Evidences for Soda Metasomatism in Ladera-Sakhun Area, Northeastern Rajasthan

Abstract

Albitite and albitised banded gneissic country rock from the Ladera-Sakhun area, situated about 80km southwest of Jaipur, show several evidences for soda metasomatism. Megascopic evidences include reddening of outcrops due to aventurisation, gradational contacts between albitite and gneisses, development of metasomatic minerals, dequartzification, epidotization and cataclasitisation. Microscopic evidences include relict microcline in the newly formed albite grain, poor and discontinuous development of twin lamellae in albite giving step-like appearance, ubiquitous sweeping extinction in albite due to cataclasitisation, occasional mortar texture in albitite, tapering of twin lamellae within the grain, twin lamellae forming in chequered fashion, development of aventurine albite containing dusty Fe-oxide inclusions, development of albite along twin/cfeavage plane of microcline, formation of new albite in plagioclase, destruction of sericite in plagioclase of albitised granite, formation of myrmekite of intergranular, intragranular and rim types, development of epidote corona around clinopyroxene in pyroxenite, partial to complete dequartzification and filling up of voids by calcite. Petrochemical evidences of increased characteristic values of Na₂O from 3.17 to 7.00 wt%, K₂O and Si₂O from -0.03 to -6.00 wt% and -0.76 to -10.55 wt% in the unalbitised to albitised rocks respectively, provide further support for soda metasomatism. Albitisation at Ladera-Sakhun area extends over a considerable distance into Haryana in the NE and beyond Tal in the SW, attesting to its regional significance and its potential for mineralisation.