Work

Crustal Architecture of the Intra‐Cratonic Chhattisgarh Basin and Adjacent Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt: Insights Into Crustal Evolution in East‐Central India

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The Chhattisgarh Basin of central India is one of the largest Meso‐Neoproterozoic intra‐cratonic “ Purana ” basins and its origin and tectonic evolution have long been debated. While its surface geology and depositional framework are well constrained, the deep crustal architecture remains poorly understood. To investigate the crustal structure, we analyze broadband seismic data from 30 stations deployed across the Chhattisgarh Basin, adjoining Tirodi Gneiss and Gondwana sediments, the Bastar Craton, and the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB) using receiver functions. Our results reveal a sharp, and nearly flat Moho beneath the Chhattisgarh Basin and Bastar Craton, with an average depth of ∼38 km. The presence of clear crustal multiples beneath the Chhattisgarh Basin and Bastar Craton indicates a relatively undisturbed crustal fabric. No seismic evidence is found for either intra‐cratonic rifting or foreland basin development beneath the Chhattisgarh Basin. Instead, the observed crustal architecture supports a model where sedimentation was controlled by sea‐level fluctuations and infilling of localized topographic depressions within the Bastar Craton. Across the Central Indian Shear, the Moho gently deepens northward toward the Tirodi Gneiss. The Gondwana sediments along the basin's northeastern fringe exhibit a comparatively gradational Moho. In contrast, the EGMB is characterized by an average crustal thickness of ∼48 km, an eastward‐dipping Moho, and pronounced Moho offsets, reflecting significant crustal heterogeneity and preserving deep‐crustal signatures of tectonic processes associated with the assembly of Rodinia and Gondwana. These results provide new constraints on the crustal architecture and tectonic evolution of the Chhattisgarh Basin and adjoining domains.

Source: Tectonics

DOI: 10.1029/2026tc009364

Authors: Maitreyi, Arun Singh, Chandrani Singh

Institution: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Language: English

Topic: Geological and Geophysical Studies

Subfield: Geology

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Ministry of Earth Sciences

Award: G8270853462