The Ezhimala Igneous Complex, southern India: Possible imprint of Late Cretaceous magmatism within rift setting associated with India–Madagascar separation

• Zircon U–Pb age data for granophyres of Ezhimala Igneous Complex.
• New report of Late Cretaceous magmatic activity in southern India.
• Magma generation in rift related setting.
• Evidence for crustal contamination.

The gabbro–granophyre–granite complex of Ezhimala emplaced along the western rifted continental margin of India preserves evidence for bimodal magmatism, with related magma mixing and mingling processes. Here we report petrological, geochemical, zircon U–Pb geochronological and Lu–Hf isotopic data from the Ezhimala Igneous Complex (EIC) that provide insights into the Late Cretaceous magmatic activity. Field investigations and petrographic observations in Zircon U–Pb data from the granophyres show emplacement ages of 93.21 ± 0.6 Ma and 94.26 ± 0.92 Ma. The evolved Lu–Hf isotopic systematics for these rocks are indicative of the involvement of older crustal material during magma genesis. The geochemical systematics together with isotopic data suggest magma generation in a rift-related setting, and interaction with or melting of Neoproterozoic basement rocks. The timing of magmatism broadly correlates with the Late Cretaceous Marion hotspot activity which is considered to be responsible for the break-up of India and Madagascar. We thus interpret the EIC to be one of the rare signatures in southern India for the final phase of rifting of Gondwana.