Combined analysis of remote sensing, gravity and magnetic data across Moyar Bhavani Shear Zone, Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT), India: appraisals for crustal architecture and tectonics

Abstract

We present a combined analysis of remote sensing, gravity and magnetic data across Moyar Bhavani Shear Zone (MBSZ), Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT), India to study crustal architecture and tectonics. The horizontal gradient of gravity data shows strong density inhomogeneity across the MBSZ. The magnetic data and residual gravity analysis shows corroboration of a NE–SW trending linear magnetic anomaly zone and residual gravity high strip along the MBSZ. The low magnetic anomalies dominate the northern part of the MBSZ, while the southern part is dominated by moderate to high anomalies. The integration of potential data and remote sensing data clearly reveals that ENE–WSW is the dominant structural trend that coincides with the Mettur Shear Zone (MeSZ) trend. The joint gravity and magnetic modelling suggest that the MBSZ, is characterized by the disposition of mélange of moderate to high-density rocks of diamagnetic nature.

Keywords:

• Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT)
• Moyar Bhavani Shear Zone (MBSZ)
• remote sensing
• gravity and magnetic
• regional and residual
• horizontal gradient
• gravity-magnetic modelling

Data availability statement

Authors do have the permission to share raw data but processed may be shared on request

Acknowledgements

The authors are sincerely thankful to Prof. Bradley C. Rundquist, Regional Editor, Geocarto International and the anonymous reviewers for their thorough review and valuable suggestions for improvement of the manuscript. Authors are also thankful to Director General, GSI for kind permission to publish the work. The authors are also thankful to the Director, IIT (ISM), Dhanbad and Head, Dept. of App. Geophysics, IIT (ISM), Dhanbad for their keen interest in this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

The paper is generated from FSP item no. 2013-14/GPM/SR/TN/2013/035. The opinions placed here by the authors are not necessarily endorsed by the organization they belong to. SKP received funding from ISRO, Dept. of Space, Govt. of India, project ISRO/RES/630/2016-17, Science and Engineering Research Board, DST, India, project no. SB/S4/ES-640/2012; FST/ES-I/2017/12, and MOES, Govt. of India, project no. MoES/P.O. (Seismo)/1(148)/2012.