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    Geology of Sri Lanka

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    Kathirgamanathan Sivanathan
    The document summarizes the geology of Sri Lanka. It describes that nine-tenths of Sri Lanka is composed of highly crystalline Precambrian rocks, while the remaining northwestern region contains Jurassic, Miocene, and Quaternary sedimentary formations. The Precambrian rocks are divided into four major complexes - the Highland Complex, Vijayana Complex, Wanni Complex, and Kadugannawa Complex. The Highland Complex, the oldest formation, contains metamorphic rocks from 2000 million years ago and underwent regional metamorphism between 665-550 million years ago. Younger complexes like the Wanni Complex and Vijayana Complex experienced lower grades of metamorphism than the Highland Complex

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    Geology of Sri Lanka

    Uploaded by

    Kathirgamanathan Sivanathan
    502 views14 pages
    The document summarizes the geology of Sri Lanka. It describes that nine-tenths of Sri Lanka is composed of highly crystalline Precambrian rocks, while the remaining northwestern region contains Jurassic, Miocene, and Quaternary sedimentary formations. The Precambrian rocks are divided into four major complexes - the Highland Complex, Vijayana Complex, Wanni Complex, and Kadugannawa Complex. The Highland Complex, the oldest formation, contains metamorphic rocks from 2000 million years ago and underwent regional metamorphism between 665-550 million years ago. Younger complexes like the Wanni Complex and Vijayana Complex experienced lower grades of metamorphism than the Highland Complex

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    Geology of Sri Lanka

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    The document summarizes the geology of Sri Lanka. It describes that nine-tenths of Sri Lanka is composed of highly crystalline Precambrian rocks, while the remaining northwestern region contains Jurassic, Miocene, and Quaternary sedimentary formations. The Precambrian rocks are divided into four major complexes - the Highland Complex, Vijayana Complex, Wanni Complex, and Kadugannawa Complex. The Highland Complex, the oldest formation, contains metamorphic rocks from 2000 million years ago and underwent regional metamorphism between 665-550 million years ago. Younger complexes like the Wanni Complex and Vijayana Complex experienced lower grades of metamorphism than the Highland Complex

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    502 views14 pages

    Geology of Sri Lanka

    Uploaded by

    Kathirgamanathan Sivanathan
    The document summarizes the geology of Sri Lanka. It describes that nine-tenths of Sri Lanka is composed of highly crystalline Precambrian rocks, while the remaining northwestern region contains Jurassic, Miocene, and Quaternary sedimentary formations. The Precambrian rocks are divided into four major complexes - the Highland Complex, Vijayana Complex, Wanni Complex, and Kadugannawa Complex. The Highland Complex, the oldest formation, contains metamorphic rocks from 2000 million years ago and underwent regional metamorphism between 665-550 million years ago. Younger complexes like the Wanni Complex and Vijayana Complex experienced lower grades of metamorphism than the Highland Complex

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 14

    Geology of Sri Lanka

    Geological time scale

    Formation
    Nine tenths of Sri Lanka is made up of
    highly crystalline, non fossiliferous rocks
    Precambrian age
    The rest, north western region, Jurassic,
    Miocene and Quaternary sedimentary
    formations

    Jurassic-Thabbowa, Andigama, Pallama


    Miocene-Jaffna limestone
    Quaternary-Beach sand deposits

    Precambrian
    Running north-northeasterly
    Four major divisions

    Highland complex
    Vijayana Complex
    Wanni Complex
    Kadugannawa Complex

    Geology map

    The Highland Complex (HC)


    Composed of inter-banded metamorphic
    rocks
    Broad
    Running across the center of the island
    from southwest to northeast
    Granulite facies rocks

    Charnokitic gneiss
    Marble
    Quartzite
    Quartzofeldspathic gneiss

    Hornblende gneiss

    Quartzofeldspathic gneiss

    Marble

    Metamorphic facies

    Age of HC
    Metasediments aged 2000 million years
    So the HC represents 2000 m.y. old crust
    Regional metamorphism took place at
    665-550 m.y. ago
    Medium pressure
    Very high temperature

    Wanni Complex (WC)


    No clear boundary between HC and WC
    Less older than HC
    Low metamorphic grade rocks than HC

    Hronblende bearing gneiss


    Pink granite

    Vijayan Complex (VC)

    Amphibolite facies metamorphism

    Low pressure
    Low temperature compared to HC

    Highland Vijayan boundary

    Thrust zone

    Mineralized belt

    Hot springs
    Lot of minerals throughout

    Magnetite
    Serpentinite
    Vein quartz
    Cu-magnetite

    Well demarcated but wide


    Outliers can be seen as Buttala and Kataragama
    Klippen due to thrusting of HC over VC

    Kadugannawa Complex (KC)


    Infolded within HC
    Granulite facies metamorphism
    high temperatures and pressures associated with
    the process of metamorphism
    No agreement on the origin of these rocks
    Biotite-hornblende gneiss and amphibolites

    Thank you!

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