Regional Structural Framework of the Lead-Zinc Deposits at Zawar, Rajasthan, India

The structural elements in rocks around the Zawar area have developed during three successive stages. Movements at the earliest stage are registered by northerly plunging folds-upright to 'reclined'-with steeply dipping overturned axial-plane schistosity (S₂) and attendant a- and b-lineations. Striations on bedding, tension cracks in fold-arches, and occasional disharmonic character of the minor folds point to a flexure-slip origin.

On these was superposed a generation of folds with contrasted style in profile and accompanying axial-plane cleavage (S₈) and lineations.

Off-setting of all other S-planes by the mineralized shear planes, their discordant attitude, and the incongruency of their direction of slip (recorded on their surface by striations and mineral lineations) with the regional movement plan indicate that these were the youngest structure to develop.

Since the development of these structural elements (the mineralized shear zone) was broadly concurrent with metallization, these 'active' structural traps are believed to have been preferred to the earlier, relatively 'inactive' ones.

Future prospecting in this mining district should, therefore, be intensified in those dolomites where this youngest set of structures have developed.