The Chitradurga Schist Belt (CSB) in the Western Dharwar Craton (WDC) hosts a remarkable succession of Banded Iron Formations (BIFs), including Banded Hematite Jasper (BHJ).
The sequence rests unconformably on the Peninsular Gneissic Complex and begins with quartz pebble conglomerates (QPC), quartzites/arkoses, overlain by a stromatolitic carbonate horizon. This gradually grades upward into Fe-Mn-carbonates & argillites, and finally into BIF successions.
Why It’s Special:Indian Archaean BIFs show features of both Algoma & Superior types, making their classification complex.
Their origin & tectonic setting remain debated — possible Fe sources include:
Landward (riverine transport to oceans)
Leaching from detrital sediments in deep, reducing waters
Volcanic exhalative activity
Details:Age: ~2900–2700 Ma (Neoarchean)
Host Rock: BHJ
Stratigraphy: Bababudan Group, Dharwar Supergroup
Location: Karnataka, India
Significance:BIFs like BHJ are vital archives of early Earth’s ocean chemistry, tectonics, and biosignatures, recording iron deposition in Precambrian seas.
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