PODIFORM CHROMITES IN MANTLE PERIDOTITES FROM INDUS OPHIOLITE BELT, LADAKH HIMALAYA

Peridotites in ophiolites from Ladakh Himalaya occur as disconnected slices within an ophiolite melange exhibiting faulted, sheared and tectonic contracts. Chromite occurs as pods, schlieren banded as accessory ore within dunites. The pods are generally concordant to semi-concordant to the foliation of host dunites. In places, however, they are discordant to the foliation. The chrome spinels (sensu lato) exhibit bimodal distribution. Those in harzburgite conform to Type I alpine type peridotites. Whereas the ones from dunite are akin to Type III peridotites as classified by Dick and Bullen (1984). The spinels from wehrlites are compositionally similar to those from ophiolite cumulates.