Research

Research done so far:

I learned the fundamentals of Geological Sciences at the Presidency College, Kolkata. My research journey started during the third year of my graduation when I sucessfully completed a research project at Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata (ISI Kolkata) under the supervision of Prof. Parthasarathi Ghosh, Geological Studies Unit, ISI Kolkata. The title of the project is "A Study of Geomorphic Parameters of The Upland Catchment Basin of Tista River using GIS-RS Techniques". The summer internship was supported by INSPIRE SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) Scheme of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India [ID: 418/2009].

In my masters dissertation, I studied the petrography and geochemistry of the mafic rocks of the Singbhum Craton under the guidence of Prof. Arijit Ray, Department of Geology, Presidency University, Kolkata. The earlier studies of ‘Newer dolerite dyke’ inferred that the chief alteration agent was low-temperature hydrothermal fluids, which penetrated the dykes and caused metasomatism in varying amounts. But the mafic rocks of my study were relatively fresh, unaltered and preserved igneous minerals and textures. Therefore, it was concluded from my research and analytical data that, the mafic bodies have different character than ‘Newer dolerite dyke’ and it suggested a different episode of the generation of the intrusive body. The rocks also show high Mg and high silica content i.e. the boninitic type of mafic extrusive rock, formed in fore-arc environments during the early stages of subduction.

Afterwards, I joined the research group of Prof. Anupam Chattopadhyay, University of Delhi as a Ph.D. student with INSPIRE Fellowship. My doctoral research was focused on the evolution of the South Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan and its relation with the Great Indian landmass (GIL) in the paleocontinental assembly. The title of my PhD thesis is "Structural, metamorphic and geochronological study of Delhi Supergroup rocks from Kumbhalgarh Sayra Ranakpur area Rajasthan Implications for the tectonic evolution of South Delhi Fold Belt". The South Delhi Fold Belt (SDFB) occupies the south-western part of the Aravalli-Delhi Mobile Belt (ADMB). Field- and laboratory-based study of the SDFB rocks was conducted in the Kumbhalgarh-Sayra-Ranakpur area, Rajasthan, for understanding the structural, metamorphic and geochronological history of SDFB. The isoclinal recumbent to reclined folds are first generation folds (F1) followed by upright folds (F2), conjugate and kink folds (F3 and F4). A regional transpressional deformation led to the formation of a couple of steep to subvertical shear zones. The dextral-reverse slip Kumbhalgarh Steep Zone (KSZ) is marked by tectonic extrusion and granite emplacement along its axial zone, resembling a "positive flower structure". A major sinistral-reverse ductile shear zone (Ranakpur Shear Zone: RSZ) marks the western boundary of the SDFB. Upright F2 folds of the SDFB were rotated and tightened within the RSZ which marks the shearing event. Peak prograde metamorphic (M1) mineral assemblages define the S1 fabric, marking a major syn-D1 (D1 = first phase of deformation) metamorphic event. The peak metamorphic reaction occurred at 600-635 oC and 5 kbar suggesting regional amphibolite facies metamorphism during D1. Retrograde metamorphic events MR1 and MR2 occurred with the early and late stage of second deformation events (D2a and D2b) respectively, whereas MR3 marks the D3 shearing. LA-ICPMS U-Pb zircon dating of one post-tectonic granite constrains the minimum age of the D2a deformation as ~850 Ma. Closely matching ages of granitoids related to D2b and D3 deformation (ca. 822 Ma and 819 Ma respectively) suggests a coeval nature of RSZ and KSZ. The post-D2a evolution of SDFB possibly occurred by regional-scale ‘partitioned transpression’. The study also reveals that the SDFB experienced a typical Grenvillian-age (~1.0 Ga) tectonothermal event, reflected in the older pink granites and/or diorites. This was overprinted by a younger tectonothermal event at ca. 820 Ma which possibly marks the timing of the final amalgamation of the Greater Indian Landmass (GIL) with the Marwar Craton along the Phulad-Ranakpur paleosuture. Therefore, geological mapping, analogue modelling, metamorphism, geochronology, remote sensing and GIS are the methods, I am accumstomed to apply in my research for better understanding of the Precambrian tectonics and early mountain building processes. My research publications are listed here.