576 JOURNALG.

GEOLOGICAL
SURESH ANDSOCIETY
OTHERSOF INDIA
Vol.75, April 2010, pp.576-595

Geology of Pulikonda and Dancherla Alkaline

Complexes, Andhra Pradesh

G. SURESH1, R. ANANTHANARAYANA2,, R. C. HANUMANTHU3, SUBHASISH GHOSH4,

A. ANIL KUMAR5 and K. V. S. REDDY5
Geological Survey of India
1
Training Institute, Bandlaguda, Hyderabad - 500 068; 2AMSE, Bengaluru - 560 078;
4
Geochronology Division, Kolkata -700 016; 5Bandlaguda, Hyderabad - 500 068
3
Department of Geology, S.V. University, Tirupati - 517 502

Abstract: Geological studies on saturated to oversaturated and subsolvus aegirine-riebeckite syenite bodies of the
Pulikonda alkaline complex and Dancherla alkaline complex were carried out. The REE distribution of the Dancherla
syenite shows a high fractionation between LREE and HREE. The absence of Eu anomaly suggests source from garnet
peridotite. The Pulikonda syenite shows moderate fractionation between LREE and HREE as reflected by enrichment of
HREE and moderate enrichment of LREE. The negative Eu anomaly indicates role of plagioclase fractionation.Three
distinct co-eval primary magmas i.e. mafic syenite-, felsic syenite- and alkali basalt magmas – all derived from low-
degrees of partial melting of mantle differentiates and enriched metasomatised lower crust played a major role in the
genesis and emplacement of the syenites into overlying crust along deep seated regional scale trans-lithospheric strike-
slip faults and shear zones following immediately after late-Archaean calc-alkaline arc magmatism at different time-
space episodes i.e. initially at craton margin and later on into the thickened interior of the Eastern Dharwar craton. The
ductile sheared and folded Pulikonda alkaline complex was evolved dominantly from the magmas derived from partial
melting of lower crust and minor juvenile magmas from mantle. Differentiation and fractionation by liquid immiscibility
of mafic magma and commingling-mixing of intermediate and felsic magmas followed by fractionational crystallisation
under extensional tectonics during waning stages of calc-alkaline arc magmatism nearer to the craton margin were
attributed as the main processes for the genesis of Pulikonda syenite complex. Commingling and limited mixing of
independent mantle derived mafic and felsic syenitic magmas and accompanying fractionation resulting into soda rich
and potash rich syenite variants was tentatively deduced mechanism for the origin of Dancherla, Danduvaripalle,
Reddypalle syenites and other bodies belonging to Dancherla alkaline complex at the craton interior. The Peddavaduguru
syenite was formed by differentiation of alkali mafic magma (gabbro to diorite) and it’s simultaneous mingling with
fractionated felsic syenitic magma under incipient rift. Vannedoddi and Yeguvapalli syenites were derived due to
desilicification and accompanying alkali feldspar mestasomatism of younger potash rich granites along Guntakal-Gooty
fault and along Singanamala shear zone respectively.
Dancherla syenite body has yielded a six point Rb-Sr whole rock isochron age of 2211±110 Ma with low initial
87
Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.7004±0.00046; MSWD = 5.8.The low initial Sr(i) ratio suggests mantle derived juvenile additions to
the crust. The Pulikonda syenite body yielded a six point whole rock isochron age of 1500 ±100 Ma with initial 87Sr/86Sr
ratio of 0.7085±0.0047 and MSWD = 2%. The higher initial Sr(i) value for this body suggests metasomatised source.
Resetting of Rb-Sr systematics has resulted younger age for Pulikonda syenite though it is supposed to be older as per
the geological setting and this anomaly is interpreted interms of repeated deformation and reactivation of shear zone,
emplacement of alkali granite into Pulikonda syenite and the role of Rudravaram shear zone (basement tectonics) in the
formation of the Nallamali fold belt of the Cuddapah Basin. Alkaline magmatism was initially triggered along microplate
margin tectonic setting and later confined to the intraplate tectonic setting.

Keywords: Syenites, Magma mingling and mixing, Eastern Dharwar craton, Andhra Pradesh.

INTRODUCTION Koppal (Sadasivaiah and Appannagoudar, 1972; Chadwick

The late Archaean alkaline magmatism is a rare and et al. 2001), Karnataka, Peninsular India and figures as one
unique phenomenon known so far only in the eastern block among such a few rare world occurrences viz. SE of
of Dharwar craton (EDC) in the form of a syenite body at Greenland, Lake Superior province of Canada and Eastern

0016-7622/2010-75-4-576/$ 1.00 © GEOL. SOC. INDIA

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010
 GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH
Gold Field of Yilgarn block of Australia. The EDC is studded
with a number of small and a few large aegirine and
riebeckite bearing syenite bodies of late Archaean to
Palaeoproterozoic age, which were confined to major
regional scale deep seated crustal weak zones located
to the west and south of the Cuddapah Basin such as the
“Dancherla alkaline complex” and “Pulikonda alkaline
complex” respectively. All the syenite bodies were emplaced
prior to the emplacement of mafic dyke swarms (MDS).
An attempt has been made to establish field relations,
petrographic characters, geochemistry and geochronology
of the alkali syenites.
Ratnakar and Leelanandam (1989), Ratnakar (2007,
2008), Ratnakar et al .(2008) and Srinivas et al. (2004) made
significant contributions on the Mesoproterozoic to
Neoproterozoic (~1400 to 600 Ma) intraplate alkaline
magmatism in the environs of the Prakasam alkaline
province (PAP) where the alkaline complexes were
emplaced at the eastern contact zone between the Dharwar
craton and the Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt (EGGB). The
deformed alkaline rocks and carbonatites (DARCs) were
resulted from the deformation of alkaline rocks and
carbonatites (ARCs) which originally intruded into intra-
continental rifts and preserved on rifted continental margins
during collision wherein ancient or vanished oceans have
been opened and then closed (Leelanandam et al. 2006).
The DARCs lie on suture zones along the western margin
of the EGGB and possibly throughout the full length of
the Great Indian Proterozoic Fold Belt (GIPFOB). Ocean
opening along the rifted margins of the Archaean cratons
may have begun by ca ~ 2000 Ma and convergent plate
margin phenomenon has left records within the Great Indian
Proterozoic Fold Belt and on the neighbouring cratons
starting at ~1800 Ma. Final continental collisions were over
by 500 Ma. Madhavan et al (1994) identified enriched
alkaline and subalkaline nature of alkali riebeckite syenites
(Racherla, Giddaluru and Idamakollu) and hedenbergite
syenite (Gundlapalle) respectively intruding into Nallamalai
fold belt (NFB) of the Cuddapah Basin (CB). Madhavan
(2002) classified alkaline provinces of India into Cuddapah
intrusive province, Southern Indian peninsular province,
Deccan province, Vindhyan province, Bastar province and
Shillong province. Mazumder et al. (2000) indicated three
episodes of alkaline magmatism viz (1) alkaline complexes
emplaced at the junction of EGMB and craton(s) at 1600
to1200 Ma, (2) alkaline rocks emplacement in Southern
Granulite Terrane around 750 Ma and alkaline dykes of
Kanakapura in Southern Karnataka at aound 820 Ma and
(3) Pan-African alkaline magmatic event (~550 Ma) in
Kerala.
JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010
577
Lassen et al. (2000) studied the late-Archaean silica
undersaturated alkaline bodies of ~2680 Ma old in the
western Quetico belt, Superior Province, Ontario, Canada.
They are formed from mantle derived melts and displaying
evidences of magma mingling. Smithies and Champion
(1999) suggested origin of felsic alkaline intrusives
emplaced in the granite-greenstone terrane of the Eastern
Gold Fields, Yilgarn craton (~2650 and 2630), Western
Australia, due to crustal delamination or convective
thinning of a denser garnet-rich lower crust that resulted
from extraction of earlier voluminous granite magma.
Janne Blighert Toft et al. (1995) studied late-Archaean
(~ 2700 Ma old) Skjoldungen alkaline igneous province,
SE Greenland wherein alkaline magmas were emplaced into
a ~2800 Ma Archaean gneissic basement. The alkaline
rocks show coherent geochemistry suggesting a petrogenetic
relationship and derived from regional mantle derived
mafic parental magma and they resemble potassic rocks
from modern arcs. Flux melting of OIB lithosphere in a
mantle wedge overlying subduction zone established
these late-Archaean alkaline complexes as one of the
earliest manifestation of modern plate-tectonic processes.
Four granite magma series were evolved at ~2750 Ma to
2670 Ma from the Archaean Abitibi Southern volcanic –
plutonic zone and the Pontaic sub-province, Superior
province, Canada (Rui Feng and Rob Kerrich, 1992).The
evolution reflects subduction, magma generation and
differentiation processes that typify modern arc systems
followed by collision. Primitive magmas of the shoshonitic
series may have been derived from low degrees of
partial melting of a depleted mantle wedge previously
metasomatised by alkaline rich fluids released from a
subducting slab.
REGIONAL GEOLOGY
The Archaean granite-greenstone terrane of the EDC
represents a calc-alkaline arc granitoid batholith (Chadwick
et al. 2000) with accreted segments of intervening narrow
linear greenstone belts of inner-arc type which along
with intrusive synkinematic granitoids accreted on to the
western block of the Dharwar craton. Gopal Reddy and
Suresh (1993, 1998, 2004), Suresh et al. (1996, 1998, 2003,
2005) and Reddy (1998) identified four magma suites similar
to those magmatic series associated with Abitibi greenstone
belt i.e. (1) tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite gneiss
suite (TTG), (2) tonalite-granodiorite-monzogranite (TGM)
suite, (3) monzogranite-syenogranite suite (MS suite) and
(4) granite and alkalifeldspar granite suite (AFGS) i.e. shear
controlled post-orogenic granites (Suresh and Rao, 1994)
578 G. SURESH AND OTHERS
and anorogenic A-type granite suite (Zakaulla et al. 1998;
Sarvothaman, 1996). TGM suite was evolved mainly due
to mingling and mixing of co-eval mafic and felsic magmas
and accompanying fractional crystallisation processes in
calc-alkaline arc environment.
Greenstone belts were invariably subjected to regional
scale sinistral ductile shearing mostly along their eastern
contacts with the granitoids forming major late-Archaean
sutures/terrane boundaries in the EDC (Swami Nath et al.
1976; Drury et al.1984). Important of them are: (1) the
eastern margin of the Chitradurga schist belt (boundary
between WDC and EDC) with the emplacement of the
Koppal alkali syenite body, (2) the Hutti-Kolar suture hosting
major Dancherla alkaline complex, A-type granites and other
minor alkaline bodies, (3) the Rudravaram-Tsundupalli
suture associated with the deformed Pulikonda alkaline
complex, (4) the Velikonda-Shernawala line separating the
Nallamali fold belt (NFB) and the Nellore schist belt (NSB)
and (5) Mesoproterozoic suture between the EDC and the
Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB) comprising Prakasam
alkaline province (PAP). The Rudravaram and Velikonda
shear zones were further reactivated as post-Cuddapah
thrusts and between these thrust zones a parallel crustal weak
zone was formed within Nallamalai fold belt (NFB). This is
known as Racherla-Sagileru-Cheyyeru line which was later
occupied by alkali syenites, lamproites and minor
ultrapotassic flows (Reddy, 1999). The tectono-magmatic
events of EDC with reference to alkaline magmatism are
shown in Table 1.
GEOLOGICAL SET-UP OF SYENITES
Pre-granitic, pre-migmatitic, brittle-ductile sheared and
folded Pulikonda alkaline complex (PAC) was emplaced
nearer to the craton margin along a terrane boundary/
suture zone marked by Tsundupalli schist belt definining
the eastern accretionary terrane boundary of EDC i.e.
Rudravaram shear zone (steep easterly dipping) located to
the south of the Cuddapah Basin (CB) in Cuddapah and
Chittoor districts, A.P. This complex comprises Pulikonda
syenite (PKS), alkali granite, albitite and pegmatite. Post-
granite, undeformed Dancherla alkaline complex (DAC) was
emplaced into the thickened craton interior and located to
the west and southwest of Palaeoproterozoic Cuddapah
Basin in Anantapur district, A.P. This complex comprises a
number of syenite bodies located at Dancherla (DCS),
Peddavaduguru (PGS), Vannedoddi (Errakonda-VNS),
Chintalacheruvu (CCS), Danduvaripalle (DVPS) and
Reddypalle (RPS). The location and the geological maps of
syenite bodies are shown in the Figs.1-9. The salient features
of the syenites are given in Table 2. The syenites contain
mafic microgranular dyke-lets and enclaves (mafic syenites)
indicating spectacular coexistence of mafic and felsic
syenitic magmas exhibiting dominantly magma mingling
character with limited mixing nature and are characterised
by the presence of multiple syenite phases i.e. mafic phases
and felsic phases.
PKS dominantly comprises medium to fine grained grey
aegirine-augite/aegirine-riebeckite bearing meso-syenite
which shows differentiation into buff coloured leuco-
syenite/pegmatite (monzonite and alkali feldspar syenite).
Medium grained dark greyish green melasyenite (aegirine-
augite–apatite and sphene rich shonkinite) occurs
subordinately as an early phase (aegirine cumulates) and
occurs as oval shaped pods and lenses confined to
mesosyenite. Locally the leuco seggregations gradually
coalesce into patches of pale pink to leuco / grey meso
syenite. Rarely seen are the mesosyenitic enclaves within
melasyenite. Mesosyenite differentiates into leuco globular
seggregations (leuco-syenite) with dominant riebeckite
and biotite±tourmaline and fluorite. The magnetite and
ilmeno-magnetite bearing pegmatite patches are enriched
by albite, opaques, riebckite and biotite. Locally the
differentiates are seen as bands rich in potassium feldspar
interbanded with plagioclase rich (± concentrically zoned
plagioclases) bands. PKS is intruded by profuse injections
of biotite granite, syenite and granite pegmatite and aegirine-
riebeckite alkali granite i.e. association with bimodal
granites. The pegmatites show development of megacrysts
of green aegirine-augite which are being replaced by
riebeckite, hornblende ± actinolite, epidote, biotite pyrite,
magnetite and tourmaline at the contact areas. The syenite
is enriched with riebeckite along contacts and the amphibole
and biotite are seen replacing aegirine-augite towards south
where melasyenite tapers down and occur as small enechelon
lenses. PKS comprises two types of mafic syenites and felsic
syenites -an early formed ‘mafic rich melasyenite’ and later
formed mafic syenite phase intrusive into meso to leuco
syenites . Similarly two generations of meso to leuco syenites
are found i.e. (a) syenite forming after differentiation from
an early formed mafic rich syenite and (b) later formed an
independent syenite phase, thus exhibiting a complex
magmatic history.
The syenites at the craton interiors are intrusive into calc-
alkaline expanded granitoid suites as well into late to post-
orogenic granitoid suite.They were emplaced in tensional
to trans-tensional weak zones, trending in NNW-SSE and
NNE-SSW directions, of regional scale deep-seated crustal
planes in the form of conjugate sets of strike-slip fault
zones/brittle shear zones (lineaments) showing sinistral and
JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010
 GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH 579

Table 1. Five episodes of the Precambrian alkaline magmatism in the Dharwar craton, southern India
Episode
5. Neoproterozoic alkaline intrusives
(~800 Ma)
4. Mesoproterozoic post Cuddapah
alkaline intrusives (~1350-1100 Ma)
Upper Cuddapah sediments
Palaeo to Mesoproterozoic lower
Cuddapah sediments
(~1800-2000 Ma)
Mafic dyke swarms (MDS)
(~1800 - 2400 Ma)
3 .Meso- to Palaeoproterozoic
pre-Cuddapah alkaline intrusives
2. Palaeoproterozoic alkali
intrusives (~2300 Ma)
AFGS (postorogenic and anorogenic
granitoids) suite-(~2400 -2200 Ma)
MS suite (~2500-2400 Ma)
1. Late-Archaean alkali syenite
intrusives (2500-2400 Ma)
TGM suite (~2600-2700 Ma)
Dharwar greenstone belts
(~2600-2900 Ma)
TTG suite (~3100 to 2900 Ma)
Rock types
Alkali syenites and lamprophyres
Minor Riebeckite syenites; nepheline
syenites; major gabbro-anorthosites,
lamproites (~1400 Ma), lamprophyres
and kimberlites (1100 Ma).
Minor synsedimentary acid to basic and
ultrapotassic flows and mafic dykelets
Sediments associated with acid and basic
intrusives and flows
Dolerite and gabbro mafic dykes with minor
ultramafites, anorthosites, granophyres and
alkali gabbro dykes and basic subvolcanic
variants
Alkali syenite, pyroxenite, gabbro, anorthosite,
dolerite and granophyre
Alkali syenite
Granite, alkali feldspar granite and syenite
Granite, monzogranite and monzosyenite
(~Closepet granite and charnockite) and nearer
to southern craton marginal area
Alkali syenite and hornblendite-diorite
(± A-type granite)
Tonalite-granodiorite-monzogranite;
MMD and MME; hornblendite-diorite /
appinite; monzodiorite /syenite,lamprophyre
and trondhjemite (remobilised TTG gneisses)
Meta-basic and meta-acid volcanics (± minor
metaultrmafic flows); metasediments, volcanic
conglomerate, metatuff and BIF
Older mafic gneisses and tonalite trondhjemite
gneisses, granulites, high grade meta-pelites,
fuchsite quartzites etc
Area / Equivalent
Kanakapura-Harohalli area, Karnataka. Southern
central marginal zone of Dharwar craton
(transitional to Southern Granulite Terrane)
Prakasam alkaline province (PAP). Contact zone
(Marginal zone) of Dharwar craton and Eastern
Ghats Granulite belt. Lamproites in Nallamalai
fold belt. Kimberlite fields in craton interior.
Confined to the Nallamali fold belt (NFB)
Intracratonic sedimentary basin in the Eastern
Dharwar craton
Within Eastern Dharwar craton.
Peddavaduguru syenite. Interior central part of
the Eastern Dharwar craton.
Syenite bodies of Dancherla, Danduvaripale,
Reddypalle etc. Interiors and central part of
the Eastern Dharwar craton. Pikkili syenite of
Southern Granulite Terrane
Interiors and central part of the Eastern Dharwar
craton along boundary of major granite bodies.
Vannedoddi and Yeguvaplli syenites
Western part of the Eastern Dharwar craton
Nearer to western boundary of the Eastern
Dharwar craton (Koppal syenite ) and nearer to
eastern bouindary of the Eastern Dharwar craton
(Pulikonda syenite)
Eastern Dharwar craton
Eastern Dharwar craton
Eastern Dharwar craton

dextral shifts respectively (Fig.3). Its manifestation was in
the form of emplacement of post-orogenic granites such as
the granites of Gooty, Nagasamudram, Singanamala,
Salkamcheruvu, Bukkapatnam, Puttaparthi and anorogenic
A-type granites such as Dorigallu and Peravali and shallow
level alkali-syenite intrusives such as Dancherla.
Subsequently the NNW to NW, NNE to NE and WNW-
ESE and ENE-WSW trending fault systems / shear zones
were reactivated during the Post-Cuddapah times. The
Gani-Kalava fault system (Dhone-Jonnagiri-Uravakonda-
Lattavaram fault trending in NNE to NE direction) and
Venkatampalli fault system (Kalyandurg-Venkatampalli-
Anumpalli-Peddavaduguru-Jakkalcheruvu fault system
trending ENE) and Bellary-Guntakal-Gooty-Cuddapah fault
system (WNW trending) are noteworthy and along
intersections of these zones kimberlites and lamprophyres
were emplaced around 1100 Ma.
The DCS is composed of a zone of NNW and NNE
trending intrusives (swarms) and dominantly consisting of
pink syenite to quartz syenite (orthosyenite to nordmarkite)

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

580 G. SURESH AND OTHERS

o
o

74
o
76 78
o
RUDRAVARAM LINE 80

N-V
VELIGONDA LINE

o
KB
16

1 2 35
CB
4

LS 6
LS

LS
7
o

14 SHIMOGA 8
N-V
LS
KOLAR MADRAS
BANGALORE
a

MYSORE
o c
12 b
M
At
0 100 KM
d e

Phanerozoic cover P-Ca

Proterozoic COIMBATORE
supracrustals PALGHAT
Migmatites and granitoid plutons P-Ca g
CAUVERY
f DELTA
Archaean supracrustals

Archaean gneiss/granulite
Archaean thrust
Boundaries of high
Archaean strains in western
Karnataka (LS = Low strain) A
NB
Northern limits of granulites
Major Proterozoic dykes WSB ESB
Bounadries of high late
Proterozoic (?) strain A EG
Regional movements in TRIVANDRUM
late Proterozoic (?)
SB
Late Proterozoic (?) fabrics

Fig.1. Location map of syenites shown in regional tectonic map of EDC (after Drury et al. 1984).
Tectonic map of South India (after Drury et al. 1984). Bold dot-dash line indicates the western limit of a positive Bouguer gravity
anomaly (Kaila and Bhatia, 1981). The Mesoproterozoic Cuddapah and Kaladgi basins are indicated by CB and KB;
Neoproterozoic shear zones of high strain are: N-V, Nallamalai-Velikonda; M-B, Moyar-Bhavani; At, Attur; P-Ca, Palghat-Cauvery;
A, Achankovil; lower case letters a-g are granulite massifs; a--Coorg; b -- Biligirirangan (B-R); c -- Shevroi; d -- Nilgiri; e --
Kollimalai; f -- Annamalai; g -- Palni. The inset shows the main Archaean blocks in South India. EG -- Eastern Ghats; NB --
Northern block; WSB -- Western sub-block; EB -- Eastern sub-block; SB -- Southern block.

Syenite : 1. Koppal 2. Dancherla 3. Vannedoddi

4. Peddavaduguru 5.Chintalacheruvu . 6 Danduvaripalle 7.Reddypalle and 8. Pulikonda.

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010
Characteristics of Pulikonda (Fig.2)
Syenite bodies.
Size (length and width) 9 km x 2 km
Shape Linear wedge shaped but
at the southern end. The
body occurs as fine grained
enechelon (sinistral shifts)
linear lenses
Trend of the body NNW-SSE to NW-SE
Dominant phase / variant Mesocratic medium to fine
grained alkali feldspar syenite,
monzonite to quartz syenite
Minor phase/ variant Early porphyritic syenite
(Associated mafic phase) differentiating into leuco-
cratic syenitic / pegmatoidal
Patches and mafic rich
porphyritic phase.
Sizeable and minor mafic
rich shonkinite pods, lenses
and bands with seggregations
of leucosyenite matrix.
Mineralogy Major Aegirine/aegirine-augite,
microcline perthite,
plagioclase feldspar±
hornblende and biotite.
Minor Riebeckite, apatite, sphene±
secondary hornblende,
actinolite and biotite
Accessories ±quartz, fluorite, calcite
zircon and melanite garnet
Magmatic state L-S fabrics Presence of minor disrupted
and primary magma mafic syenite dykelets and
features (magma mingling enclaves, dominant seggregtion
and mixing ) of meso to leucocratic globular
felsic potash rich patches
(seggregate texture) from soda
melasyenite(liquid immiscibility),
pseudo-porphyritic; primary
foliation in the form of mafic
Table 2. Salient features of the syenites
Dancherla (Fig.4)
7 km x 2 km (swarms in
a zone)
Oval shaped “V” shaped
body with detached left
arm and to tabular
dykelets (swarms)
NNW-SSE and NNE-SSW
Medium to coarse grained
leuco to mesocratic
porphyritic syenite, quartz-
syenite and monzonite
Pegmatoidal and fine grained
leucocratic phase. Mafic rich
enclavial phase.
Mafic rich shonkinite dykelets
and enclaves
Aegirine, microcline perthite,
orthoclase and plagioclase
Riebeckite,apatite, sphene
and quartz
Opaques, calcite, fluorite
and zircon.
Presence of dominant disrupted
mafic syenite dykelets and
enclaves, flow foliation in the
form of mafic schlieren banding,
alignment of mafics and feldspar
phenocrysts as parallel bands,
bands of coarse pegmatoidal
variant with medium /fine grained
variant (compositional banding),
Peddavaduguru
(Fig.5)
1.5 km x 100 m
Dyke
N20E –S20W to N40E-S40W
Medium grained mesocratic
alkali feldspar quartz syenite
with minor monzonite to
syenite.
Leuco porphyritic syenite
Fine grained autoliths in
both the syenite phases.
Titanaugite bearing gabbro-
diorite
Microcline and plagioclase.
Biotite,epidote,amphibole,
quartz, calcite and chlorite
Opaques, augite, sphene
±calcite and fluorite
Hypiodiomorphic granular;
mantled feldspars; presence
of fine grained amphibole and
opaque rich autoliths;
phenocrysts ,miarolitic cavities
filled by quartz ,calcite etc.
Differentiation of gabbro
into diorite and to seggregations
patches of syenite. Presence
Danduvaripalle
(Fig. 8)
~500 x 500 m
Oval shaped plug
NNE-SSW
Coarse leucocratic syenite
(alkali feldspar syenite/
syenite)
Pegmatoidal syenite and
minor mafic syenite
enclaves
Aegirine, microcline,
Perthite, orthoclase and
plagioclase
Riebeckite, apatite, sphene
and quartz
Opaques, calcite, fluorite
and zircon
Igneous textures, magmatic
banding presence of a few
mafic syenite enclaves,
seggregation of very coarse
pegmatoidal patches and
advanced stages of mingling
with minor enclaves
Reddypalle
(Fig.9)
~100 x 100 m
GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH
Circular shaped plug
N-S
Pegmatoidal syenite
( Alkali feldspar syenite
and syenite).
Minor ultramafic-mafic
enclaves. Coarse leuco-
syenite
Aegirine, microcline
perthite, orthoclase and
plagioclase.
Riebeckite, apatite, sphene
and quartz
Opaques , calcite, fluorite
and zircon.
Igneous textures, magmatic
banding presence of a few
mafic syenite enclaves,
seggregations of very
coarse pegmatoidal patches.
Advanced stages of mingling
with minor enclaves
581

Table 2.. Contd...
Characteristics of Pulikonda (Fig.2)
Syenite bodies.
schlieren banding, alignment of
mafics and feldspar phenocrysts
as parallel bands and bands of
coarse to pegmatoidal variant
with medium/fine grained
mesocratic variant
(compositional banding).
Microphenocrystic, poikilitic
and seriate textures are found.
Enclaves/ xenoliths Linear bands and enclaves of
schist belt (amphibolite,
meta-acid volcanics) ranging
in size up to a meter and linear
bands of melasyenite variants.
Along contact at places seen
presence of garnets in the
syenites.
Mineralisation Albitised zones within
granites and at the contacts
with dolerites, gold upto 36 ppb
and uranium is reported.
Magnetite and ilmenite
bearing pegmatites contain
0.1% W and syenite comprises
gold values of 225 ppb and
syenite is being used as
dimension stone
JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010
Tectonic zone and Close to the craton margin,
possible magma type emplaced in ductile shear
along tensional zone after
calc- alkaline arc magmatism
but before collision and finally
sheared due to formation of
Nallamali fold belt. Alkaline
mafic and felsic syenitic
magmas
Located by Reported by Kazimi (1985);
main body by Koteswara Rao
and Sreeramachandra Rao
(2001) and extensions by
Hemanth Kumar (2003)
Dancherla (Fig.4)
rapakivi texture (with mantled
feldspars) and segregatory textures, within diorite. Magma
miarolitic cavities filled by
quartz etc. Magma mingling is
dominant but at places subordinate
mixing. The mafic dykelets intrude
felsic syenites even during
pegmatite stage.
Small angular blocks of
granitoid at places rarely with
digested enclaves, syenite veins
occur as breccia fillings.
Also contain small sized mafic
syenite enclaves.
Along shear planes minor
fluorite-calcite vein lets
and disseminations of
sulfides are found.
Craton interior-
occupying tensional
fractures trending
NNW and NNE.
(post-collisional)
Alkaline- mafic and
felsic syenitic magmas
Suresh and Jaiswal
(2003)
582
Peddavaduguru Danduvaripalle Reddypalle
(Fig.5) (Fig. 8) (Fig.9)
of syenite patches
mingl ing with meso and
felsic syenites
Country rock enclaves are Granodiorite and Granite
absent. Early phase of granite
fine grained oval shaped
‘autoliths’ of a few
cm size are found
G. SURESH AND OTHERS
Calcite-fluorite veins in Calcite- fluorite veins Calcite-fluorite veins
ENE trending fractures. in fractures. in fractures.
It is used as dimension
stone.
Craton interior-occupying Craton Interior, occurring Emplaced along
tensional fractures(Post- as small plugs (post- tensional zone in
collisional). Alkaline collisional). mafic and Kadiri-Kolar suture
mafic -intermediate and felsic syenitic magmas (post-collisional); craton
felsic syenitic magmas Interior after calc-
alkaline arc magmatism.
Alkaline mafic and
felsic syenitic magmas.
Viswanathan and Gopal Reddy and Suresh et al. (2005).
Ghosh Roy, (1976-77) Suresh (1993)
 GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH 583

14° 00'
KEY MAP
Tsundupalle
PD
Bahuda river

Hyderabad
Andhra Pradesh
M
5
1
PULIKONDA Cuddapah basin
2 75 Area in map
Settipalle (Pulikonda syenite)

0 5 Km

5 INDEX
1,2

Nulankalva Quartz reef

Mafic dyke / Porphyritic
PD
F mafic dyke
F
Granite

2 Syenite with injections of

3 Marella
granite and pegmatite
Garnimitta Tonalite and granodiorite
75
4 Acid-Intermediate
meta-volcanics with minor
metabasics
Schistose metapelite
Timmapuram (+ crd + gt + sl.)
er
a Riv

M Migmatite
Pinch

Vagalla
75 Joint / Foliation
F
78° 48' 20" F Shear Zone / Fault
13° 45' Base map after Hemanth Kumar, et.al, 2003 78° 57' 30"
Syenites : 1. Mesosyenite, 2. Meso fine syenite, 3. Meta biotite - aegirine syenite
Fig.2. Geological and stuctural map of Pulikonda syenite. 1 - Mesosyenite, 2 - Meso-fine syenite, 3 - Mela biotite-aegirine syenite,
4 - Leuco opaque rich fine syenite and 5 - Aegirine granite.

with subordinate mesocratic monzosyenites.They emplaced
into wedge shaped brittle shear bounded Nagasamudram
pink granite. The variants are coarse to medium grained
(± miarolitic cavities), fine grained, porphyritic and
pegmatoidal varieties and leucosyenite(± quartz syenite).
The Dancherla syenite consists of minor contemporaneous
disrupted medium grained mafic rich syenite (shonkinite rich
in aegirine-augite, aegirine, apatite and sphene) dykelets and
cuspate shaped mafic micro-granular enclaves associated
with dominant leuco-syenite and it’s limited mixing had
resulted meso-monzosyenite. It is undeformed but locally
affected by very narrow thin mylonite planes which are
occupied by fluorite – copper sulfide veinlets trending in
NNW and NNE directions and also by WNW and ENE
trending strike-slip fracture planes (altered) displaying sub-
horizontal lineations. Both the DCS and PGS are typical of
high level near surface intrusives as they locally contain
miarolitic cavities and characterised by mantled feldspars.

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

584 G. SURESH AND OTHERS

77° 45'
FD
BCS
III

77° 20' JSB

15° 15'
15° 15' BCS Black cotton soil
F F
K Kimberlite
F
CB Cuddapah basin
FC
80
10
CB AN GP Anorthosite / Granophyre dyke

F Sy G Syenite; A-type granite

I
BCS 60 Alkalifeldspar granite - Syenogranite
SY 3 Amphibolite with quartz-diorite
Monzogranite - Syenogranite
F
FV Tonalite - granodiorite - Monzogranite 2 Gabbro-anorthosite
FC
S JSB JKSB Jonnagiri schist belt / Julakalva schist belt 1 Amphibolite with trondhjemite
FS Gooty F
F F Fault
F
F F2 Plunging Fold Synform Antiform
FS - FS Singanamala fault
F
BCS Cross fold FV - FV Venkatampalli fault
F
VAJRAKARUR F
K F GP Brittle to brittle - ductle
K K FD - FD Done - Jonnagiri - Uravakonda fault
K F Shear zone with fracture cleavage
15° F SY F F 15°
F Shear sense FR - FR Ragulapadu - Pappuru fault
K F2
K CB FC - FC Cuddapah-Gooty-Bellary fault
FR Ductile shear to ductile brittle shear zone
F 10

3 F Low dipping shears

K
F
FV F Trend line
SY F
I Erragudi diapir
2
AN F II Korivipalle diapir
F II III Pattikonda diapir

JKSB

AN 14° 45'
F F
F
KEY MAP
Narpala GP F
AN
GP
AN CB
SY
Hyderabad
F
Andhra Pradesh
FR
77° 45' 14° 35'

FS
Cuddapah basin
Area in map 0 5 15 Km
10

Scale

Fig.3. Regional geological and tectonic map of Gooty-Narpala area.

Locally, sizeable pink pegmatite bodies with very coarse meso and leuco-syenites (quartz-syenite) contain fine
ageirine-riebeckite needles are exposed to the SE of grained autoliths. Danduvaripalle and Reddypalle syenites
Dancherla where rare granite pegmatite veinlets are also are similar to DCS comprising two phases i.e. syenite and
seen traversing syenite pegmatite. pegmatoidal with minor mafic syenite enclaves and intruded
The Peddavaduguru mesocratic syenite (PGS) is a by pegmatites. Vannedoddi ( Errakonda) and Yeguvapalle
composite dyke wherein the titanaugite-apatite rich gabbro syenites (monzosyenite to alkali feldspar syenite) occur as
differentiating into berkevikite-arfvedsonite-bearing diorite oval shaped bodies (± barytes, quartz, specular haematite
was emplaced first and followed by intrusion of (greenish and calcite) of a few tens of metres in size associated
pink) mela and meso- biotite syenites which were mutually with granite of MS and AFGS suites and emplaced along
net-veined thus exhibiting a magma mingling feature. It is regional crustal scale faults. To the SE of Tondapadu on
medium grained porphyritic at the centres and fine grained Gooty–Tadipatri national highway, a minor occurrence of
at the margins and also containing miarolitic cavities and spodumene and beryl are found associated with the
druses of quartz-epidote-carbonate etc towards NE part of deformed and metasomatised quartz-pegmatite reef
the body where biotite is the dominant mafic mineral. Diorite trending in WNW-ESE direction. The Danduvaripalle
locally differentiates into pathces of monzodiorite/syenite syenite emplaced along regional scale Ragulapadu fault
with the increase of microcline, biotite and quartz. Both the which off-sets Penakacherla schist belt, TTG gneisses

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

 GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH 585

0
0 77 30'
77 25'
Sy D
AMINAPALLI
P
D 0
0 15
15 Sy DR-TN-MMD-Me
10
10 KA
L Pg Por.Sy PGGd
N TA Pg PG INDEX
GU Hb-Dr Hb-Dr
TO PATAKOTHA CHERUVU
NAKKANADODDI K Kimberlite
PG Hb-Dr
P-g PG
Pg TO G/D Gabbro / Dolerite
G PG PG G
G P Hb-Dr O
Gd O Aegirine-riebeckite bearing syenite / Syenite pegmatite (SP)
TY
P Psy Ad SP
with enclaves of mafic rich syenite
Qs DANCHERLA
P-g Granite-Alkali feldspar granite (MS Suite)
Ad Sp
Tonalite - granodiorite - monzogranite (TGM Suite)
Qs
Ad with microgranitoid dykelets & enclaves
D Psy Hb-Dr Hornblendite - Dolerite

F F Fault
P-g Ad
P-g F1 F1 Singanamala Fault (Brittle ductile shear
with Sinistral sense)
F2 DJVU Dona - Jonnagiri - Vajrakarur - Uravakonda fault
F Ad
D 0
0 15
15 F2 Fracture
D D PG 5'
5'
F VENKATAMPALLI Shear Plane
LT

F PG
AU

F P) Foliation
V UF

F Litho contact
DJ

F
NAGASAMUDRAM
F
F Flourite
F1 F
K Magmatic Foliation

CHINTALAMPALLI R Rapakivi Syenite

M 1000 500 0 500 1 Km Pg = Pink granite
Ad = Monzogranite
SI P = Pegmatite
NG
AN PSy Porphyritic Syenite
AM
AL Zone of miarolitic cavities
A QS Quartz syenites
FA F
UL
T
0 0
15 F F1 15
0 0 0 0'
77 25' 77 30'

Fig.4. Geological map of Dancherla syenite.

and granites in its NW exension and is also locally occupied disaggregation of mafic enclaves into mafic clusters/
by later mafic dykes. The Chintalacheruvu syenite is a seggregates, (3) armoured grains i.e feldspars mantled by
small relict pink coloured, medium grained, aegirine bearing mafics, (4) potassium feldspars mantled by plagioclase
linear relict body found within granite and contains feldspar (rapakivi texture) and multiple oscillatory rims of
mafic rich enclaves. These enclaves are injected by alkali alternately arranged potassium and plagioclase feldspars
granite/ pegmatite leucosomes. Late- stage potash feldspar i.e.interaction of soda magma series and potash magma
growths are common. Quartz, epidote and chlorite veins series, (5) occurrence of quenched aegirine augite and apatite
are found along fracture planes. Reddypalle syenite is a needles in syenites and (6) the poikilitic and sieve textures,
small oval shaped body emplaced into AFGS suite and sieve texture between mafics and felsics and between
emplaced along western sheared contact zone of the Kadiri microcline and plagioclase feldspar and seriate texture and
schist belt. presence of felsic inclusions in mafics and vice-versa
indicate magma mixing character. The replacement of
microcline perthites by antiperthites and perthites by non-
PETROGRAPHY
perthitic K-feldspar and vice-versa also noticed. Medium
The evidences for magma mingling and mixing of mafic grained (euhedral to subhedral) to fine grained,
syenite and felsic syenites are: (1) intrusion of shonkinite hypidiomorphic granular, porphyritic and pegmatoidal
into coarse/pegmatoidal syenite as mafic microgranular textures are found in all syenites described below.
syenite dykelets which disrupted into cuspate shaped Pulikonda syenite (PKS): The mafics (made up of 70%
microgranular mafic syenite enclaves, (2) the clustering of in shonkinite) are essentially made-up of green aegirine-
mafics and felsics and formation of mafic schleiren banding, augite in association with minor to accessory riebeckite,

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

586 G. SURESH AND OTHERS

15° 00' 52" patches (string, braided veins and patches etc) or marginal
MIDUTUR TN grains or medium grained intergranular type.The perthitic
85
D
Hb Ad
phenocrystic microcline contain inclusions of plagioclase
P Gd TN
FL
Ad MMD PEDDAVADUGURU (granular aggregates), quartz, opaques, sphene, titanaugite,
Hb-DR
FL
Ad
epidote etc (sieve texture). Opaques, sphene and apatite
P Gd

PEDDA VANKA
D P Gd
AT
G occur as inclusions within aegirine which also occur as
individual or clustered grains. Replacement of plagioclase
P Gd
by microcline leaves patches or worm like relicts.
1000 m 0 1 Km
Concentrically zoned hexagonal / double hexagonal shaped
15° 00' 15" 77° 40'

INDEX
o
AT- AUTOLITH ZONE 77 45'
FL-FLOURITE VEINLETS / DISSEMINATIONS
FOLIATION F
ZONE OF MIAROLYTIC CAVITIES
G
GABBRO - DIORITE D DOLERITE
F
0 250 500 750 1000m

PORPHYRITIC LEUCOSYENITE

BIOTITE-HORNBLENDE-AUGITE MONZO-SYENITE / SYENITE

80
TN PG d Ad TONALITE (TN) / PORPHYRITIC GRANODIORITE (PGD) / MONZOGRANITE (AD)

HORNBLENDITE - DIORITE (Hb-Dr); MICRO GRANITOID MAFIC DYKELET (MMD) 80

Hb-DR MMD

85
Fig.5. Geological map of Peddavaduguru syenite.

sphene, opaques and apatite. The schistose hornblende 85 80 F

o o
syenite exhibits original pyroxene characters like twinning, 15 80
F
D
15
0
0'
extinction etc (the original protolith could be coarse
85
pyroxene syenite). Here the feldspars are feebly twinned, 80 10

strain shadowed, saussuritised and epidotised. At places the

mafic rich schistose monzosyenite is seen with seriate and 80

poikilitic textures containing dominantly brown biotite F

F
enclosing bottle green coloured aegirine, sphene and CHINTALA CHERUVU

opaques. The fine grained (aplite) luecosyenite is enriched F 15

in pyrite and contain minor epidote, sphene, apatite and

with actinolite. The brittle-ductile deformed alkali-feldspar 85 80
o
77 45'
granite is made-up of perthitic microcline and quartz with
minor sericitised plagioclase feldspars, aegirine, riebeckite
Gulcheru conglomerate Cuddapah
and actinolite -- quartzite basin
Brittle-ductile deformational features are almost Unconformity

ubiquitous with the presence of parallely aligned (schistosity) D

D Dolerite dyke
and streched mafics/felsics, coaleseing of grains into mafic Quartz reef
Medium grained alkali granite; carbonate bearing
rich bands (kink bands), strain shadows, feebly twinned Quartz monzosyenite
porphyroclasts of feldspars; diferent degrees of grain margin Medium grained alkali feldspar granite
Medium grained porphyritic monzogranite
granulation and recrystallisation (subgrain formation) into medium grained granite
Coarse to porphyritic monzogranite
fine grained felsic matrix associated with actinolite, sphene,
Tonalite - granodiorite with enclaves of
epidote etc; rotation and swirling of mafics around hornblendite - diorite
porphyroclasts, fracture filling of recrystallised fine grained
10
matrix etc. Bedding
Dancherla syenite (DCS): Aegirine (up to 50%) and 80
Foliation
microcline perthite are the chief minerals while orthoclase
and plagioclase are subordinate in mesosyenite and Fracture
melasyenite. Untwinned and carlsbad twinned perthitic
Strain-slip cleavage in shear zone
orthoclase associated with plagioclase is replaced locally
F F
by microcline. Plagioclase occurs as sericitised-zoned relit Fault

grains, albite perthites, included grains or coarse perthitic Fig.6. Geological map of Chintalacheruvu syenite.

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

 GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH 587

38' 39' 41' 42' 43' 44' 77° 45'

77° 40'
15°10'
V V V V V + + + + + + +

-7
NH
V V V V + + + + + +
V V V V
+ + + + + + + +
X V V 09'
09' F
+ + + + +
V +
F
V
VANNEDODDI F
GOOTY(RS)
V +
X G F F
V V
08'
V + 08'
X
V V
BE
V X LLA
X RY
-- C
V + UD
X X + DA
PA
TONDAPADU HF
07' X AU 07'
GOOTY X LT
JAKKALACHERUVU

NH - 63 X + + +
X X
F VV
X
F
+ D M
X X
+ +
X M
X
06'
X
M
D F 06'
X X + +
+ M
X X
ur

X M
X
ta p

X X
0 1 Km 2 Km X M
Turakapalli + + X
an

M
X
An

0 2 4 cm X X
X X
+ X 15° 05'

41' 42' 43' 44'

39' 77° 40'
38'

INDEX
Quartz reef Tonalite-granodiorite (± megacrysts)
with hornblendite-diorite
D/G Mafic dyke Metabasalt / Amphibolite
v v v
Pink syenite / syenite with (Jonnagiri schist belt)
barytes-calcite quartz veinlets 50
Foliation
Silicified Quartz-Pegmatite vein
with spodumene-beryl
Fracture
x x Granite (SS) (Postorogenic type)
F Fault
F
+ + Porphyritic medium grained monzogranite
Railway line
+ + Coarse grained granite / porphyritic granite NH-7
Road

Fig.7. Geological map of Vannedoddi (Errakonda syenite).

plagioclase perthitic lamelle are found within microcline potassium feldspar (±antiperthite) followed by minor
phenocrysts due to magma mixing where plagioclase rims proportion of twinned aegirine needles (euhedral, platy and
are still preserved but the remaining part is occupied by zoned) and with the accesories of opaques, sphene and
microcline. Carlsbad twins of original plagioclase feldspars apatite (±fluorite, tourmaline, calcite, biotite and chlorite).
are still retained. At places strain shadowed bipyramidal These grains are being replaced by indigo blue secondary
quartz with straight contacts / edges (up to 10%) occupy riebeckite along grain boundaries and fractures with the
interstitial spaces. release of opaques. Rarely a few aegirine grains have
In porphyritic syenite, the microcline perthite inclusions of microcline.
phenocrysts (fractured as well granulated along the Peddavaduguru syenite (PGS): Sericitised-ferru-
boundaries due to synmagmatic disturbances) are dominant. ginated microcline perthite replacing plagioclase with
The matrix consists of equal amounts of perthitic potassium inclusions of plagioclase (string, patchy and mat type) is
feldspar and plagioclase feldspar with subordinate dark dominant followed by plagioclase feldspar (with
green to green pleochroic aegirine (locally replaced by discontinuos albite twins) which show twinning, concentric
riebeckite) and accessories of opaques, sphene and apatite. zoning and also mantling microcline. Bipyramidal quartz
In medium grained syenite, potassium feldspar (perthite) is (~ up to 10%) with straight edges occupying interstitial
dominant followed by plagioclase feldspar and minor spaces show strain shadows. The perthitic part and
aegirine which is being replaced locally by reibeckite. The plagioclase feldspar rim around potassium feldspar show
pegmatoidal syenite dominantly consists of perthitic optical continuity. Frame-work of plagioclase feldspars with

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

588 G. SURESH AND OTHERS

77° 40' 77° 45' plagioclase fractionation and source region composition
14° 40' F 14° 40'
could be garnet peridotite.
D
x
DANDUVARIPALLE D
F
The leucosyenites, porphyritic quartz syenites and
D
x +
D + DR
+
+ PAPPURU pegmatites are depleted in LREE and HREE while
x + Tank 5 Km

D D
PD
x 50
D +
x D
x QDR
D 675+
0
SCALE
1 2 Km
14° 37' 28" 0 2 4 Cm PULAKUNTAx
INDEX
Quartz reef
D Mafic dyke
PD Porphyritic mafic dyke
+ Coarse to Pegmatoidal syenite
x
x Medium grained syenite
Alkali feldspar granite
+ + + Medium grained granite
Fig.8. Geological map of Danduvaripalle syenite.
interstitial fillings of microcline and mafics is conspicuous
at places. Some of the microphenocrysts of plagioclase
contain tiny inclusions of plagioclase, biotite, opaques and
being marginally replaced by microcline. At places
intergrowths of augite-plagioclase, opaques-biotite, quartz-
chlorite-plagioclase and needles of opaques-augite-sphene-
carbonate are found (late stage magmatic reaction textures
in association with dueteric alteration with the formation of
hornblende, chlorite, epidote, calcite, sphene and orange
coloured radially grown aggregates of stipnomelane).
Gabbro is made-up of titanaugite and plagioclase feldspar
which shows altered core and followed by minor apatite
and opaques. From alkali gabbro to diorite gradually the
titanaugite is being replaced by barkevikite- arfvedsonite
(zoned amphiboles) and finally by epitaxially grown
radially arranged biotite and also increse of microcline,
biotite and quartz which indicates a classic differentiation
phenomenon.
GEOCHEMISTRY
The syenites are saturated to oversaturated and sub-
solvus type. The locations of samples and chemical analyses
(trace elements and REE) of the syenites is given in
Table 3. Chondrite normalised REE patterns (Fig.10) of
Dancherla syenite, Peddavaduguru syenite and Reddypalle
syenite indicate different source regions.The REE
distribution in DCS in general shows high fractionation
between LREE and HREE which is characteristic of low
degrees of partial melting of mantle resulting into alkaline
magmas.There is no Eu anomaly suggesting no role of
+
pegmatites are highly depleted in LREE and HREE. The
+ +
porphyritic quartz syenite shows mild +ve Eu anomaly
+
suggesting plagioclase accumulation. Mafic syenite enclaves
+
DURGAM
+ + are comparatively enriched than the porphyritic quartz
+ + 14° 37' 28" syenite and pegmatite but in general they show moderate
fractionation with low HREE and moderate LREE content
+ + Coarse grained granite when compared to other syenite variants. Rapakivi textured
Mesocratic to melanocratic
tonalite-granodiorite
porphyritic syenite and leucosyenites are enriched in LREE
ODR QDR Diorite-Quartz diorite
and HREE.
50
Foliation
The fractionation from mafic syenite into leucosyenite
to pegmatite show inverse relationship with LREE
Shear Zone
concentrations. Mafic syenite occurring as enclaves /
F Fault
F
dykelets show enrichement in LREE and HREE. Similar
character is shown by pink syenite comprising disrupted
mafic microgranular enclaves and rapakivi textured
porphyritic syenite which were derived by mixing of mafic
and felsic syenites. Unusually the decrease of LREE and
HREE with respect to progressive fractionation is noticed
in the syenite vartiants. Mafic syenite enclaves of DCS show
anomalous values (ppm) of the following elements—U
(12.06), Th (36.87), Mo (6.77) and Zr (365). Peddavaduguru
syenite show moderate fractionation between LREE and
HREE as reflected by enrichment of HREE and moderate
enrichment of LREE. The mild -ve Eu anomaly indicates
minor role of plagioclase fractionation. Reddypalle syenite
shows low REE content and mild fractionation between
HREE and LREE but characteristic of mild +ve Ce anomaly
indicate a role of flux and oxidizing conditions. PGS shows
higher concentrations(values in ppm) of Zr (897), Nb (49.86)
and Ta (4.07).
GEOCHRONOLOGY
Rb-Sr dating of syenites was carried out at Geochronolgy
lab of GSI, Kolkata. Dancherla syenite yielded a six point
Rb-Sr whole rock isochron age of 2211±110 Ma with low
initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.7004 ±0.00046; MSWD=5.8. The
low initial Sr (i) ratio suggests mantle derived juvenile
additions to the crust. Guntakal granodiorite of TGM suite
yielded Shrimp U-Pb Zircon age of 2600 Ma age (Chadwick
et al. 2000). Gooty granodiorite yielded 2524±34 Ma age
and the Kadiri granite yielded ~2500 Ma age while the post-
orogenic shear controlled younger pink granite of Gooty
has yielded age of 2467±56 Ma by Rb-Sr dating (Pandey
et al. 1995). The geochronological studies of Dancherla
syenite amply demonstrates the existence of coeval

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

 GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH 589

77° 50' F
78° 00' 0
78° 10' INDEX
P 3 3 Km
P
P Sediments of Mezoproterozoic
P P
P 10
P (Cuddapah Supergroup)
P
F
Quartz reef
P P
P
P P 30 Mafic Dyke
P 14° 30'
F 20
P P 4
C Sy Alkali granite-syenite
P Dorigallu Granite
LA 1 2X Granite-alkalifeldspar-granite
P X X
CX X
P H X
X
X
Monzogranite - Syenogranite
X
X
X Tonalite-granodiorite-Monzogranite
X
X 75 (with synplutonic microgranitoid dykelets & enclaves)
2 T
75 4
P P 2 TT H Hornblendite-diorite
X
X X
X
X
2X F
P Sy X
Reddipalle syenite P P t Trondhjemite
80 X 14° 15'
X
P P
X
X
X
2 LA Meta -lamprophyre
P P P X
X F
X
75 X

R 4
X
X
X
75 Q Quartz porphyry/
P X
85 2
1 I Quartz-feldspar porphyry
C
P X Meta-tuff/volcanogenic sediments
X X 2 X
X XX
P 12 X
X Volcanic agglomerate/
P KADIRI vent conglomerate
F P
X
X
X
2 2R 2 Dacite-Rhyolite-Rhyodacite
P XX
X
X
2 X
3 Metaandesite
P
X
14°
TT
P 1 4 Meta-basalt/amphibolite/
P 2 X Hornblende schist / Chlorite schist
P X
H
1 H Tonalite-trondhjemite-diorite gneiss
P
P X TT (with or without migmatite)
X
P
P 80
X
X4 F 10 Bedding
P X X
F X
3 X 2
P 3 X
60 Foliation
1 X
F X

P X
X
P F Fault
P F
X
X
P X
P
P Shaer zone
F
P FP
C Cordierite-andalusite-
78° anthophyllite-garnet bearing rocks
5' 10°
Sense of shear movement

Minor fold

L Lineation / pucker

Fig.9. Geological map of Kadiri schist belt showing location of Reddypalle syenite and Dorigallu granite.

presence of alkali syenites and A-type granites in the eastern Seshikunta granite (2128±20 Ma), Dharmavaram granite
Dharwar craton. Post-orogenic continental epirogenic uplift (2237±46) and Rasakuntapalle alkali granite (2024±56).
type granites, such as Gooty, Nagasamudram, Singanamala, The Pulikonda syenite yielded a six point whole rock
Bukkapatnam, Puttaparthi, Mudigubba and Charupalle were isochron age of 1500 ± 100 Ma with initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio of
recorded by Suresh et al. (2003; 2005). The oldest 0.7085±0.0047 and MSWD=2%. The higher initial Sr(i)
Palaeoproterozoic A-type granite in India was located at value for this body suggests metasomatised mantle or crustal
Dorigallu (2262±108 Ma; Zakaulla et al. 1998) and at contamination (long crustal residence). This age does not
Peravali (Suresh and Jaiswal, 2003). The ~2200 Ma granites corroborate with the actual geological set-up of the area and
are also reported in different parts of A.P (Pandey et al. older age of at least 2000 Ma age is expected. Resetting of
1995) such as Rachakuntapalle granite (~2200 Ma), Rb-Sr systmatics for Pulikonda syenite was interpretted due
Akkalakuppi granite (2260±130 Ma ), Penemellagundala- to later repeated deformations (basement tectonics) and
palle granite (2286±32), Charakonda granite (2227±64 Ma), thermal and fluid influx (reactivation of shear deformation

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010

590 G. SURESH AND OTHERS

Table 3. REE and other trace element concentrations (ppm) of syenites

Sl. Sample Be Co Ga Ge As Y Zr Nb Mo La Ce Pr Nd Eu Sm Tb
no. no.

1 PV/261 6.21 3.89 40.48 2.20 <2 66.92 897.49 49.86 <5 86.46 184.20 22.77 86.00 3.45 17.68 2.39
2 DC/01 4.09 4.08 23.34 1.12 <2 13.89 137.27 24.95 <5 68.65 140.20 15.77 52.50 1.58 7.58 0.64
3 DC/02 3.75 3.77 20.96 1.01 <2 30.33 229.87 28.51 <5 118.33 238.30 29.48 101.00 3.62 15.54 1.32
4 DC/03 5.06 4.20 20.22 0.90 <2 4.61 143.61 21.40 <5 12.94 29.88 4.18 16.30 0.75 2.74 0.24
5 DC/04 3.82 4.59 23.46 0.98 <2 7.50 62.08 17.65 <5 47.05 100.80 11.30 37.70 1.10 5.12 0.38
6 DC/391 5.54 8.36 21.91 1.16 <2 27.58 364.75 33.31 6.77 149.85 293.40 33.31 115.00 4.44 17.14 1.34
7 DC/395 7.44 4.88 22.64 1.31 <2 19.07 265.35 37.50 <5 89.93 194.60 22.69 76.40 2.33 10.67 0.88
8 DC/421 1.84 3.06 15.68 0.83 <2 5.30 64.75 5.07 <5 26.88 54.69 6.60 23.60 1.41 3.77 0.28
9 S-70 1.16 5.41 15.50 0.50 2 4.35 62.80 10.30 5 15.90 47.10 6.08 24.10 1.06 3.96 0.29
10 10/94 - 44.00 - - - - - - - 24.00 40.00 0.00 15.00 1.10 3.20 0.50
11 G-228 70.00 15.00 245.00 10.00 72.00 120.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 6.00 0.80

Sl. Sample Gd Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu Hf Ta W Bi Th U Cd Sb Cs
no. no.

1 PV/261 15.12 13.00 2.41 5.8 0.88 5.08 0.67 21.73 4.07 <5 <0.1 17.51 3.69 <1 <0.2 5.03
2 DC/01 4.88 2.73 0.47 1.1 0.18 1.06 0.16 3.10 1.56 <5 0.4 21.14 2.90 <1 0.2 2.56
3 DC/02 10.30 5.93 1.03 2.5 0.39 2.30 0.31 4.95 1.43 <5 0.5 25.51 2.85 <1 <0.2 5.38
4 DC/03 1.81 1.03 0.17 0.4 0.07 0.50 0.10 3.30 0.83 <5 <0.1 2.48 0.66 <1 <0.2 0.98
5 DC/04 3.10 1.59 0.25 0.6 0.09 0.57 0.09 1.61 1.27 <5 0.2 5.42 1.54 <1 <0.2 1.35
6 DC/391 10.99 5.62 0.90 2.2 0.32 1.89 0.27 7.35 1.66 <5 0.3 36.87 12.06 <1 <0.2 1.78
7 DC/395 6.97 3.74 0.63 1.5 0.24 1.56 0.23 5.69 2.23 <5 0.1 24.22 5.83 <1 <0.2 2.38
8 DC/421 2.24 1.12 0.18 0.4 0.06 0.41 0.06 1.28 0.27 <5 <0.1 5.15 1.28 <1 <0.2 1.64
9 S-70 2.59 1.19 0.19 0.4 0.06 0.41 0.07 1.91 0.53 - <0.1 4.11 1.00 2 0 1.18
10 10/94 0.90 0.10 4.20 1.20 3.60
(Ba) (Sr) (Rb)
11 G-228 885 115 190 1.80 0.30 7.10 0.40 25.00 10.00

Sl.No.1 Peddavaduguru syenite, Medium grained biotite, bearing pink syenite-( o), 2 km WSW of Peddavaduguru; Sl.No.2 Medium grained, Pink
syenite-(+) 1 km SE of 313 km stone of NH-63, west of PK cheruvu; Sl.No.3 Porphyritic syenite with mantled feldspars (—), SW of 313 km stone
of NH-63; Sl.No.4 Aegirine-riebeckite bearing pink syenite pegmatite (O), 900 m SSE of Dancherla on western slope of NNE trending ridge; Sl.No.5
Medium grained Pink leucosyenite (∆), west of PK Cheruvu, canal cutting, south of NH -63; Sl.No.6 Mafic enclave with potash feldspar phenocrysts
(£), SW of 313 km stone; Sl.No.7 Pink syenite with clusters of aegirine (p), south of 313 km stone of NH-63 ;canal section; Sl.No.8 Porphyritic
quartz syenite (û), NW of 474 hillock, SSW of Dancherla; Sl.No.9 Medium grained syenite (¿), North of Reddypalle; Sl.No.10 Medium grained
syenite (¸), South of Danduvaripalle; Sl.No.11 Medium grained granite(õ), NE of Gooty.

superposed over already sheared syenite along Rudravaram
line) during formation and subsequent orogeny of
Mesoproterozoic Nallamalai fold belt (NFB). The
hornblende biotite granite from Pagadalapalle which is
located between Tsundupalle schist belt and NFB had
yielded a whole-rock Rb-Sr isochron age of 2451±34
(Pandey et al. 1995).
ORIGIN OF SYENITES
The EDC is characterised by two major alkaline
magmatic events i.e. (1) late-Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic,
pre-Cuddapah, silica saturated to oversaturted magmatism
confining to extensional tectonic settings set-in eastern
Dharwar craton after calc-alkaline magmatism and (2) Meso-
proterozoic post-Cuddapah undersaturated alkaline
complexes of Prakasam alkaline province (PAP) emplaced
at the craton margin. There are atleast three cycles of
emplacement of pre-Cuddapah tholeiitic mafic magmatism
(mafic dyke swarms (MDS) emplaced at ~2400 Ma,
~2200 to 2000 Ma and ~2000 to 1800 Ma on the basis of
available age data) interspersed with two cycles of ( pre-
granitic and post- granitic) alkaline magmatism took place.
The earliest mafic dyke activity dated at 2400 Ma by
Ikramuddin and Stueber (1976) was preceeded by first phase
of late-Archaean alkaline magmatism (Shrimp U-Pb age
of~2500 Ma for Koppal syenite by Chadwick et al. 2001).
The second phase of alkaline magmatism took place around
~2200 Ma ( Pandey et al. 1995; Zakaulla et al.1998).
Three distinct co-eval primary magmas i.e. mafic syenitc,
felsic syenitic (both mantle differentiates and crustal derived)
and alkaline mafic magmas played a major role in the genesis

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 GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH
Rock/Chondrites REEs-Sun and McD 89
1000
100
10
1 zone i.e. along Velikonda line.The Rudravaram and
La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
Fig.10. Chondrite normalised REE pattern of Dancherla,
Peddavaduguru and Reddypalle syenites (chondrite values
after Sun and McDonough, 1989).
of syenites. Comingling and limited mixing of independent
syenitic magmas i.e. felsic syenitic and mafic to intermediate
magmas accompanied by fractionation into soda rich and
potash rich variants was tentatively deduced mechanism for
the origin of syenites. They were derived from the source
area of the enriched or metasomatised subcrustal lithospheric
mantle or lower crust. Low-degrees of partial melting of
mantle at different depths yielded different compositional
melts which were simultaneously emplaced into overlying
crust and involved in mingling and mixing at different time-
space episodes i.e. initially at the craton margin and later -
on into the craton interior, where strike- slip faults / brittle
sheras had played a major locii for the emplacement of
alkaline rocks.
Pulikonda syenite complex was evolved mainly from
partial melting of dominant lower crust and subordinate
mantle which produced juvenile mafic –intermediate
alkaline magmas. It was formed due to differentiation by
liquid immiscibility during pre-collisional extensional
tectonics along a sinistral ductile shear zone (accretionary
terrane boundary marked by Tsundupalli schist belt) during
waning stages of calc-alkaline arc magmatism i.e. before
the emplacement of granitoids of MS suite. Later on, this
syenite was intruded by alkali granite. Crustal delamination
or convective thinning of a denser garnet rich lower crust
that had resulted after extraction of earlier voluminous
granite magma of MS suite must have been responsible for
the formation of alkali granites and felsic syenites of
Pulikonda. Hence a mixed origin is proposed for the
evolution of Pulikonda syenite complex. The Pulikonda
syenite was emplaced into Tsundupalli schist belt and
JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010
591
calcalkaline TGM suite of granitoids along a rift zone i.e
along Rudravaram shear zone which was formed in a zone
between two accretionery terranes. During the same time
the juvenile and anatectic granites (derived from
migmatisation of TTG gneisses and Tsundupalli schist belt)
of MS suite emplaced almost contemporaneously and sealed
both the sides of this syenite line. The intrusion of Pulikonda
syenite probably caused locally migmatisation of rocks of
Tsundupalle schist belt and calcalkaline granitoids. Later
on, the 1800 Ma old Rapur orbicular granite along with
host rocks of Nellore Schist belt (NSB) and associated
~2550 Ma old basement granites (J.G. Ghosh, pers. commn.)
got accreted along moderate to steep easterly dipping shear
Velikonda lines were later reactivated at ~1600 Ma age
resulting into the formation of Nallamalai sub-basin which
was subsequently folded into NFB. Probably during same
time, the emplacement of alkali granite along ductile sheared
Pulikond syenite (Rudravaram line) took place and was
responsible for the resetting of the Rb-Sr systematics of
Pulikonda syenite due to thermal and fluid influx. This
granite contains secondary riebeckite, hornblende, biotite,
epidote, actinolite and chlorite (alkali metasomatism).
Subsequently the ductile sheared Pulikonda syenite along
with mylonitised granite injections was thrown into tight to
open folding and subsequent cross folding due to orogeny
of NFB .
Dancherla, Danduvaripalle and Reddypalle syenites were
formed by magma mingling and mixing of mantle derived
mafic syenite and felsic syenite magmas and subsequent
fractional crystallisation processes at craton interiors. The
geochemistry suggests different source regions for Dancherla
syenite and Peddavaduguru syenites.The DCS again shows
different source characteristics and from different mantle
depths for mafic syenites and felsic syenites (as per the Sr
isotope ratios). Mafic syenites were derived from REE
enriched source while felsic syenites were derived from REE
depleted source. Some plagioclase accumulation could be
noticed probably during magma mixing processes. The
differentiated syenites are unusually low in LREE. At the
craton interior, during waning stges of calcalkaline
magmatism thickening of the crust and cratonisation took
place. The highly fractionated postorogenic granitoids
(Gooty, Nagasamudram, Singanamala, Bukkapatnam,
Puttaparthi and Mudigubba-Kadiri) emplaced along
conjugate sets (NNW-SSE and NNE-SSW trending) of
brittle-ductile shears of strike-slip nature. Errakonda and
Yeguvapalli syenites were solely derived due to fractionation
and accompanying desilicification and alkali feldspar
mestasomatism of younger granite of MS and AFG suites
592 G. SURESH AND OTHERS
which emplaced along the regional scale crustal weak
zones such as Guntakal-Gooty fault and Singanamala shear
respectively which form the boundaries of major granite
bodies.
The cratonisation had induced the upwelling of the
mantle which heated up and triggering the anatexis of crustal
rocks thus resulting into formation of A-type granites such
as Dorigallu and Peravali alkali granites after cessation of
Dharwar orogeny. It represents highly evolved partial melt
rich in volatiles derived from lower-order partial melting of
crustal granodiorite / TTG gneiss and having high value of
ratio of 87Sr/86Sr i.e. 0.7156 and emplaced between 670°
and 695°C at pH2O of 5 kb (Zakaulla et al.1998).After this
event the low-degree partial melting of mantle -enriched by
subducting crust during arc magmatism, from different
depths had resulted into the formation of co-existing mafic
and felsic alkali syenite magmas which were emplaced into
the overlying crust along the deep-seated crustal weak zones
under tensional tectonic regime.
The Peddavaduguru biotite quartz syenite shows
moderately enriched REE and some role of plagioclase
fractionation and enrichment in zircon (crustal
contamination). It is derived due to fractional crystallization
differentiation of titanaugite-berkivikite bearing alkali
gabbro through diorite which form as a part of a composite
dyke. The mesocratic and leuco fractionated felsic syenites
with fine grained autoliths (felsic microgranular syenite
enclaves) could have been derived from a seperate source
and subsequently got mingled up with diorite. Liquid
immiscibility caused presence of globular syenite patches
within the diorite.
The late-Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic Pulikonda
alkaline complex indicates presence of probably a
palaeosuture, though nepheline syenites are not found,
representing a remnant of DARCs occurring at the contact
of two tectonic blocks on either side of Tsundupalli schist
belt. This is similar to the recently identified and described
Mesoproterozoic DARCs (Leelanandam et al. 2006) which
is located at the contact zone of the eastern margin of the
Eastern Dharwar craton with the Eastern Ghats Granulite
belt.Thus the present studies reveal the formation of DARCs
successively.The earliest ones was formed along a terrane
boundary formed between two tectonic blocks occurring at
the near interior of the craton which was subsequently
followed by the formation of younger age DARCs along
the contact zone of the craton margin with the EGGB. The
last episode of syn to post-Nallamalai manifestation of
magmatism was represented by minor mafic volcanics and
dykelets, ultrapotassic volcanics, acid tuffs, ignimberites,
lamproites (~at 1400 Ma) and alkali syenites within the NFB.
The magmatism took place along regional scale deep seated
major crustal dislocation zones in NFB (Nagaraja Rao et
al. 1987; Abdul Matin and Jayadeep Guha, 1996; Reddy,
1999; Madhavan et al.1994, 2002). The manifestation of
acid magmatism took place in the form of emplcement of
domal granites at Vellaturu and Ipur around 1550 Ma
(Crawford, 1969; Crawford and Compston, 1973) along NE
margin of NFB i.e. along Velikonda-Shernawala shear zone.
According to Ratnakar (2007, 2008) the miaskitic nepheline
syenite complexes of PAP were evolved around 1200 Ma
and intruded into the granulitic continental crust in a rift-
tectonic setting characterised by trans-lithospheric faults,
deep seated fractures and shear zones in the deep continental
margin setting. Three distinct primary mafic magmas i.e.
alkali basaltic, lamprophyric and lamproitic were attributed
for the evolution of alkaline rocks of PAP in continental rift
setting along craton margin and also their manifestation on
the alkline magmatism (formed during single geodynamic
event) in the immediately adjacent interiors of craton i.e
lamproites from Nallamali fold belt of the Cuddapah Basin.
Volatile-rich hydrous ne-normative alkaline basic magmas/
lamprophyric parental liquids representing cpx-ne-ol-ab
equilibria were under high Ptotal = (PH2O + PCO2) that
suppressed the stability of olivine and the main trend
of differentiation terminated with the strongly under-
saturated residue that delivered abundant nepheline syenite
(Ratnakar, 2007). The source is metasomatically enriched
subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) lying below
the granulite terrain.Geochemical signatures suggest
increasing degrees of partial melting from south to north
for both lamprophyre and lamproite sources possibly
related to progressive northward propagation of the rift.
Model ages based on Nd isotopic data infer that the
mantle source regions for the PAP lamprophyres and the
lamproites of the Cuddapah basin were influenced by
mantle enrichment event at ~2000 Ma (Ratnakar et al. 2008).
Two successive episodes of alkaline magmatism i.e. late
Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic pre-Cuddapah and Meso-
proterozoic post-Cuddapah times and each one again
characterized by two cycles took place under different
tectonic domains i.e. initially under sinistral- slip shear
followed by dextral-slip shear. The early cycle of each
episode of magmatism was initially triggered at the plate-
margin tectonic setting which was followed by the second
cycle confining to an intra plate / within-plate tectonic
settings of EDC. Thus the first cycle of earliest episode of
alkaline magmatism was triggered along the accretionary
bounadries of the micro-plates or sub-terranes representing
the margins of linear greenstone belts bounded by sinistral
shears. The second cycle took place in the thickened interiors
JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010
 GEOLOGY OF PULIKONDA AND DANCHERLA ALKALINE COMPLEXES, ANDHRA PRADESH
of the craton after amalgamation or accretion/suturing of
these micro-plates into a major composite tectonic block
resulting into EDC. This phenomenon was repeated again
during Mesoproterozoic times along the eastern marginal
zone of this part of EDC where it was juxtaposed with or
thrusted over by the Eastern Ghats Granulite belt (EGGB).
During this time a major event of first cycle of second
episode of alkaline magmatism took place along the craton
margin resulting in to the formation of Prakasam alkaline
province (PAP) under dominant dextral–slip shear domain.
After this major event the second cycle of minor kimberlite
magmatism took place in within/intra-plate tectonic setting
dominated by dextral slip shear domain in the interiors of
thickened and cratonised EDC.
The time-spatial association of late-Archaean to
Palaeoproterozoic post-rogenic and A-type granites with the
alkali syenites indicate a complex situation wherein the
syenites were formed by varied processes under different
tectonomagamtic environs. Some of the syenites and alkali
granites may be co-eval but not genetically related or some
other syenites and alkali granites might have been formed
in different times but genetically related but they are spatially
associated along terrane boundaries and at the craton margin
or at the craton interior.The folowing situations were
visualised viz. (1) The shear controlled late to post orogenic
granites represent the end phase or waning stages of highly
fractionated mantle derived calc-alkaline arc magmatism
which locally grade into alkali feldspar granite and quartz
syenite by differentiation or by alkali feldspar metasomatism
along pluton margins or along sheared contacts (Vannedoddi
and Yeguvpalli syenites). The alkali syenites (Dancherla,
Danduvaripalle, Reddypalle syenites etc) which emplaced
subsequently into these bodies were also derived from the
mantle but not genetically related to the associated granites.
The A-type granites (Dorigallu and Peravali ) associated
with syenites were formed later due to the partil melting of
References
ABDUL MATIN and JAYADIP GUHA. (1996) Structural geometry of
the rocks of the southern part of the Nallamalai Fold Belt,
Cuddapah basin, A.P. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.47, pp 535-
545.
CHADWICK, B., HEGDE, G.V., NUTMAN ALLEN, P. and VASUDEV, V.N.
(2001) Syenite emplacement during accretion of the late-
Archaean Dharwar Batholith, South India: SHRIMP U / Pb
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CHADWICK, B., VASUDEV. V.N. and HEGDE, G.V. (2000) The Dharwar
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JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010
593
calcalkaline granitoid crust (tonalite-granodiorite) forming
intermediate tectonic levels along terrane boundaries or the
craton margins, (2) The Pulikonda aegirine–riebeckite
syenite emplaced just before the emplacment of MS suite
of granitoids and inturn intruded by aegirine granite and
possibly genetically related and (3) The Peddavaduguru
syenite is related to alkali gabbro which differentiates into
diorite and to quartz syenite possibly represents an abortive
rift/failed rift environment caused by the onset of
emplacement of pre-Cuddapah mafic dyke swarms. Whether
the alkali granites and syenites were genetically realted or
not, the main focus of this paper is on the their spatial
asociation, diferent cycles of alkaline magmatism, different
tectonic positions say craton margin or craton interior; the
role of mantle and crust for the formation of these rocks and
magma mingling and mixing and accompanying fractional
crystallisation processes of different syenite magmas during
evolution of late- Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic rare alkline
rocks of the Eastern Dharwar craton.The authors suggest a
detailed geochemical,isotopic and geochronologcal studies
of the Pulikonda nad Dancherla alkaline complexes.
Acknowledgements: The authors express their sincere
thanks to the Director General,GSI ; Shri R.K. Khorana,
Dy. D.G. of GSITI ; Shri J.K. Nanda, Dy. Director General
(retd), Operations Orissa, GSI, Bhubaneswar; Shri S.V.
Satyanarayana, former Director of Petrology Division, and
Prof. T.V.Krishna Reddy, Head of the Department of
Geology, S.V. University, Tirupati for giving encouragement
during various stages of the work. Shri N.Jaiswal and Shri
C.V.Gopalan, Geologists of GSI are also thanked for their
kind help during various stages of field work. Special thanks
are due to Dr. N.P. Nathan, Director, GSI, Chennai and Prof.
J. Ratnakar, Osmania University, Hyderabad for scrutinisng
the paper and offering valuable suggestions and useful
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(Received: 5 August 2008; Revised form accepted: 23 October 2009)

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.75, APRIL 2010