Petrogenesis of paleocene flood basalt sequence and interlayered sedimentary successions in the Mannar Basin – Offshore Sri Lanka (Northern Equatorial margin of the Indian Ocean)

Abstract

The Mannar Basin is a rift basin formed during the breakup of Gondwana, comprising sedimentary deposits from multiple cycles. Exploration for hydrocarbons has uncovered igneous sequences distributed throughout the basin's sedimentary sequences. These sequences exhibit geochemical characteristics, typical for flood basalts formed during a series of eruptions from 60 to 62 Ma. Previous studies have focused on the petroleum system, tectonostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, and the paleo-environmental setting, therefore, little was known about the petrogenesis of this flood basalt sequence. This study investigates the petrogenesis of the flood basalt sequence, focusing on crystallization temperature, source magma characteristics, and the nature of magma fractional crystallization. Additionally, it examines the mineralogical characteristics, including clay minerals, of the interstratified sedimentary layers to interpret their origins—an area that has not been previously studied in depth. Petrographic thin sections were prepared from unwashed drill cuttings taken from a depth of 4000–4200 m in the Barracuda petroleum exploration well. A detailed petrographic study was conducted on these samples to investigate the petrogenesis. Additionally, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) was performed to determine the mineral chemistry of the basalt and interstratified sedimentary rock samples. The basalts are primarily composed of plagioclase (An_62-82) and clinopyroxene (mostly augite), with minor occurrences of orthopyroxene (En_54-67) and ulvöspinel. Only the lower-most basalt layers (4200–4210 m) contain olivine (Fo_56-71). High-Al orthopyroxenes were observed in the shallower sequence. Mineral zoning and mineral chemical variations record fractional crystallization of the mafic magma. Together, these minerals reflect a complex magmatic evolution, where, initially, high-temperature conditions prevailed, followed by differentiation and fractional crystallization; a transition from primitive to more evolved conditions. Geothermometric calculations indicate crystallization temperatures of the basalt varying from 1330 to 1340 °C, typically associated with mantle-derived magmas and representing high-temperature magmatic processes.

The interlayered sedimentary rocks within the basalt sequence are dark-coloured and consist of weathered feldspar and clinopyroxenes, with minor quartz and calcite. Powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses reveal the presence of clay minerals such as smectite, antigorite, attapulgite, and chlorite in these sedimentary rocks. While unpublished reports suggest that the interlayered rocks are sandstones and shales (based on gamma-ray log data), these analyses indicate that they are volcaniclastic sediments resulting from the weathering of individual layers of the flood basalt sequence after their eruption.