Petrology and Geochemistry of Dolerite Dykes, West Gar0 Hills, Meghalaya: A Preliminary Study

The Precambrian gneissic basement of West Gar0 hills, Meghalaya has been traversed by dolerite, metadolerite and basaltic rocks. The dolerite and basaltic rocks are tholeiites and show basic to intermediate composition with Mid- Oceanic Ridge Basalt (MORB) chemical affinity. These dolerite dykes are slightly older than the Sylhet traps and do not indicate genetic relationship with the latter. Relative age relationships suggest that the dykes are Jurassic in age and different from the dykes related to Sylhet volcanism and other ultrabasic and basic dykes in the area. Geochemical data suggest that these dykes have formed from a differentiated product of primary picritic magma of upper mantle source. This dyke activity may be related to the extensional tectonism during the Jurassic period due to the breakup of the Gondwana supercontinent.