Structure, Composition and Evolution of the South Indian and Sri Lankan Granulite Terrains from Deep Seismic Profiling and Other Geophysical and Geological Investigations: A LEGENDS Initiative

We here argue the need for a multidisciplinary, integrated geophysical/geological survey across southern India and Sri Lanka, part of the largest exposed Neoproterozoic high-grade metamorphic terrain in the world. The purpose is to stimulate deep seismic profiling and other geophysical and geological investigations in order to better understand the structure, composition and evolution of a keystone of Precambrian continental crust and the role it played in the amalgamation and subsequent break-up of the Gondwana supercontinent. Of particular importance is that this lithospheric fragment records a 2 billion year long history of magmatism, sedimentation, deformation and metamorphism and now exposes at the surface rocks that once formed at depths of 30 km or more and that record unusually high metamorphic temperatures of up to 1000°C. Modern geophysical data should help to determine what lies underneath these high-T surface rocks and whether the terrain consists of structural distinct subunits separated by (now hidden) sutures. It is likely that the crustal-scale structures generated during the formation of the SGT may extend to other, now dispersed, segments of the Gondwana landmass and their identification in geophysical data will provide a fresh basis for reconstructing the process of supercontinent assemblage and break-up.