Emplacement history and evolution of the Deccan Volcanic Province, India

Abstract

A review of the existing knowledge on the Deccan Volcanic Province of India shows that it has a significant geographic bias towards the western parts, while the rest of the province is not as well constrained. Emerging data on its structure, geochronology and volcanology in the last decade suggests that many existing concepts and models of this large Continental Flood Basalt Province are open to revisions or replacement. The explicit relation between the Deccan volcanism and the Reunion hotspot makes it a unique laboratory for studying magmatic evolution over active hotspots, its upward trajectory through a thick continental crust and the mode and mechanics of eruption and spread of large volumes of lava on continental settings. The temporal relation of the Deccan volcanism with the terminal Cretaceous biotic upheaval has direct bearings on understanding environmental crisis that result from such eruptive events. The impact of this basaltic substrate on the anthropogenic activity of more than 100 million people living on it needs no explanation. A multifaceted and interdisciplinary study with an aim of closing the gaps in its knowledge will facilitate a well-constrained understanding of the characters and robust models of this province in the years to come.