Abstract

The major world Platinum Group of Metals (PGM) deposits are generally occurred in association with ultramafic/mafic complexes. Likewise, the serpentinizedperidotite and talc actinolite schist from Madaura-Ikauna-Pindar tract, in Lalitpur district of Bundelkhand craton have been found enriched with PGM, Au and Ag. Ultramafic rocks comprising dunite, peridotites occur as intrusive in the form of hillocks as discrete and deformed lensoid body at this tract in to granite-gneisses of craton. The peridotites are dominated by olivine cumulates where chromite and precious metalbearing sulphides crystallized along with pyroxenes, subsequent to crystallization of olivine into the interstitial spaces of cumulates during cooling. Ultramafic rocks have high MgO (up to 30.76wt.%), FeO (up to 5.8wt.%), and low SiO2 (up to 48wt.%). The Ikauna ultramafic contain Platinum (up to 2.78ppm) along with significant amount of Au,Ag,Ni,Co and Cr. Precious metal bearing large scale ultramafic/mafic intrusive of Bijawar areas related with rifting phenomenon might have been caused by the plume/superplume during Paleoproterozoic period. This evident might started in geological setting of Southern Bundelkhand Craton during Neoarchean period. The general trend of rocks from tract as well as major shear direction is E-W. The analyses of selected samples of boreholes from Ikauna area return with still higher value of PGM (up to 10ppm).These high values of PGM indicate that this tract has good potential for a PGM deposit of Northern India as well as strong indicators for plume/ superplume activity during crustal evolution of Bundelkhand Craton.

Keywords: Bundelkhand craton; PGM; Ultramafics; Ikauna complex