Petrogenesis of 3.15 Ga old Banasandra komatiites from the Dharwar craton, India: Implications for early mantle heterogeneity

Spinifex-textured, magnesian (MgO >25 wt.%) komatiites from Mesoarchean Banasandra greenstone belt of the Sargur Group in the Dharwar craton, India were analysed for major and trace elements and 147,146Sm-143,142Nd systematics to constrain age, petrogenesis and to understand the evolution of Archean mantle. Major and trace element ratios such as CaO/Al2O3, Al2O3/TiO2, Gd/Yb, La/Nb and Nb/Y suggest aluminium undepleted to enriched compositional range for these komatiites. The depth of melting is estimated to be varying from 120 to 240 km and trace-element modelling indicates that the mantle source would have undergone multiple episodes of melting prior to the generation of magmas parental to these komatiites. Ten samples of these komatiites together with the published results of four samples from the same belt yield 147Sm-143Nd isochron age of ca. 3.14 Ga with an initial ɛNd(t) value of +3.5. High precision measurements of 142Nd/144Nd ratios were carried out for six komatiite samples along with standards AMES and La Jolla. All results are within uncertainties of the terrestrial samples. The absence of 142Nd/144Nd anomaly indicates that the source of these komatiites formed after the extinction of 146Sm, i.e. 4.3 Ga ago. In order to evolve to the high ɛNd(t) value of +3.5 by 3.14 Ga the time-integrated ratio of 147Sm/144Nd should be 0.2178 at the minimum. This is higher than the ratios estimated, so far, for mantle during that time. These results indicate at least two events of mantle differentiation starting with the chondritic composition of the mantle. The first event occurred very early at ∼4.53 Ga to create a global early depleted reservoir with superchondritic Sm/Nd ratio. The source of Isua greenstone rocks with positive 142Nd anomaly was depleted during a second differentiation within the life time of 146Sm, i.e. prior to 4.46 Ga. The source mantle of the Banasandra komatiite was a result of a differentiation event that occurred after the extinction of the 146Sm, i.e. at 4.3 Ga and prior to 3.14 Ga. Banasandra komatiites therefore provide evidence for preservation of heterogeneities generated during mantle differentiation at 4.3 Ga.