Provenance and burial history tracking from quartzite hosted detrital garnet grains Delhi Supergroup of rocks, Firozpur-Jhirka ridge, India

Quartzites of the Delhi Supergroup, exposed along the Firozpur-Jhirka ridge in Faridabad, Gurgaon areas of Delhi-National Capital Area, host detrital garnet grains. The garnet grains are studied for understanding provenance and diagenetic history. Samples were collected from the Badkhal lake area, Faridabad. X-ray diffraction study identifies quartz, garnet, magnetite and goethite as major mineral phases. Whereas quartzites show recrystallization texture, garnet grains record intense fractures and magnetites form large acicular grains. From electron probe microanalysis garnet grains are identified as almandine with high spessartine content and a pegmatite source is suggested. From preserved in-situ exsolution of magnetite from garnet it is inferred that a temperature exceeding 550°C (>17 km burial depth) in the course of burial history and magnetites exsolved below 550°C from garnet during the uplift of quartzite.