Abstract Kibbanahalli is an important Lower Palaeolithic site-complex in southern Karnataka, a state in the southern region of Peninsular India. This region is crucial as it is somewhat centrally located between areas to the north, east and south, where decades of systematic Palaeolithic research has led to the establishment of firm cultural stratigraphy(ies) and even, in some cases, of chronology(ies). However, in stark contrast to these regions, southern Karnataka is often ignored in prehistoric research. Over 90 years of (intermittent) investigations at this site-complex have laid the foundations of our understanding of the Palaeolithic occupation of this region. It is of utmost importance to continue Palaeolithic research in this area as it is one of the fastest-growing industrializing and urbanizing zones of the world, with large population centres such as Bangalore (Bengaluru), Mysore (Mysuru) and others located here. Documenting the rich Palaeolithic heritage in this region before its eventual surrender to the forces of ‘development’ is thus a priority. Further, it is also necessary, if possible, to qualify and quantify the impact of these developmental processes on the visibility and preservation of the archaeological record, in general, and the Palaeolithic record, in particular, which might serve as a model for future research in similar regions. These recent investigations have led to the identification of many new Palaeolithic localities, and a secure identification of the technological attribution of their lithic assemblages. The presence of a uniform stratigraphic association of the archaeological horizon and similarities in their lithic collections has led to the reclassification of the many localities at Kibbanahalli and its vicinity into a site-complex. This paper reports on a series of field observations and remotely sensed data collected to understand the distribution pattern of the various Palaeolithic localities of this site-complex. Results of this study highlight the critical role played by modern-day land-use patterns on the observed distribution of the archaeological record, as well as its visibility. This observation challenges previous interpretations regarding the settlement patterns and strategies suggested for the Palaeolithic occupation of this region. Further, this study draws attention to the need and necessity to understand the role of various site formation processes, especially modern-day land-use activities, on the observed and observable patterns in the archaeological record, as well as the visibility, or lack thereof, of the archaeological record.

Abstract We present field and petrographical characteristics, zircon U–Pb ages, Nd isotopes, and major and trace element data for the magmatic epidote-bearing granitic plutons in the Bellur–Nagamangala–Pandavpura corridor, and address successive reworking and cratonization events in the western Dharwar Craton (WDC). U–Pb zircon ages reveal three stages of plutonism including: (i) sparse 3.2 Ga granodiorite plutons intruding the TTG (tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite) basement away from the western boundary of the Nagamangala greenstone belt; (ii) 3.0 Ga monzogranite to quartz monzonite plutons adjoining the Nagamangala greenstone belt; and (iii) 2.6 Ga monzogranite plutons in the Pandavpura region. Elemental data of the 3.2 Ga granodiorite indicate their origin through the melting of mafic protoliths without any significant residual garnet. Moderate to poorly fractionated REE patterns of 3.0 Ga plutons with negative Eu anomalies and Nd isotope data with ε Nd (T) = 3.0 Ga ranging from −1.7 to +0.5 indicate the involvement of a major crustal source with minor mantle input. Melts derived from those two components interacted through mixing and mingling processes. Poorly fractionated REE patterns with negative Eu anomalies of 2.6 Ga plutons suggest plagioclase in residue. The presence of magmatic epidote in all of the plutons points to their rapid emplacement and crystallization at about 5 kbars. The 3.2 Ga intrusions could correspond to reworking associated with a major juvenile crust-forming episode, whilst 3.0 Ga potassic granites correspond to cratonization linked to melting of the deep crust. The 2.6 Ga Pandavpura granite could represent lower-crustal melting and final cratonization, as 2.5 Ga plutons are absent in the WDC.

Abstract The fluid budget of a composite crustal column is a critical parameter that influences many lithospheric processes. The amount of water introduced into the middle and lower crust can be quantified using phase equilibrium modelling. The Dharwar Craton, India, displays a now-exposed continuous crustal section from near-surface conditions to c. 30 km depth. This section records the different steps of a c. 15 myr-long high-temperature metamorphic event (60°C kbar −1 ) responsible for the formation of syn- to post-tectonic anatectic intrusions. The global water budget is assessed using thermodynamic modelling on bulk-rock compositions of an average early Proterozoic supracrustal unit and c. 3.0 Ga felsic basement, the Peninsular gneisses. Results show the fast burial of a water-saturated supracrustal package (1.6 wt%) will release c. 50% of its mineral-bound water, triggering water-fluxed partial melting of the basement. Modelled anatectic magma compositions match the observed granitoid chemistries, and distinction can be made between water-fluxed melting and water-absent melting in the origin of syn- to post-tectonic anatectic granites. Findings from this study show the importance of crustal pile heterogeneity in controlling the nature of partial melting reactions, the composition of the magmas and the rheology of the crust.

Abstract The chemical composition of different rocks as well as volatile-bearing and volatile-free minerals has been used to assess the presence of fluids in the Closepet batholith and to estimate the intensity of the fluid–rock interactions. The data were processed using polytopic vector analysis (PVA). Additional data include measurements of water content in the structure of volatile-free minerals and an examination of growth textures. The composition of mineral domains indicated formation/transformation processes with common fluid–mineral interactions. In general, the results suggested that the processes occurred in a ternary system. Two end-members were likely magmas and the third was enriched in fluids. In contrast, analysis of the apatite domains indicated that they likely formed/transformed in a more complex, four-component system. This system was fluid-rich and included hybrid magma with a large mafic component. PVA implies that the fluids do not appear to come from one source, given their close affinity and partial association with mantle-derived fluids. A dynamic tectonic setting promoting heat influx and redistribution, and interaction of fluids suggests that the formation/transformation processes of minerals and rocks occurred in a hot-spot like environment.

Abstract Understanding the Deccan Trap Large Igneous Province in western India is important for deciphering the India–Seychelles rifting mechanism. This book presents 13 studies that address the development of this province from diverse perspectives including field structural geology, geochemistry, analytical modelling, geomorphology and geophysics (e.g., palaeomagnetism, gravity and magnetic anomalies, and seismic imaging). Together, these papers indicate that the tectonics of Deccan is much more complicated than previously thought. Key findings include: the Deccan province can be divided into several blocks; the existence of a rift-induced palaeo-slope; constraints on the eruption period; rift–drift transition mechanisms determined for magma-rich systems; the tectonic role of the Deccan or Réunion plumes; sub-surface structures reported from boreholes; the delineation of the crust–mantle structure; the documentation of sub-surface tectonic boundaries; post-Deccan-Trap basin inversion; deformed dykes around Mumbai, and also from the eastern part of the Deccan Traps, documented in the field.

The recent discovery of the direct link between Deccan volcanism and the end-Cretaceous mass extinction also links volcanism to the late Maastrichtian rapid global warming, high environmental stress, and the delayed recovery in the early Danian. In comparison, three decades of research on the Chicxulub impact have failed to account for long-term climatic and environmental changes or prove a coincidence with the mass extinction. A review of Deccan volcanism and the best age estimate for the Chicxulub impact provides a new perspective on the causes for the end-Cretaceous mass extinction and supports an integrated Deccan-Chicxulub scenario. This scenario takes into consideration climate warming and cooling, sea-level changes, erosion, weathering, ocean acidification, high-stress environments with opportunistic species blooms, the mass extinction, and delayed postextinction recovery. The crisis began in C29r (upper CF2 to lower CF1) with rapid global warming of 4 °C in the oceans and 8 °C on land, commonly attributed to Deccan phase 2 eruptions. The Chicxulub impact occurred during this warm event (about 100–150 k.y. before the mass extinction) based on the stratigraphically oldest impact spherule layer in NE Mexico, Texas, and Yucatan crater core Yaxcopoil-1. It likely exacerbated climate warming and may have intensified Deccan eruptions. The reworked spherule layers at the base of the sandstone complex in NE Mexico and Texas were deposited in the upper half of CF1, ~50–80 k.y. before the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary. This sandstone complex, commonly interpreted as impact tsunami deposits of K-T boundary age, was deposited during climate cooling, low sea level, and intensified currents, leading to erosion of nearshore areas (including Chicxulub impact spherules), transport, and redeposition via submarine channels into deeper waters. Renewed climate warming during the last ~50 k.y. of the Maastrichtian correlates with at least four rapid, massive volcanic eruptions known as the longest lava flows on Earth that ended with the mass extinction, probably due to runaway effects. The kill mechanism was likely ocean acidification resulting in the carbonate crisis commonly considered to be the primary cause for four of the five Phanerozoic mass extinctions.