Superposed deformation fabrics in the Precambrian metabasic rocks of the Iron Ore Group, Singhbhum craton, Eastern India: Evidences from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility studies

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data have been utilized to build up the multiple deformation sequences and strain variation from an apparently undeformed metabasic lava sequence of the basal part of the Paleo-Mesoarchean greenstone succession of the Iron Ore Group rocks in the western Iron Ore basin, Singhbhum craton, eastern India. The basal lava crops out bordering the regional horseshoe shaped outcrop (the horseshoe synclinorium structure) of the overlying BIF rocks. AMS data of 892 cylindrical specimens drilled from 83 samples collected from different structural domains within the synclinorium structure are presented in the analysis. AMS orientation data have been analyzed in the light of superposed fold (Type-1 interference) fabrics developed within BIF as a result of successive deformation episodes (D1 and D2). It is found that the lava samples ubiquitously present two consistent magnetic fabrics homogeneous over smaller sub-areas, which have been successfully correlated with the D1 and D2 deformation fabrics from the BIF rocks. Moreover, a regional scale variation in intensity and nature of strain is noticed from the AMS data, which have been utilized to decipher folding mechanism as well as the changing deformation pattern during successive folding events.