Singhbhum Craton

About Singhbhum Craton:

• It is a vast swathe of rocky land that stretches mainly across parts of Jharkhand and Odisha, between the Chhota Nagpur plateau and the Eastern Ghats.
• This ancient part of the Earth’s crust has been found in previous research to date back to 3.5 billion years ago.
• The craton’s oldest rock assemblages are largely volcanic and sedimentary rocks also known as greenstone successions.
• Greenstones are rock assemblages made up mostly of submarine volcanic rocks with minor sedimentary rocks.
• The geology of this area shares stark similarities with the greenstone belts documented in South Africa’s Barberton and Nondweni areas and the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia.
• All these areas experienced widespread submarine mafic— meaning high in magnesium oxide — volcanic eruptions between 3.5 and 3.3 billion years ago, preserved as pillowed lava and komatiites.
• Significance
  • They offer a clearer picture of Earth’s early tectonic activities during the Archaean times, contributing to our understanding of the planet’s formative years.
  • The Singhbhum Craton’s unique geological features, including its greenstone belts, provide invaluable information about Earth’s surface and atmospheric processes.
  • This is crucial for hypothesising early habitable conditions and the emergence of life on Earth.

What are Cratons?

• Cratons are the oldest and most stable parts of the Earth's crust, acting as the bedrock of continents.
• These are pieces of ancient continents that formed billions of years ago.
• Studying them offers a window into how processes within and on the surface of Earth operated in the past.
• They host a variety of different groups of rocks, including greenstones and granites.