Bengal, India. J Earth Syst Sci 129, 103 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-020-1368-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-020-1368-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation