GEOLOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY OF PHOSPHATIC ROCKS AROUND MARDEORA-HIRAPUR AREA IN CHHATARPUR AND SAGAR DISTRICTS, M. P. X , ABSTRACT Ui \ M tPH j§i THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF ©ottor of ^Ijilo^opJjp ^^ 3^^^,^ IN GEOLOGY BY ZAFAR HUSAIN M. Sc, M. Phil., FGS <£ AMIG (Ind.) TA-S07 DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY FACULTY OF SCIENCE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGA R H 1 991 ABSTRACT The early Proterozoic phosphorite occurrences of Hlrapur- Mardeora area/ districts Sagar and Chhatarpur (M.P.)« India* o£ Gangau Iron Formations of Bijawar Group are lying unconfor- mably over the basement of Bundelkhand Granite Complex of Archaean age, Mineralogically# the primary phosphorites being associated with shales. Ironstones and quartz-breccia are mainly composed of cellophane •> a carbonate fluorapatite phase, whereas the secondary phosphorites contain crandallite. The occurrences of cellophane and crandallite in the phosphorites indicated a contemporary phosphatization which was controlled by physical and chemical factors. The absence of organisms and carbonaceous matters revealed direct inorganic authigenic processes, which took place, during early Proterozoic age. The variations in the crystallinity of collophane and crandallite further supported the above observations. The phosphorites bands and/layers suggested the supratidal to intertidal, continental margins and borderland of the Bijawar basin where phosphatization was completed. The subroundness of pellets indicated the low energy environment and poor transporta­ tion. The associations of hematite, goethite, limonite, iron- oxide and few grains of .magnetite as gangue constituents indicatec the highly oxidizing to slightly reducing environment followed by low grade metamorphism. -2- The presence of primary and secondary sedimentary features supported the shallower, marine, restricted shoals of littoral basin of intracratonic sea which fringed the margins of the Bundelkhand Granitic Craton. The episodes of weathering in primary ores gave rise to secondary remobilised ore by diagenetlc processes in which crandallite was formed. The critical detailed study of the distributions and geo- chemical correlations among major constituents of the phosphorites, led the author to believe that most of the ores ^re in the primary state and deposited syngenetically with the host rocks through AUthiqenlc processes. The secondary ores, are mostly derived from the primary ores through eustatic sea-level changes, actions of sea-waves, tides, currents and groundwater circulations It Is also suggested that the phosphatization might have taken place in a fairly oxidizing to reducing environments, tidal flats, continental margins, shallower parts of the Bijawar basin, tropical to arid climate, hight to moderate alkaline, marine, structural and stratigraphic controls, by upwelling currents and restricted circulation within the basinal waters. The formation of epigenetic secondary phosphorite was mainly due to lateriti- zation as indicated by the concentration trends of each element. There are innumerable cases of absorption and/adsorption and mutual ionic substitutions of certain major and minor elements attributed possible mild leaching of the syngenetic ores. The formation of crandallite in the .epigenetic ores may be due to ionic substitutions of Ca"^^ by Al'^"' Inside the apatite lattices. -3- The distributions and inter-relationships of trace elements and trace with major oxides and their ratios in primary and secondary phosphorites revealed that these elements were also precipitated by direct, inorganic, syngenetic and authigenic processes in the primary ores and by epigenetic leaching, remobillzatlon and reprecipitation in the cavities, voids, fractures, fissures and vein fillings in the secondary ores during diagenetic processes. It may also be possible that some parts of the trace metals might have been adsorbed/absorbed in the groundmass and partly replaced within the apatite. The Hirapur-phosphorites are classified in various groups as - sedimentaryi authigenic, orthochemlcal, allochemical and metachemical; nonaltered and altered; acid, furnance and benifi- ciation grades; ancient phosphorites; high alkaline and moderate alkaline; phosphatic silicanite and phosphatic dolomitic- limestone groups, etc. The plots of individual weight percentages and ratios of major constituents revealed that the main source of the Hirapur phosphorites is adjoining Bundelkhand'Complex, which is the basement of the Bljawar basin. Besides, the other sources it may be the host rocks of Bljawar Group, local active ancient rivers and their major tributaries and to some extent sea- basinal waters. GEOLOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY OF PHOSPHATIC ROCKS AROUND MARDEORA-HIRAPUR AREA IN CHHATARPUR AND SAGAR DISTRICTS, M. P. THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF Bottor of S^W^flophv IN GEOLOGY BY ZAFAR HUSAIN At. Se., M. PMf., FGS4AMIG (Ind.) DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY FACULTY OF SCIENCE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH 1991 DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY ALIGARH MUSLIlVi UK'IVERSiTV Dr. S~.;ad h. F.sjn 1ST3.1 i ALIGARH—202002 (IT^^DIA) \- 3c , Ph.D., D.Sc P-on. (Oo/I ) r 3 C 1 3 /A.S (h - - ; 'r(C'iaj PPOFES£0=^ Re'. No. Dated :i^.-..7.'.LJli The thesis entitled, "Geology, Geochemistry of phosphatic rocks around Mardeora-Hirpur area in Chhatarpur and Sagar districts, M.P." is being submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy at the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, by Mr. Zafar Husain, is his original contribution and is an addition to the existing knowledge on the subject. The work has been carried out under my supervision and has not been published or submitted for any degree of this or any other University. He is, therefore, allowed to submit the thesis for the award of Ph.D. degree of this University. T4507 'iff Ace No. "^^ 29 JUL W4 CHEC P-20oa ^-.-r-r ^ Ar»<: "'"^ ^5!^ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am highly grateful to my supervisor, Professor S.H. Israili, Ph.D., D.Sc, Chairman, Department of Geology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, for his excellent guidance and estimable supervision in my present research from the beginning to a successful completion of work. I am also highly thankful to Prof. S.H. Rasul (Ex-Chairman) Department of Geology, A.M.U. and Prof. S.N. Bhalla, for their genial encouragement in course of my present investigations. I am aslo thankful to fTIJ\: A.V. Phadke (Ex-Director). Department of Atomic Energy, Hytfeiqabad (A.P.) for granting me official permission to undertake present research in the Hirapur-Mardeora area, districts Sagar and Chhatarpur (M.P.). I am also thankful to Mr. A.S. Siddiqui, Deputy General Manager, Indian Rare Earths Ltd. Chhatrapur (Orissa) and Dr. V.D. Rao, Scientist, N.G.R.I., Hyderabad (A.P.) for providing the laboratory facilities to carry out chemical analysis of the rock samples; to Dr. K.B. Rao, SO/SF and Mr. S.Q. Hoda, SO/SF for helping me to consult literature freely in the Central Library of my office in Hyderabad; to Dr. M.W.Y. Khan for XRD analysis of phosphorite samples; to Dr. H.M. Khan, SO/SD for rechecking thin sections of rocks. Thanks are also due to Messrs. L.D. Upadhyay, SO/SF and R.M. Sinha, SO/SF for forwarding my leave application and to A.K. Das, SO/SG and K.K. Sinha, SO/SG for sanctioning me leave for completion -11- and submission of my thesis- To Messrs'- S.N. Singh, SO/SG; D.V. Katre, SO/SF; E.U. Khan, SO/SF; A.K. Rai, SO/SE; S.K. Das, SO/SE; R.G. Mohanty, SO/SE, M.B. Verma, SO/SE; P.K. Sinha, SO/SE; S. Fahmi, SO/SE; Dr. Shiv Kumar, SO/SE; A.A. Qidwai, SO/SD; S.J. Chavan, SO/SD and I:H; Israili, SO/SD; thankful for their valuable suggestions from time to time. Thanks are also due to Drs. L.A.K. Rao, and S. Khursheed, Readers, Department of Geology and Dr. Hafiz Mohd. Ilyas Khan, Pool Officer, Psychology Department and Mr. N.A. Khan, Co-brother-in-law, Officer-in-Charge, University Telegraph Office, Aligarh, for their moral supports and encouragement during my stay at Aligarh. Many thanks also due to Messrs Kr. Farahim Khan, A.A. Khan and Mohd. Arif and Nurul Hasan, Research Scholars for assisting me in many ways to get the type-script of the thesis ready for submission; to S.H. Faridi for providing me accommodation facility at Aligarh; to (Late) Iqbal Ahmad for the preparation of thin sections; to Saleemuddin Ahmad and G. Martin for cortographic work; to Iqbal Khan for photography; to B. Nath for printing electrostat copies of the thesis; to S.M. Hasan for typing the manuscript and to Mohd. Akhtar for binding the thesis. Last but not least, I acknowledge with pleasure for the assistance, I received from my wife, Mrs. Shahnaz Begum for the great pains she took to manage well my domestic affairs all throughout my engagement in research and without her help, I could not have successfully completed my research peacefully. { ZRFAB/RUS}''-h&Y' Scientific Officer/SD Department of Atomic Enerav CONTENTS CHAPTER-I INTRODUCTION 1.1. Rock Phosphates Today 1 1.2. Location and Accessibility 3 1.3. Indian Phosphate Deposits 3 1.4. Important Phosphate Deposits of 5 the world 1.5. Climate and Rainfall 7 1.6. Flora and Fauna 7 1.7.,Topbgraphic Features 8 1.8. Drainage 9 1.9. Previous Work 9 9.1 The Bundelkhand Complex 10 9.2 The Bijawar Group 13 CHAPTER-II METHODS & TECHNIQUES OF WORK 18 11.1. Field Investigations 18 11.2, Laboratory Investigations 20 2.1. Petrological Investigations 20 2.2. Geochemical Investigations 20 2.2.1. Crushing and poweiering 20 of samples 2.2.2. Procedure adopted for 21 geochemical analyses CHAPTER-III LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY & STRUCTURAL CONTROL 24 OF PHOSPHORITES III.l. Generalised Geological Sequence 24 of Bijawar Basin -ii- III.2. Geological Sequence of the Study ... 26 Area 2.1. Bundelkhand Complex .... 28 2.1.1. Granites ... 30 2.1.2. Granitic Gneisses ... 31 2.1.3. Schists ... 31 2.2. The Bijawar G-roup ... 32 2.2.1.