Arijit Chakraborty

Research

Cratons are stable parts of continents which have survived almost the entire geologic history of Earth. However, despite their long-term stability, they do undergo modification and even destruction under specific conditions. Unravelling their formation is crucial in understanding continental dynamics. Interestingly, various mineral deposits are also found at cratonic edges. Therefore it must be a combination of both formation and preservation bias resulting in the very specific location of most of these mineral deposits. We would to find out how the large-scale, long-term craton dynamics affects the formation of economically viable ore deposits of critical base metals and minerals.

In this project we will use geodynamics models to study various tectonic processes which affect craton dynamics, and also at the same time govern concentration of critical minerals. Since mantle melting processes, are important in forming depleted cratonic lithosphere and at the same time dictate movement of critical minerals from the depths of the Earth, to closer to the surface, I would be keen to model these processes as reactive fluid transport under various tectonic scenarios and assess if formation of critical minerals is viable. For this project I will use a combination of geodynamics codes and computational petrological softwares to create geophysically and geochemically consistent models which would provide valuable insights into the tectonic processes that govern the formation of large deposits of critical base metals and minerals.