2025-10-01 ACTA GEOCHIMICA 2025 44(卷), 5(期), (994-1013页)
Elemental concentrations of the siliciclastic sediments from a sedimentary basin provide clues on paleo-weathering, paleoclimate, provenance, and tectonic setting of the basin. Records for Permo-Triassic mass extinction and climatic fluctuations are commonly traced from the sediments in the Gondwana basins. Nevertheless, our understanding on sedimentation, provenance, and regional tectonics of the Raniganj Basin, a Gondwana basin in the eastern India is poor. Minerals including clay particles and major and trace element concentrations of the siliciclastic sediments from different formations of the Raniganj Basin have been studied to establish the paleo-weathering, paleoclimate, provenance, and tectonic settings of the basin. This study suggests that the Talchir Formation experienced cold and dry climatic conditions at the sediment source area, while the Barakar, Raniganj, and Panchet formations had prevailing semiarid climates. The sources of the siliciclastic sediments are from the felsic rocks of the Chotanagpur Granite Gneissic Complex (CGGC). Further, the geochemical results suggest a rift-like (passive) tectonic setting for the Raniganj Basin, while few samples represent the collision tectonic setting of the basement CGGC, formed due to collision of major Indian blocks during the Paleo-Neoproterozoic time.