Mineral.

Deposita 19,256-265 (1984)

MINERALIUM
DEPOSITA
Springer-Verlag 1984

Geological Features and Origin of the Chromite Deposits

of Sukinda Valley, Orissa, India
K. L. Chakraborty and T. L. Chakraborty
Department of Geological Sciences, Jadavpur University, Calcutta
Abstract. The chromiferous ultramafic rocks of Sukinda
Valley (21 0'-21 5'N : 85 4Y-860'E) of Orissa are intrusive into the Iron-Ore Supergroup (2,950-3,200 Ma) at the
eastern periphery of the Indian Precambrian shield. Both
laterally and vertically, chromite occurs as persistent
layers, lenses or pockets in the serpentinized and silicified
dunite-peridotite extending over a strike length of 25 kin.
The ultramafic rocks and the chromitite layers are cofolded with the Iron-Ore Supergroup into a plunging
syncline. Primary layering, ball and pillow structures, cross
laminations, graded bedding etc. can also be detected. The
different varieties of chromite ore present in the area are
massive, banded and spotted, laminated and friable. The
grain size of chromite varies between 0.25 and 4 mm, and
the fneness of the grain increases from the bottom to the
top layers. The cell dimension of chromite (8.23-8.32 A)
decreases with the increase ofAl203.
Cr203 in pure chromite varies between 48 to 61 wt.
percent, A1203 is 7.10-15.09 wt. percent, whereas Fe203 is
very low (0.03-3.20 wt. percent). The amount of RO to
R203 varies within a narrow limit of 0.98-1.13, indicating
that the chromite is chemically balanced. The FeO to MgO
ratio is intermediate between the stratiform and alpine
type. Fe s+ and AI3+ increase with respect to Cr 3+ and Mg2+
in the upper chromitite layers. TiO2 lacks significant correlation with the major element composition of chromite.
It is concluded that the Sukinda Valley chromitites of
Orissa are predominantly stratiform in nature and were
presumably formed in situ by crystal settling, the layering
having been accentuated by the fluctuation of FO2. The
geological features suggest a single magmatic cycle.

Introduction
The chromiferous ultramafic belt of Sukinda Valley is
situated 50 km to the northwest of the Jajpur-Keonjhar
Road railway station near the eastern margin of the Indian
Precambrian shield and extends in the NE-SW direction
across the Cuttack and Dhenkanal districts of Orissa
(210'-215'N: 8343'-860'E). The chromite deposit is
bounded on the north by the Tomka-Daiteri range and on
the south by the Mahagiri range, both being underlain by
the rocks of the Precambrian Iron-Ore Supergroup
(2,950-3,200 Ma, Sarkar and Saha 1977). The geological
setting of the chromitites and their mineralogical and

chemical characters have been described in a fair amount

of detail, and the possible mechanism of formation of the
ore bodies has been suggested.
Deekshitulu and Perraju (1955) first carried out the
geological mapping and prospecting work of the chromite
deposits of the Sukinda Valley. Dasgupta (1959), Sahu and
Bagchi (1959) and Mitra (1960, 1972, 1973) described the
petromineralogy and genesis of the ultramafic rocks and
related chromites. A formidable contribution on the
tectonic history, petromineralogy, geochemistry and the
genesis of the chromitites and the associated ultramafic
rocks of the area was made by Chatterjee and Banerjee
(1964) and Banerjee (1972). We have also published a
number of research articles in recent years (Chakraborty
1972, 1973, Chakraborty and Chakraborty 1974, 1976,
Chakraborty and Baidya 1978, Chakraborty et al. 1980) on
the stratigraphy and structure of the Sukinda Valley and
the mineralogy of chromite and associated hydrothermal
minerals, and we have established the layered nature of
the chromitites, which was corroborated by Sahoo and
Kaaden (1976).
Geological Setting of the Chromitites
The chromite deposits of the Sukinda Valley occur as
persistent layers or as lenses and pockets in the altered
dunite-peridotite, extending for nearly 25km in the
NE-SW direction across Cuttack and Dhenkanal districts
of Orissa (Fig. 1). The ultramafic rocks intrude into the
older Precambrian Iron Ore Supergroup (I. O. G.), which
consists of cherty quartzite and banded magnetite-quartzite. There is a younger phase of ultramafite, i.e. enstatitite
(consisting of predominantly enstatite), which is completely devoid of chromite. The altered ultramafites and
chromitites are to a large extent concealed under a thick
profile of nickeliferous limonite and laterite. Their occurrence at various places and depths could only be
located and exposed by geophysical prospecting and
pitting, followed by extensive drilling from Kansa
(213Y2'N: 8557'E) in the east up to Kathapal (21l'N:
854YE) in the western extremity of this valley. Several
chromite layers or bands were penetrated by drilling in
serpentinized and silicified dunite-peridotite up to a depth
of 100 m.
Dunite predominates in the north-east and gradually
changes over to peridotite towards south-west. The chro-

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258
mitite layers and lenses are present in the altered host
rocks as isolated outcrops and are exposed in open-cut
quarries, trenches and pits at various places and depths.
near Saruabil village in the east and Kaliapani, Kalrangi
and Kathapal villages towards the south-west. Small linear
bodies are also present near Kumardah and Talangi
villages in the east and north-east of Saruabil (Fig. 1).
Both the foot wall and hanging wall of the chromitite
layers, lenses and pockets are sharply defined against talcserpentine, silicified ultramafics or limonitic rocks, and no
transgressive relation is seen anywhere. Secondary serpentine and silica occur as fracture-filling veins in chromitites. The chromitite bodies frequently occur in alternate
layers, with serpentine or limonite closely resembling the
stratiform deposit of Stillwater, USA (Jackson 1961), the
Bushveld type of South Africa (Cameron and Desborough
1969) and the chromite seams of Great Dyke, Rhodesia
(Bichan 1969). Chromitites of Saruabil are thinly laminated (Fig. 2), dipping 45 until they are nearly vertical
in different places. One such layer continues for nearly
1 km in strike length near Saruabil where there are three
successive layers of chromitite of various thickness (viz.
8 m, 40 cm and 1.5 m). The individual chromitite layers
vary in thickness between 40 cm and 10 m and between
45 m and 1,000 m in length. Four chromite bands of hard
massive type (viz. Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4) on the east of
Tata's Camp and north of Kalrangi village, dip 33 until
nearly vertical. These chromitites are of bedded nature
and alternate with thick talc-serpentine intervals (Chakraborty 1973).
The lenses and pockets of chromite of various shapes
and dimensions that occur at Kaliapani, Kalrangi (near
OMC camp) and Kathapal villages resemble the sack form
(Sampson 1942) or podiform (Thayer 1964) type in character. However, these lenses and pockets are few in number
in the Sukinda Valley compared to the frequency and
larger size of the layered and banded type.
The chromiferous ultranifites together with the older
metasediments of the Iron-Ore Supergroup were affected
by a later regional fold movement, which turned the whole
succession into a syncline plunging towards the southwest. The structural interpretation was offered by Chatterjee and Banerjee (1964) and Banerjee (1972), who described the chromite deposits of the Sukinda Valley as prekinematic. The chromitite layers w e r e harmoniously
folded with the host and the country rocks with /3-axis
plunging 31 towards 250 (Chakraborty et al. 1980). The
chromitite layers were subjected to small-scale asymmetric
folds and faults, which were assigned by Banerjee (1972)
to first-generation deformation. The primary layering and
various types of slump structures (in chromitites) were described by Chakraborty (1972) as preconsolidation deformation structures which survived regional fold movement.
Types of Chromite Ore
On the basis of physical character and structure, the
chromite deposits of Sukinda Valley are classified into the
following types:

ore deposit of the Sukinda Valley. The massive ore consists

of closely spaced and tightly packed euhedral to anhedral
granular aggregates of chromite which vary in size from
0.25 to 1.2 mm in diameter. The ore contains very little
interstitial talc and serpentine, and the chromite grains
retain their distinct crystal outline.
Banded and Spotted Ore

As the quantity of gangue minerals increases (talc, serpentine, uvarovite, Kammererite or tremolite), the massive
chromitite grades into streaky and crudely banded type
(Fig. 3). It consists of disseminated chromite grains arranged in layers of variable thickness, alternating with
layers of altered silicates or serpentine. This variety simulates rhythmic layering and is developed near the margin
of the massive ore bodies.
Spotted ore is a transitional type between massive and
banded chromitite. The grains of primary silicate minerals
(e.g. Olivine or pyroxene), presently altered to talc or serpentine, are scattered as oval or rounded clots (occluded
silicates) set in a groundmass of massive chromite ore
assuming a spotted appearance (Fig. 4). Sometimes the
spots are slightly ovoid or stretched and arranged in
indistinct layers. Such lineation and banding are parallel
to the foliation plane of talc-serpentine schist. Similar
strains of spotted and anti-orbicular structures have been
described by Rodgers (1973) in the chrome spinels of New
Caledonia. These two varieties of chromite ore occur in
talc-serpentine schists, which suggests that these features
have a metamorphic recrystallization origin.
Laminated Ore

In this case the chromitite layers consist of alternate thin

laminae of granular chromite and serpentine in an uniformly regular pattern simulating thinly laminated clastic
sedimentary rock. The individual laminae is 0.5-1.5 cm
thick (Fig. 2) and the maximum thickness of one layer as
measured in this area is 8 metres.
Powdery or Friable Ore

This is the most extensive and predominant type of

chromite, and it supplies the bulk of the metallurgical and
chemical grade ore from this area. The ore is brown and
consists of very loosely bonded coarse-grained chromite,
which is extremely friable in nature. The grain size is up to
2-4 mm in the Sukrangi and Kaliapani deposits, and the
ore crumbles into fine powder when pressed between the
fingers. This is a very high grade ore, the concentration
having been affected by the natural process of weathering
by meteoric water. This ore is completely free of gangue
minerals. Due to extreme weathering and leaching of the
individual chromite grains, the chromitite layers were
freed of binding materials and became loose and powdery.
The crushing and fracturing of chromitite in many places
by later diastropism seemingly accelerated and facilitated
the process of weathering. In addition to these chromites,
disseminated, float, lateritic and placer chromites are also
scattered over various places of the Sukinda Valley.

Massive Ore

Mineralogy of Chromitites

Hard and compact, steel-grey coloured chromitite form the

massive variety which constitutes the major commercial

Chromite is the major constituent of chromitites with a

subordinate amount of hematite, goethite, serpentine and

259

Fig. 2. Thinly laminated chromitite layers of Saruabil chromite mine (quarry no. 4)
Fig. 3. Crudely banded chromite ore in grade 2 quarry (Q2), east of Tata's camp. White bands are altered silicate or serpentine and
darker bands are chromite disseminations
Fig. 4. Spotted or antiorbicular chromite ore in grade 2 quarry (Q2), east of Tata's camp. White rounded dots are serpentine or talc in the
groundmass of chromite (dark)
Fig. 5. Compact granular mosaic of chromite (greyish white) in the chromitite of Sukinda Valley, under reflected polarized light
Fig. 6. Characteristic cumulus texture in thin section of chromitite, Sukinda Valley. Chromite crystals (dark) are predominantly euhedral.
Serpentine (white) occupies the interspaces
Fig. 7. Exsolved lamellae of hematite (white needles) oriented in the same direction in chromite (grey), Sukinda Valley, under reflected
plane polarized light

260
talc. Minor amounts of Kammererite (chrome - chlorite),
uvarovite (chrome - garnet) and chrome - amphibole can
also be identified in thin sections. These silicate minerals
are secondary hydrothermal products after primary
olivine, enstatite and chromite and have been described
earlier by Chakraborty (1968), Chakraborty and Chakraborty (1974) and by Chakraborty and Baidya (1978). The
optical and textural characters of the ore minerals and the
sedimentary parameters of chromite are presented and
briefly discussed here.
Chromite

Chromite is the major primary mineral which constitutes

60% to more than 90% of the chromitite bodies. Chromite
occurs as euhedral to subhedral grains, ranging from
0.25 mm up to 4 mm in size in different bands. Chromite
grains in chromitite form either a compact granular
mosaic (Fig. 5) or a characteristic cumulus texture (Fig. 6)
with interspaces filled with talc or serpentine gangue. The
chromite grains are occasionally fractured, deformed and
elongated along faults and shear planes. Marginal granulation simulating a "protoclastic texture" can also be seen. In
such cases angular or elongated grains of chromite are
embedded in the groundmass of talc-serpentine. Chromite
is also traversed by thin veins of serpentine and secondary
silica. Small euhedral or subhedral grains of chromite
cluster around serpentine pseudomorph, simulating a
"syneusis texture" or "chromite net". The predominance of
euhedral grains and "cumulus texture" of chromite are
common features of stratiform deposits (Thayer 1964). The
SEM investigations on some chromite crystals by Leblanc
(1980) show significant morphological differences between
chromites of stratiform complexes and podiform desposits.
Although it is agreed that both are formed by various
magmatic processes, chromite crystals from ultramafic
layered complexes are euhedral and display large, smooth
and bright faces with sharp edges. The podiform chromite,
on the other hand, displays disseminated chromite crystals
with rounded habit and numerous pits and cavities, which
are interpreted as due to dissolution.
Chromite is greyish white with an occasional brownish
tint under reflected polarized light. The reflectivity of 30
grains in ten samples of chromite, measured in the air by
photocell in green light (530 nm) using sphalerite standard,
varies 13%-15%. Chromite does not react with the standard etching reagents. The mineral is coffee-brown with
translucent edges in a thin section. This phenomenon was
attributed to high chromium content by Fisher (1929) and
MacGregor and Smith (1963). Chromite is seemingly
replaced by the secondary minerals like serpentine, Kammererite, uvarovite, goethite, hematite etc., as the corroded
or subrounded grains of chromite are often found enclosed
in these minerals which are formed by hydrothermal or
supergene process.
Chromite occasionally exhibits zonal alteration along
the periphery of the individual grains (Chakraborty 1973),
the peripheral zone showing higher reflectance and a
spongy appearance. Golding and Bayliss (1968) noticed a
similar alteration in chromite with a gradual increase of Cr
and Fe ~+ and depletion of A1 and Mg towards the margin
of the chromite grains in the Coolac chromite belt of
Australia. It was suggested that marginally altered chro-

mite formed due to oxidation near the periphery of

chromite at higher oxygen activity. Beeson and Jackson
(1969) reported a small amount of iron-rich chromite as
an alteration product of normal cumulus chromite accompanying the alteration of primary silicates to chlorite
in the Stillwater complex, Montana. The alteration is
essentially a volume-for-volume replacement of MgO and
A1203 by FeO and Fe203, respectively. Mitra (1972) described metamorphic rims around chromites of the Sukinda
Valley chromitites.
Hematite: Hematite occurs interbanded with goethite as

narrow fracture-filling veins and also along the grain

boundaries of chromite.
Thin needles of hematite with higher reflectivity are
occasionally present in some chromite host. The hematite
lamellae are oriented in the same direction (Fig. 7) and
were probably formed by the process of exsolution under
increasing oxidizing condition. The host chromite has a
whitish appearance and has a higher reflectance than the
surrounding grains.
Sedimentary Parameters

The percentages of cumulus chromite and intercumulus

silicate minerals were determined in thin sections of
chromitites from four successive chromitite layers, east of
Tata's Camp near Kalrangi. The chromite to silicate ratio
shows nearly a linear relation that gradually decreases
upward. Cameron and Desborough (1969) accepted the
significance of this ratio in gravity settling of chromite and
the silicate minerals in Bushveld Chromite deposit.
Grain-size variation and sorting coefficient of chromite
were determined in these four successive chromitite layers.
Study of the cumulative curves reveals that the distribution
of grains is strictly unimodal and one constituent is more
widespread than the other. There is a gradual decrease in
the percentage of grains ranging between 1 mm to
0.75 mm and an increase in the percentage of grains between 0.50-0.25 mm from the bottom to the top layers
(Chakraborty 1973). The degree of sorting of chromite
grains in these layers is similar to that for the layered
chromitite of the Stillwater complex (Jackson 1961).
Chemical Characters of Chromitites

Chrome spinel is a sensitive indicator of primary magma

composition. Once formed, it remains as a stable phase.
Hence this mineral has been used as an important petrographic indicator by different workers (MacGregor and
Smith 1963, Irvine 1967, Jackson 1970, Thayer 1970). The
chemical composition of the Indian chromites has been
previously investigated by Malhotra and Prasad Rao
(1963) and Chakraborty (1965).
The results of wet chemical analysis of 15 concentrated
chromite samples collected from different ore bodies of
Sukinda Valley along the strike length from east to west
are presented in Table 1. Chemical analyses of chromite
from two adjacent localities of Orissa are also compiled in
the same table from the publications of Chakraborty
(1965) and Chakraborty and Mallik (1971). The structural
formulae and end members of chromites were calculated
and are given in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. The present
set of analyses given in Table 1 has a remarkable similarity

261

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Table 2. Structural formulae of Chromites of Sukinda Valley on the basis of 32 (0)
Analysis Cr
No. a

A1

Fe 3+

Fe 2+

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

2.68
2,26
Z46
3,63
4,84
4.31
3.58
3.81
4.18
4.72
3.59
3.87
3.59
3.38
3.87
3.96
3.25

0.03
0.26
0.03
0.65
0.01
0.06
0.16
0.04
0.06
0.01
0.007
0.08
0.01
0.02
0.01

0.03 5.59
2.98
5.38
2.89
5.19
2.62
5.16
3.62 4.28
2.97
5.27
2 . 2 3 6.05
2.34
5.71
2 . 6 7 5.58
3.05
5.33
2.97 4.84
2.81 4.99
2.42
5.58
2.66
5.55
2.75 5.23
3.87 4.33
2.85
5.32

12.82
13.01
13.27
12.35
10.42
11.36
12.08
11.72
11.39
10.72
12.44
11.89
12.12
12.28
11.82
12.05
12.60

Mg

Mn

Ca

Ni

Structural formula

C r ' 100
Cr + A1

0.03
0.03
0.09
0.03
0.18
0.03
0.01
0.05
0.03
0.04
0.03
0.03
0.03
0.03
0.03
5.05

0.08
0.22
0.13
0.13
0.17
0.15
0.21
0.23
0.26
0.47
0.29
0.18
0.33
-

0.02
0.04
0.05
0.10
0.05
0.02
-

(Fe~-Mg64Cal) (Crs2Al17Fe{+)
(FeaZ~-Mg62Mnl
Ca3) (CrsaA114Fe3+)
(Fe~-Mg62Mn1Ca2) (Crs4AIIsFe{ +)
(Fe32SMg65MnoCa2)
(Cr77A123Fe3+)
(Fe~-Mg53Mn3Cao) (Cr65A13oFe3+)
(Fe2~-Mg63MnoCa2)
(Crv3A127Feo3+)
(Fe~Mg72MnoCa2) (Cr77A123Fe3+)
(Fe2~Mg68MnlCa3) (Cr75A124Fe{+)
(Fe~Mg66Mn0Ca3) (Cr73A127Fe3+)
(Fe~-Mg61Mn0Ca3) (Cr69A130Fe{+)
(FeZ~-Mg62Mn0Ca0)
(Cr77AI23Fe3+)
(Fe32~Mg60MnlCas)(Cr75A124Fe3+)
(Fe~0~Mg67Mn0Ca3)(CrvvAlz3Fe3+)
(Fe~Mg66Mn0Caz) (CrvsAlzzF e~+)
(Fe2~Mg63MnoCa4) (Cr75A125Feo3+)
(Fe~Mg52MnoCao) (Cr75A125Fe~+)
(Fe~Mg65MnoCao)(Cr79A12oFe 3+)

82.79
85.2
84.43
77.28
68.28
72.49
70.75
75.46
73.15
62.95
77.60
75.44
77.14
78.41
75.33
-

Mg' 1 0 0
Mg + Fe 2+
64.84
64.35
64.23
66.32
54.17
63.83
73.06
70.93
67.63
63.60
61.97
63.97
69.75
67.60
65.53
-

a The numbers correspond to the analysis numbers in Table 1

Table 3. End-members of Chromite solid-solution of Sukinda Valley, Orissa
Analysis Nos. ~

Spinel
(MgO AI2O3)

16.75 14.12 15.37 22.62 30.25 26.87 22.38 23.88 26.12 29.50 22.37 24.12 22.37 22.12 24.12 24.8

20.31

MagnesioChromite
(MgO Cr203)

53.12 53.12 49.50 41.87 23.25 39,00 53.25 47.50 42.62 37.12 38.12 38.26 47.38 48.25 41.25 26.9

46.16

Ferro-Chromite
(FeO Cr203)

27.00 28.12 33.37 35.37 41.87 32.00 22.25 25.75 27.50 29.88 39.62 36.12 28.50 28.50 32.62 48.3

32.58

Magnetite
(FeO. Fe203)

3.13

4.64

1 . 7 6 0 . 1 3 4.62

2.12

2.13

2.87

10

2 . 7 5 3.50

11

12

13

14

1 . 5 2 1 . 7 5 2.13

15

2.00

16

17

0.95

a Numbers of analyses correspond to the analysis numbers in Table 1

with those published earlier by Banerjee (1972) and Sahoo

and K a a d e n (1976).
The Fe203 content is negligible in all chromites
(0.03-3.20), whereas A1203 is consistently high (7.10-15.09)
along the strike length of the deposits. The Cr to Fe ratio
is high (2.2-4.75) and RO to R203 varies within a narrow
limit (0.98-1.13), indicating that the chromites are chemically balanced. Calculated unit cell contents (Cr 3+, A P +,
Fe 3+) of chromites o f the present area (Table 2) lie well
within the " a l u m i n i a n chromite" field of Stevens' (1944)
triangular diagram. The end m e m b e r s of chromite when
plotted on the prism d i a g r a m for spinel composition
(Johnston 1954) fall within the zone o f i s o m o r p h i s m and
thus confirm the substitutional solid solution a m o n g the
end m e m b e r s (MgO "A1203, M g O ' C r 2 0 3 , F e O ' C r 2 0 ~ a n d
F e O ' F % O 3 ) . It is also fairly clear from Table 3 that
magnesiochromite ( M g O . Cr203) is the d o m i n a n t end
m e m b e r o f the chromite ores o f Sukinda Valley. This
chemical character is seemingly a reflection o f the corn-

position o f olivine (Fo95_98) and enstatite (Eng0_gs) in the

underlying dunite-periodotite host rock.
The chromitites vary in chemical composition within a
close limit: C r 2 0 3 = 4 8 . 4 5 - 6 1 . 1 1 , FEO--10.71-16.02 a n d
MGO=11.01-15.99. The Mg to M g + F e 2+ ratio of chromitites is persistently high. The Cr to Fe and FeO to MgO
ratios are intermediate between the limits of stratiform
and alpine type chromitite (Thayer 1960).
As revealed from different oxide ratios (viz. Fe 3+/Fe 2++
Fe 3+ or F e ~ + / C r + A I + F e 3+) o f Tables 1 a n d 2, the oxidation ratio o f Sukinda Valley chromitites varies arbitrarily
both laterally and vertically. This finding is unlike the
variation in the oxidation ratio of the chromitites of
Stillwater (Jackson 1963) and the Bushveld complex
( C a m e r o n and D e s h b o r o u g h 1969). The experimental
work o f U l m e r (1969) and Snethlage and Von G r u e n e waldt (1977) has fixed the t e m p e r a t u r e and Fo2 o f the
formation o f layered chromitite between 1,150 a n d
1,200 C and 10 .6 to 10 -7, respectively.

263
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TROODOS CYPRUS ( G R E E N B A U M , 1 9 7 7 )

N O R T H EASTERN OREGON ~U.S.A.

0
in~ NEW CALEDONIA ( R O D G E R S , t 9 7 3 )

leo

PERCENT

audio

PO DIFORM COMPOSITE.

oo

50

55

60

65

KLAMATH MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN OREGON

AND CALIFORNIA, U.S.A,

Cr20 3

-2
4
6
.8
Fe2+/Mg + Fe 2+

Fig. 8. Chemical composition of cleaned chromites from Sukinda Valley, Orissa, compared with alpine, stratiform complexes and Mid
Atlantic Ridge (M.A.R.) (Diagram after Greenbaum, 1977)
Fig. 9. Variation in Cr203 content of segregated chromite from stratiform and podiform deposits compared with that of the Sukinda
chromites (modified from Thayer's diagram, 1970)

15
4

~10
O
r~

<
5
0

I
820

I
825

8.30

Unit cell (A)

Fig. 10. Relationship between unit cell dimension and wt% of

A1203
The Cr to Cr+A1 ratio of the Sukinda Valley chromitites when plotted against Fe2+/Mg+Fe 2+ (Fig. 8 lies
on the transitional zone between stratiform and alpine
type deposits. On the other hand, the Cr2Os content of
chromitites is uniquely similar to the Great Dyke
chromitites of Rhodesia (Fig. 9). A similar conclusion
has also been arrived at by Sahoo and Kaaden (1976).
According to Thayer (1960, 1970) and Irvine (1965, 1967),
the alpine chromitites generally show a wider range of
Cr/Al and Mg/RO ratios and have a lower or more
uniform iron oxidation ratio. The Fe 3+ to C r + A I + F e 3+
ratio is appreciably low in all Sukinda Valley chromitites.
This chemical character is similar to the Yugoslavian
chromite deposits, which have been attributed to the
alpine type by Grafenauer (1977). According to Dickey
(1976), the low trace levels of titanium (up to 0.3%) and

the lack of significant correlation between titanium and

other major elements are also characteristic features of
alpine-type chromite deposits. The TiO2 content of Sukinda
Valley chromitites is low (0.25-0.65) but exceeds the limit
of 0.3% and does not have any significant correlation when
plotted against Fe2+/Mg.
The cell dimension of chromite varies from 8.324 to
8.235A, which decreases with the increase of A1203
(Fig. 10), but no such correlation exists with Cr203+
Fe203. A similar relationship between the cell dimension
and A1203 of chromite was also noted by Clark and Alley
(1932), MacGregor and Smith (1963), Chakraborty (1965),
and by Chakraborty and Mallik (1971).
Cr203 and MgO decrease and Al203 and FeO increase
concomittently from the bottom to the top chromitite
layers lying on the east of Tata's Camp (Chakraborty
1973). The NiO content first decreases and then increases
upward. A similar compositional variation also exists in a
vertical profile in three successive chromitite layers near
Saruabil at the eastern extremity. However, no such
systematic compositional variation has been observed in a
single chromitite layer. A decrease in Cr/Fe and Mg/Fe
values towards the upper chromitite seams has been
reported from the critical zone of the Bushveld Complex
by Cameron and Desborough (1969).
Genesis and Emplacement of Chromitites

Any model for genesis and emplacement of chromitites of

Sukinda Valley should satisfactorily explain a number of
intriguing problems such as: (a) the origin of the primary
magma and crystallization of the underlying ultramafic
rocks and the overlying chromitite layers; (b) the nature of
intrusion, whether alpine or stratiform type, and the rock

264
association; (c) the variation in mineralogy and chemical
characters of chromitites and its implication; (d) the mode
of emplacement of the chromiferous ultramafic rocks.
The chromiferous ultramafic belt of Sukinda Valley of
Orissa has been described by Banerjee (1982) as the
margin of two Archaean plates (e.g. Singhbhum craton
and the Eastern Ghats massif), but the rock association
and the regional structure, particularly the absence of
greywacke or high-grade metamorphic minerals, do not
seemingly suggest any pre-existing tectonic belt. That the
rocks suffered fold movements after the emplacement of
the ultramafites has been established by earlier workers
and the present team. As such, the chromite deposits of
the belt are prekinematic in nature as advocated by
Chatterjee and Banerjee (1964).
The dunite-peridotite underlying the Sukinda Valley
formed as olivine-rich cumulate from an ultramafic
magma, which was presumably derived through partial
fusion of subcrustal or mantle material at great depth and
was subsequently emplaced into the Precambrian IronOre Super Group of metasediments as a concordant sheet.
A hydrous magnesian melt could exist at a temperature
above 1,000C and serpentinization took place below
500 C. The absence of gabbroic rocks, their intermediate
and acid differentiates and the lack of rock association of
true ophiolite complex in the near vicinity of Sukinda
Valley all rule out the possibility of dunite-peridotite being
formed by fractional crystallization of a basaltic magma.
Alternate bands or thin laminae of chromite and
serpentine persistently occur in the overlying chromitite
layers throughout the ultramafic belt. The chromitites are
also dominantly cumulus in nature. The occurrence of successive layers of chromitite near Saruabil and Kalrangi,
one such layer being tracealbe up to a strike length of
1 kin, bear a striking similarity to the stratiform type. The
small lenses and pockets of chromitite at Kaliapani and
Kathapal, athough not very common, nevertheless simulate podiform chromite deposits (Thayer 1964). The repetition of chromitite layers in a vertical section at depth is
clearly brought out in drill sections. The cumulus texture
and persistent compositional banding in the chromitite
layers presumably originated by magmatic differentiation
and gravity settling of the early-formed chromite crystals.
A similar model has been suggested by various workers
(Jackson 1963, Irvine and Smith 1967, Cameron and
Desborough 1969, Ghisler 1970) to explain the mechanism
of formation of the Stillwater (Montana), Muskox (Canada), Bushveld (S. Africa) and Fiskenaesset (West Greenland) layered deposits. Banerjee (1972) described the
Sukinda Valley chromitites as alpine type. The present
authors think that the chromitites of Sukinda Valley are
truly stratiform in character and were deformed after
emplacement.
Olivine and enstatite crystals settled prior to chromite,
thus forming a sort of basement of dunite-peridotite, on
which the chromitite layers with serpentine intervals were
formed. The relative sequence of crystallization of olivine
and spinel from high magnesian melt is dependent on
oxygen fugacity, as established by Ulmer (1969) in the
system MgO - FeO - Cr20~ -A1203 at 1,300 C. At lower
oxygen fugacity, olivine initially crystallizes rather than
chromite. Spinel stability has a maximum in the Fo2 range
between 10 .5 and 10-7. The fluctuation of oxygen fugacity
during fractional crystallization is therefore a very attrac-

rive mechanism by which chromite layer formation may

be explained. Cameron and Desborough (1969) also emphasize that such processes were operative during chromitite layer formation of Bushveld Complex. Contamination with the older quartzite probably shifted the composition of magma of Sukinda Valley from ultramafic to
the liquidus field of chromite in the above system, thus
accelerating the crystallization of chromitite layers.
Similar interpretation was given by lrvine (1977) for the
Muskox and other layered complexes:
(a) Gradded bedding, cross-laminations and a predominance of fine-grain fractions of chromite in the upper
layers; (b) upward increase of Fe and A1 and depletion
in Cr and Mg; (c) the presence of primary sedimentary
structures, euhedral crystals, cumulus and "syneusis textures" in chromitites, these features resemble the chromitites associated with the layered complex. While the
Cr203 content of the Sukinda Valley chromitite is closely
similar to the chromitites of Great Dyke (Rhodesia),
the high magnesian olivine and the erratic behaviour of
titanium with respect to the major elements, however, suggest an alpine affinity of these chromites.
The systematic compositional variation and gravity
settling of the chromite crystals are possible where the
medium of crystallization remains undisturbed by the
absence of repeated injection, flowage or convection current. This mechanism of formation of the Sukinda Valley
chromitites was also supported by Sahoo and Kaaden
(1976). Enrichment of A130~ in the Sukinda Valley chromite might be possible in the process of equilibration by
magmatic reaction between the early-formed chromite and
the residual liquid. On the other hand, if chromite crystallizes at a constant temperature between 1,150 and
1,200C and constant FO2 = 10 -7, aluminium chromite
may be formed.
Log normal distribution of the chromite grains (as
revealed from straight line character of the cumulative
curves) and the persistence of the straight line character in
the size distribution of chromite grains in different chromitite layers, along with the increase in the proportion of
finer grains upward, may be attributed to the homogeneous population of the chromite grains and the role of a
single magmatic event (Chakraborty 1973). Banerjee
(1972) also predicted a single magma intrusion, followed
by the formation of dunite-peridotite and chromitite in
the ultramafic field of Sukinda Valley, Orissa.
Acknowledgement. The authors are thankful to M/S B.P. Gupta
and Sons who have done all the major element analyses of chromite. Financial help was received from C.S.I.R. and Jadavpur
University as research grants. Thanks are also due to M/S M.L.
Jain & Co., Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), Tata Iron and
Steel Co. (Tata), and the Geological Survey of India and Ferro
Alloy Corporation (FACOR) for their help and co-operation
during field work. They also permitted the authors to examine the
drill cores.
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Received: July 21, 1983

Accepted: February 2, 1984