Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)
DOI 10.1007/s00531-018-1639-1
GEOSITES
“Fish-hook” shape intrafolial fold train in quartzite–metapelite
band, Lunavada region, NE Gujarat, western India
“Fish-hook” folds, first described by Sorby (1879) based on their
appearance, are the folds having one limb extremely thinned as com-
pared to the other. “Intrafolial folds” (intra = inside; folia = foliation)
(Dennis 1987), earlier designated as “Drag folds” (Hills 1965) are the
folds of tight isoclinal and overturned nature developed within the
foliation related to synchronous shear (Carreras et al. 2005; Mukher-
jee 2013, 2014, 2015; Mukherjee et al. 2015). An intrafolial fold train
showing fish-hook shape appearance has been encountered within a
quartzite and metapelite band from the Lunavada region, NE Guja-
rat, western India, near Chandsar, along the banks of the Panam
River (N23°06′36.73″; E73°38′33.54″) (Fig. 1a, b). These meta-sed-
imentary rocks are of Mesoproterozoic age and belong to the Kadana
Formation of the Lunavada Group, Aravalli Supergroup (Gupta et al.
1997). These rocks were deformed thrice or more ­(D1 and ­D2—NE
trending tight/isoclinal folds; D
­ 3—NW striking open warps; Mamtani
et al. 2001) and affected by numerous NE–SW and NW–SE strike-slip
faults (Joshi et al. 2016).
The studied outcrop of “fish hook” folds consists of six antiforms
and five synforms. Dip isogon pattern within antiforms of the fold
A. U. Joshi (*) · M. A. Limaye · B. S. Deota 
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat 390002, India
e-mail: adityaujoshi@gmail.com
Received: 15 December 2017 / Accepted: 17 July 2018
© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018
sequence suggests that individual antiform crests tend from Class 1C
to Class 1B of Ramsay (1967), in a direction from left to right. On
account of transformation from 1C to 1B, the curvature is strong to
the left and gentle to the right. In case of synforms, the individual
folds show Class 1C at the trough and 1A towards the left (Fig. 1c).
The probable genesis of the “fish hook” folds as suggested earlier
by Ramsay and Huber, (1987), initiates with asymmetric folding
(Fig. 2a). In case of Lunavada region, the NE–SW principal shorten-
ing direction resulted during D
­ 3 deformation produced ductile shear
having top-to-left (top-to-SW) shear sense. Top-to-SW shear sense
has developed NW striking folds in quartzite intrafolially folded
with metapelite (garnet mica schist). A few biotite internal foliations
(S-internal) are found to be developed within quartzite. The marked
and uniform variation in limb thickness implies that the thinned por-
tions within the folded sequence experienced intense localized defor-
mation. Successive to the asymmetric folding developed on account
of top-to-SW ductile shear, the folds underwent further shear-induced
thinning of the limbs to produce the individual fish hook-shaped anti-
forms and synforms within the folded sequence (Fig. 2b).
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◂Fig.  1  a Synoptic view of the fish hook shape intrafolial fold train
with bag as a marker. Loc. Chandsar village (right bank of Panam
River). b Closer view of fish hook shape antiforms and synforms. c
Schematic diagram of intrafolial fold train suggesting variation in the
dip isogon pattern. Arrows indicate the shear direction
Fig. 2  Sketch highlighting genesis of fish hook folds. a Initiates with asymmetric folding. b Shear induced thinning of limbs on account of
localized deformation
Acknowledgements Authors thank Prof. L. S. Chamyal (Head,
Department of Geology, M. S. University Baroda) for providing nec-
essary facilities. We are grateful to the reviewer “Niko Froitzheim”
for numerous constructive suggestions and continuous encourage-
ment. We acknowledge anonymous Handling Editor, Editor-in-Chief:
Wolf-Christian Dullo for smooth coordination during review process.
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