A comparative study on the petrography, provenance and tectonic settings with evolution patterns with the Neogene Lithosequence in the Siwalik Belt, Arunachal Pradesh and the Belt of Schuppen, Naga-Patkai Hills, India

Abhijit Chakraborty; Monmohan Gogoi; Persona Gogoi; Ranjan Kumar Sarmah; Diganta Bhuyan

doi:10.51710/jias.v43iI.400

Authors

Abhijit Chakraborty Department of Applied Geology, Dibrugarh University
Monmohan Gogoi K.D.M. Chair, Department of Applied Geology, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, 786004, India
Persona Gogoi K.D.M. Chair, Department of Applied Geology, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, 786004, India
Ranjan Kumar Sarmah K.D.M. Chair, Department of Applied Geology, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, 786004, India
Diganta Bhuyan K.D.M. Chair, Department of Applied Geology, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, 786004, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51710/jias.v43iI.400

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of Neogene sandstones from two tectonically active regions in Northeast India-the Siwalik Belt of Arunachal Pradesh and the Belt of Schuppen in the Naga-Patkai Hills. Petrographic examination of 40 thin sections (20 from each region) was conducted to assess mineralogical composition, provenance, and tectonic implications. Quartz is the dominant framework grain, ranging between 48% and 56.6%. Variations in quartz texture, particularly the proportion of undulatory monocrystalline and polycrystalline types, reflect differing degrees of tectonic compaction and sediment recycling. Mica content, especially the presence of kink-banded muscovite, further indicates deformation intensity during burial.

In the Schuppen Belt, Tipam Sandstones at Tipong-Pani contain more sedimentary fragments, while Namchik-Namphuk samples are richer in metamorphic and igneous clasts, consistent with rapid uplift of the Mishmi Hills. In contrast, the Siwalik Belt samples from Kimin-Ziro and Likabali-Garo show higher proportions of undulatory quartz and metamorphic fragments, pointing to a recycled orogenic source from the Higher and Lesser Himalayas. Feldspar textures and matrix content suggest variable depositional energy across the formations.

Provenance plots (QFL and QmFLt) confirm a quartzose recycled origin for both belts. These mineralogical signatures, particularly the deformation textures in quartz and mica, offer insights into the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Himalayan foreland and associated orogenic systems during the Neogene.

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