Turbidites of the Palaeoproterozoic Aravalli Supergroup, Rajasthan, India, and their Significance for Basin Evolution

Studies of Precambrian deep-marine deposits are comparatively rare relative to their Phanerozoic counterparts. The Palaeoproterozoic Aravalli Basin of Rajasthan, India, offers valuable insights into deep-water siliciclastic sedimentation. Subparallel half-grabens, separated by intervening horsts, developed as a consequence of passive-margin collapse and subsequently accumulated thick turbidite successions of the Upper Aravalli Group (1.65-1.58 Ga). Time-equivalent turbidite successions exposed in different sub-basins, separated by basement highs, were previously assigned separate names and stratigraphic status. Detailed facies analysis indicates deposition by sedimentgravity flows along incised channels on slope, valley-confined channels with levees, outer levees, and lobe complexes under deepmarine conditions. Facies associations and their architectural relationships suggest the accumulation of thinning- and fining-upward successions within sagging, westward-deepening linked half-grabens. Sedimentation continued uninterrupted until final basin closure during terminal orogeny. The reconstructed basinevolution model shows close similarities to modern analogues of collapsed passive margins.