Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-177). Also available online in Scholars' Bank; and in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.

Exposed on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the Jurassic Bonanza arc is believed to represent the southerly continuation of the Talkeetna arc. Small bodies of mafic and ultramafic cumulates within deeper plutonic levels of the arc constrain the fractionation pathways leading from high-MgO basalt to andesite-dacite compositions. The removal of amphibole from the most primitive non-cumulate compositions controls the compositions of mafic plutons and volcanics until the onset of plagioclase crystallization. This removal is accomplished by the intercumulus crystallization of large amphibole oikocrysts in primitive olivine hornblendite cumulates. Experimental hornblende compositions that crystallize from high-MgO basalts similar to primitive basalts from the Bonanza arc show a good correlation between octahedral Al in hornblende and pressure, and provide a means of estimating crystallization pressures during differentiation of primitive arc basalt. Application of an empirical barometer derived from experimental amphibole data (P = Al(6)/0.056 – 0.143; r2 = 0.923) to natural hornblendes from this study suggests that crystallization of primitive basalts took place at 470-880 MPa. Two-pyroxene thermometry gives a result of 1058 +/- 91 ºC for the only olivine hornblendite sample with both pyroxenes. Lever rule calculations require the removal of 30-45 % hornblende from the most primitive basalt compositions to generate basaltic andesite, and a further 48% crystallization of hornblende gabbro to generate dacitic compositions. Hornblende removal is more efficient at generating intermediate compositions than anhydrous gabbroic fractionating assemblages, which require up to 70% crystallization to reach basaltic andesite from similar starting compositions. There are no magmatic analogues to bulk continental crust in the Bonanza arc; no amount of delamination of ultramafic cumulates will push the bulk arc composition to high-Mg# andesite. Garnet removal appears to be a key factor in producing bulk continental crust.

Les compositions isotopiques en Nd, Hf, Pb et Sr des sédiments de rivière sont souvent considérées comme étant représentatives de celles de leurs roches sources. Elles sont donc largement utilisées pour tracer la provenance des sédiments ou pour moyenner les compositions isotopiques des lithologies drainées. L'influence des processus sédimentaires sur les compositions isotopiques de ces sédiments est cependant mal connue. L'objectif de l'étude présentée ici est de caractériser l'ampleur de la variabilité isotopique pouvant être générée par les processus de tri minéralogique au cours du transport des sédiments dans le milieu fluviatile. Pour ce faire, nous avons analysé les concentrations en éléments traces et les compositions isotopiques en Nd, Hf, Pb et Sr dans différents types de sédiments de rivière (bedload, suspended load, bank) échantillonnés à plusieurs endroits dans le système fluviatile du Ganges qui draine une partie de l'orogène Himalayenne. Nous avons également mesuré les compositions chimiques et isotopiques de nombreuses fractions minérales et granulométriques séparées de ces sédiments afin de mieux comprendre l'influence de chaque espèce minérale dans le budget isotopique total d'un sédiment de rivière. Dans le cas où les lithologies drainées sont essentiellement cristallines et sédimentaires, nous montrons que les isotopes du Nd dans les sédiments de rivière sont très peu affectés par les processus de tri minéralogique puisqu'ils sont toujours contrôlés par les mêmes minéraux, à savoir la monazite et l'allanite. Au contraire, les systèmes isotopiques de l'Hf, du Pb et du Sr s'avèrent particulièrement touchés par les processus de tri minéralogique. Les isotopes de l'Hf et du Pb sont tous deux affectés par un effet zircon qui génère de larges variations isotopiques entre les sédiments de fond de rivières et ceux transportés en suspension. Pour le Sr, les variations observées entre les différents types de sédiments résultent des proportions variables de micas et feldspath-K qu'ils contiennent. Dans le cas où les principales lithologies drainées présentent de forts contrastes d'érodabilité i.e. basaltes versus roches cristallines, nous montrons que les effets combinés de l'érosion différentielle dans le bassin de drainage et du tri sédimentaire dans la colonne d'eau sont responsables d'importantes variations isotopiques en Nd, Hf et Pb entre les sédiments de fond de rivière et ceux transportés en suspension. Nos calculs suggèrent que les produits d'érosion basaltique, relativement fins, sont préférentiellement transportés en suspension, proche de la surface de l'eau, alors que les produits d'érosion des roches plus cristallines sont préférentiellement concentrés dans les sédiments de fond de rivière. Enfin, nous suggérons que les variations isotopiques observées entre les différents types de sédiments transportés par les rivières sur les continents pourraient avoir d'importantes implications pour les systématiques isotopiques des sédiments océaniques terrigènes et sur l'évolution à long terme du réservoir mantellique si ces derniers sont recyclés au niveau des zones de subduction. / Nd, Hf, Pb and Sr isotopic compositions of river sediments are often considered to be representative of those of their source rocks. Thus, they are widely used to trace sediment provenance or to average the isotopic compositions of the drained lithologies. The influence of sedimentary processes on the isotopic composition of these sediments is however poorly known. The aim of the present study is to characterize the extent of the isotopic variability that can be generated by mineral sorting process during sediment transport in fluvial system. To do this, we analyzed trace element concentrations and Nd, Hf, Pb and Sr isotopic compositions in river bank, bedload and suspended load sampled at several locations in the Ganga fluvial system draining part of the Himalayan orogen. We also measured the chemical and isotopic compositions of numerous mineral and granulometric fractions separated from these sediments to better understand the contribution of each mineral species to the bulk isotopic budget of river sediments. When the drained lithologies are mainly crystalline and sedimentary, we show that Nd isotopes are very little affected by mineral sorting processes because, whatever the sediment type, those isotopes are always controlled by the same minerals i.e. monazite and allanite. In contrast, Hf, Pb and Sr isotopic systems are significantly affected by mineral sorting processes. Both Hf and Pb isotopes are affected by a zircon effect that generates large isotopic variations between bedload and suspended load. For Sr, variations between the different sediment types more likely result from variable proportions of K-feldspar and mica. When the main drained lithologies are characterized by strong differences in erodibility i.e. basalts versus crystalline rocks, we show that the combined effects of differential erosion in the drainage basin and sediment sorting in the water column are responsible for significant Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic variations between bedload and suspended load. Our calculations suggest that basaltic erosion products are preferentially transported in suspension, near the water surface, whereas the erosion products of more crystalline rocks are preferentially concentrated in bottom sediments. Finally, we suggest that the isotopic variations observed between bedload and suspended load on continents may have important implications for the isotopic systematics of oceanic terrigenous sediments and the long-term evolution of the mantle if these latters are recycled in subduction zones.

La localisation de la déformation est une caractéristique nécessaire de la tectonique. Pour localiser la déformation, une roche doit subir un affaiblissement. Le processus affaiblissant principal des roches est l'interconnexion de phases faibles. Dans le cas de la croûte continentale, les phases faibles étant le plus souvent responsables de la localisation sont les micas et les liquides silicatés résultant de la fusion partielle. Bien qu'il existe des études expérimentales sur la rhéologie des micas, il y a très peu d'études sur l'impact des micas sur la localisation dans les conditions de la croûte continentale inférieure. De même, les précédentes études expérimentales montrent l'effet de la fusion partielle sur la résistance des roches mais elles utilisent toutes un matériel de départ isotrope. Or la croûte subissant la fusion partielle dans les orogènes est susceptible d'être préalablement déformée et donc anisotrope. Dans le but d'apporter de nouvelles données sur le comportement mécanique et les microstructures de la croûte continentale anisotrope, ainsi que sur l'effet des micas sur la localisation de la déformation, cette thèse propose de réaliser une série d’expériences en presse de Griggs. Cette approche expérimentale est aussi couplée à un travail de terrain sur la zone de faille de Møre og Trøndelag (Norvège). Cette structure étant un zone de cisaillement d'échelle crustale dont la cinématique est partiellement synchrone de la fusion partielle, elle est adaptée à l'étude naturelle des relations entre fusion partielle et déformation. / Strain localization is a necessary feature of tectonic. To be able to localize deformation, rocks must undergo weakening. The main weakening process is weak phase interconnection. For continental crust, weak phases that are the most often responsible of strain localization are micas and melt. Although previous experimental studies exist about rheological properties of micas, none are about the effect of micas on the strain localization in the lower continental crust conditions. Previous experimental studies about the effect of partial melting were always done with isotropic starting material. But continental crust which undergo partial melting is very likely to be deformed before melting and therefore to be highly anisotropic. In the aim to bring new data about mechanical behavior and microstructures of anisotropic continental crust, as well as the effect of micas on strain localization, this thesis propose to conduct a series of experiments in a Griggs apparatus. This experimental approach is also coupled with field work on the Møre og Trøndelag Fault Zone (Norway). This crustal scale shear zone was partially synchronous with partial melting and therefore is well suited for studying relation ship between deformation and partial melting

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The sodic and leucocratic Tonalite, Trondhjemite and Granodiorite (TTG) granitoid series of rocks characterise Paleo- to Meso- Archaean felsic continental crust, yet are uncommon in the post-Archaean rock record. Consequently, petrogenetic studies on these rocks provide valuable insight into the creation and evolution of Earth’s early continental crust. The highpressure (HP)-type of Archaean TTG magmas are particularly important in this regard as their geochemistry requires that they are formed by high-pressure melting of a garnet-rich eclogitic source. This has been interpreted as evidence for the formation of these magmas by anatexis of the upper portions of slabs within Archaean subduction zones. In general, TTG magmas have been assumed to arise through fluid-absent partial melting of metamafic source rocks. Therefore, very little experimental data on fluid-present eclogite melting to produce Archaean TTG exist, despite the fact that water drives magmatism in modern arcs. Consequently, this study experimentally investigates the role of fluid-present partial melting of eclogite-facies metabasaltic rock in the production of Paleo- to Meso-Archaean HP-type TTG melts. Experiments are conducted between 1.6 GPa and 3.0 GPa and 700 ºC and 900 ºC using natural and synthetic eclogite, and gel starting materials of low-K2O basaltic composition. Partial melting of the natural and synthetic eclogite occurred between 850 ºC and 870 ºC at pressures above 1.8 GPa, and the melting reaction is characterised by the breakdown of sodic clinopyroxene, quartz and water: Qtz + Cpx1 + H2O ± Grt1 = Melt + Cpx2 ± Grt2. The experimental melts have the compositions of sodic peraluminous trondhjemites and have compositions that are similar to the major, trace and rare earth element composition of HPtype Archaean TTG. This study suggests that fluid-present eclogite melting is a viable petrogenetic model for this component of Paleo- to Meso-Archaean TTG crust. The nature of the wet low-K2O eclogite-facies metamafic rock solidus has been experimentally defined and inflects towards higher temperatures at the position of the plagioclase-out reaction. Therefore, the results indicate that a crystalline starting material is necessary to define this solidus to avoid metastable melting beyond temperatures of the Pl + H2O + Qtz solidus at pressures above plagioclase stability. Furthermore, this study uses numerical and metamorphic models to demonstrate that for reasonable Archaean mantle wedge temperatures within a potential Archaean subduction zone, the bulk of the water produced by metamorphic reactions within the slabs is captured by an anatectic zone near the slab surface. Therefore, this geodynamic model may account for HP-type Archaean TTG production and additionally provides constraints for likely Archaean subduction. The shape of the relevant fluid-present solidus is similar to the shape of the pressure-temperature paths followed by upper levels of the proposed Archaean subducting slab, which makes water-fluxed slab anatexis is very dependant on the temperature in the mantle wedge. I propose that cooling of the upper mantle by only a small amount during the late Archaean ended fluid-present melting of the slab. This allowed slab water to migrate into the wedge and produce intermediate composition magmatism which has since been associated with subduction zones. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die reeks natruimhoudende en leukokraties Tonaliet, Trondhjemiet en Granodioriet (TTG) felsiese stollingsgesteentes is kenmerkend in die Paleo- tot Meso-Argeïkum felsiese kontinentale kors, maar is ongewoon in die post-Argeïese rots rekord. Gevolglik, petrogenetiese studies op hierdie rotse verskaf waardevolle insig in die skepping en evolusie van die aarde se vroeë kontinentale kors. Die hoë-druk (HD)-tipe van die Argeïkum TTG magmas is veral belangrik in hierdie verband as hulle geochemie vereis dat hulle gevorm word deur hoë druk smelting van 'n granaat-ryk eklogitiese bron. Dit word interpreteer as bewys vir die vorming van hierdie magmas deur smelting van die boonste gedeeltes van die blaaie in Argeïese subduksie sones. TTG magmas in die algemeen, is veronderstel om op te staan deur middel van water-afwesig gedeeltelike smelting van metamafiese bron rotse. Daarom bestaan baie min eksperimentele data op water-teenwoordig eklogiet smelting om Argeïkum TTG te produseer, ten spyte van die feit dat water magmatisme dryf in moderne boë. Gevolglik is hierdie studie ‘n eksperimentele ondersoek in die rol van water-teenwoordig gedeeltelike smelting van eklogiet-fasies metamafiese rots in die produksie van Paleo- tot Meso-Argeïkum HD-tipe TTG smelte. Eksperimente word uitgevoer tussen 1.6 GPa en 3.0 GPa en 700 ºC en 900 ºC met behulp van natuurlike en sintetiese eklogiet, en gel begin materiaal van lae-K2O basaltiese samestelling. Gedeeltelike smelting van die natuurlike en sintetiese eklogiet het plaasgevind tussen 850 ºC en 870 ºC te druk bo 1.8 GPa, en die smeltings reaksie is gekenmerk deur die afbreek van natruimhoudende klinopirokseen, kwarts en water: Qtz + Cpx1 + H2O ± Grt1 = Smelt + Cpx2 ± Grt2. Die eksperimentele smelte het die komposisies van natruimhoudende trondhjemites en is soortgelyk aan die hoof-, spoor- en seldsame aard element samestelling van HD-tipe Argeïkum TTG. Hierdie studie dui daarop dat water-teenwoordig eklogiet smelting 'n lewensvatbare petrogenetiese model is vir hierdie komponent van Paleo- tot Meso-Argeïkum TTG kors. Die aard van die nat lae-K2O eklogietfasies metamafiese rock solidus is eksperimenteel gedefinieër en beweeg na hoër temperature by die posisie van die plagioklaas-out reaksie. Daarom dui die resultate daarop dat 'n kristallyne materiaal nodig is om hierdie solidus te definieër en metastabiele smelting buite temperature van die Pl + H2O + Qtz solidus druk bo plagioklaas stabiliteit te vermy. Verder maak hierdie studie gebruik van numeriese en metamorfiese modelle om aan te dui dat die grootste deel van die water geproduseer deur metamorfiese reaksies binne die blaaie bestaan vir redelike Argeïkum mantel wig temperature binne 'n potensiële Argeïkum subduksie sone, en word opgevang deur 'n smelting sone naby die blad oppervlak. Daarom kan hierdie geodinamies model rekenskap gee vir HD-tipe Argeïkum TTG produksie en dit bied ook die beperkinge vir waarskynlik Argeïese subduksie. Die vorm van die betrokke waterteenwoordig solidus is soortgelyk aan die vorm van die druk-temperatuur paaie gevolg deur die boonste vlakke van die voorgestelde Argeïkum subderende blad, wat water-vloeiing blad smeltingbaie afhanklik maak van die temperatuur in die mantel wig. Ons stel voor dat afkoeling van die boonste mantel met slegs 'n klein hoeveelheid gedurende die laat Argeïese, die water-vloeiing smelting van die blad beëindig. Dit het toegelaat dat die blad water in die wig migreer en intermediêre samestelling magmatisme produseer wat sedert geassosieer word met subduksie sones.

In the Pilgangoora Belt of the Pilbara Craton, Australia, the 3517 Ma Coonterunah Group and 3484-3468 Ma Carlindi granitoids underlie the 3458 Ma Warrawoona Group beneath an erosional unconformity, thus providing evidence for ancient emergent continental crust. The basalts either side of the unconformity are remarkably similar, with N-MORB-normalised enrichment factors for LILE, Th, U and LREE greater than those for Ta, Nb, P, Zr, Ti, Y and M-HREE, and initial e(Nd, Hf) compositions which systematically vary with Sm/Nd, Nb/U and Nb/La ratios. Geological and geochemical evidence shows that the Warrawoona Group was erupted onto continental basement, and that these basalts assimilated small amounts of Carlindi granitoid. As the Coonterunah basalts have similar compositions, they probably formed likewise, although they were deposited >60 myr before. Indeed, such a model may be applicable to most other early Pilbara greenstone successions, and so an older continental basement was probably critical for early Pilbara evolution. The geochemical, geological and geophysical characteristics of the Pilbara greenstone successions can be best explained as flood basalt successions deposited onto thin, submerged continental basement. This magmatism was induced by thermal upwelling in the mantle, although the basalts themselves do not have compositions which reflect derivation from an anomalously hot mantle. The Carlindi granitoids probably formed by fusion of young garnet-hornblende-rich sialic crust induced by basaltic volcanism. Early Archaean rocks have Nd-Hf isotope compositions which indicate that the young mantle had differentiated into distinct isotopic domains before 4.0 Ga. Such ancient depletion was associated with an increase of mantle Nb/U ratios to modern values, and hence this event probably reflects the extraction of an amount of continental crust equivalent to its modern mass from the primitive mantle before 3.5 Ga. Thus, a steady-state model of crustal growth is favoured whereby post ~4.0 Ga continental additions have been balanced by recycling back into the mantle, with no net global flux of continental crust at modern subduction zones. It is also proposed that the decoupling of initial e(Nd) and e(Hf) from its typical covariant behaviour was related to the formation of continental crust, perhaps by widespread formation of TTG magmas.

Understanding continental crust formation and modification is a fundamental and longstanding geologic problem. Influx of mantle-derived basaltic magma and partial melting of the crust are two ways to drive crustal differentiation. This process results in a low density upper crust and denser, more refractory lower crust, creating significant and vastly different geochemical reservoirs over time. The High Lava Plains (HLP) and Northwestern Basin and Range (NWBR) in central and eastern Oregon provide an excellent example of intraplate volcanism where we can examine the beginnings of segregation of a relatively young, recently accreted crust. The origins of continental magmatism and its relationship to plate tectonics, especially away from the continental margins, are only slowly becoming revealed. The western United States is the most volcanically active part of North America during Cenozoic time, and this activity includes the enigmatic volcanism of the HLP and NWBR. Rhyolitic volcanism in the HLP and NWBR is age-progressive but in a direction that is nearly perpendicular to North American Plate motion. Despite being erupted through a similar crust and with a similar composition of mafic input, the HLP province is strongly bimodal (basalt-rhyolite) while the NWBR province exhibits a continuum of compositions. High silica rhyolites are commonplace in the HLP, with approximately a 1:1 ratio of rhyolite to basalt, even though the crust is comprised of mafic accreted terranes. Asthenospheric flow, mantle melting and crustal extension coupled with southwesterly North American plate motion explain the age-progressive volcanism of the HLP and NWBR. Differential asthenopheric counterflow and mantle upwelling created by the down-going Cascadia slab, coupled with transtensional stresses related to the rotation of the North American plate and Basin and Range extension, decreasing to the north, can produce the observed variations in rhyolite compositions and volumes in the two adjacent provinces. These differences are caused by fundamentally different petrogenetic processes that take place in the crust. In the HLP, an increase in mantle-derived magma flux into the lower crust has created low silica rhyolite via partial melt that separated, coalesced and rose buoyantly. This low silica rhyolite may erupt, solidify in the upper crust, or differentiate by fractional crystallization to produce high-iron, high-silica rhyolite containing an anhydrous phase assemblage. In the NWBR, a smaller flux of basaltic magma, coupled with greater transtension resulted in small crustal processing zones where fractional crystallization coupled with magma mixing and recharge created a wide range of compositions. Partial melting to form rhyolites was limited. These rhyolites have lower iron, and hydrous phases (biotite, amphibole) are common. These processes modify the crust in different ways, leaving a stratified crust in the HLP but a less modified crust in the NWBR. Recent geophysical and isotopic studies bear out these differences and allow for a unified, internally consistent model for both provinces, one that relies only on partial melt generation driven by current plate movements and do not require a mantle plume contribution. The bimodal volcanism of the HLP is a direct consequence of the processes that cause the gravitational differentiation of the continental crust into upper and lower units. The model for the HLP is generally applicable to other localities that have predominantly mafic crust and a similar balance of crustal transtension and mantle-derived basaltic flux. One such place is Iceland, which has strongly bimodal (basalt – rhyolite) volcanism. In areas where silicic crust has become substantially more mafic due to a high flux of intraplated basalts, such as in the bimodal Snake River Plain, the model is also applicable. / Graduation date: 2012 / In order for the .age files to run, the add-in called ArArCalc for Excel (version 200 or 2003) must be installed. ArArCalc is available from the website Earthref.org

Temporal changes of seismic velocity and anisotropy in the shallow crust are quantified using local earthquakes recorded at a 200-m-deep borehole station CHY in Taiwan. This station is located directly above the hypocenter of the 10/22/1999, M6.4 Chia-Yi earthquake. Three-component seismograms recorded at this station show clear direct (up-going) and surface-reflected (down-going) P- and S-waves, and S-wave splitting signals. The two-way travel times in the top 200 m is obtained by measuring the time delays between the up-going and down-going waves in the auto-correlation function. The S-wave travel times measured in two horizontal components increase by ~1-2% at the time of Chia-Yi main shock, and followed by a logarithmic recovery, while the temporal changes of S-wave splitting and P-wave are less than 1% and are not statistically significant. We obtain similar results by grouping earthquakes into clusters according to their locations and waveform similarities. This suggests that the observed temporal changes are not very sensitive to the seismic ray path below CHY, but are mostly controlled by the variation of material property in the top 200 m of the crust. We propose that strong ground motions of the Chia-Yi main shock cause transient openings of fluid-filled microcracks and increases the porosity in the near-surface layers, followed by a relatively long healing process. Because we observe no clear changes in the shear wave anisotropy, we infer that the co-seismic damages do not have a preferred orientation. Our results also show a gradual increase of time delays for both the fast and slow S-waves in the previous 7 years before the Chia-Yi main shock. Such changes might be caused by variations of water table, sediment packing or other surficial processes.

In the Pilgangoora Belt of the Pilbara Craton, Australia, the 3517 Ma Coonterunah Group and 3484-3468 Ma Carlindi granitoids underlie the 3458 Ma Warrawoona Group beneath an erosional unconformity, thus providing evidence for ancient emergent continental crust. The basalts either side of the unconformity are remarkably similar, with N-MORB-normalised enrichment factors for LILE, Th, U and LREE greater than those for Ta, Nb, P, Zr, Ti, Y and M-HREE, and initial e(Nd, Hf) compositions which systematically vary with Sm/Nd, Nb/U and Nb/La ratios. Geological and geochemical evidence shows that the Warrawoona Group was erupted onto continental basement, and that these basalts assimilated small amounts of Carlindi granitoid. As the Coonterunah basalts have similar compositions, they probably formed likewise, although they were deposited >60 myr before. Indeed, such a model may be applicable to most other early Pilbara greenstone successions, and so an older continental basement was probably critical for early Pilbara evolution. The geochemical, geological and geophysical characteristics of the Pilbara greenstone successions can be best explained as flood basalt successions deposited onto thin, submerged continental basement. This magmatism was induced by thermal upwelling in the mantle, although the basalts themselves do not have compositions which reflect derivation from an anomalously hot mantle. The Carlindi granitoids probably formed by fusion of young garnet-hornblende-rich sialic crust induced by basaltic volcanism. Early Archaean rocks have Nd-Hf isotope compositions which indicate that the young mantle had differentiated into distinct isotopic domains before 4.0 Ga. Such ancient depletion was associated with an increase of mantle Nb/U ratios to modern values, and hence this event probably reflects the extraction of an amount of continental crust equivalent to its modern mass from the primitive mantle before 3.5 Ga. Thus, a steady-state model of crustal growth is favoured whereby post ~4.0 Ga continental additions have been balanced by recycling back into the mantle, with no net global flux of continental crust at modern subduction zones. It is also proposed that the decoupling of initial e(Nd) and e(Hf) from its typical covariant behaviour was related to the formation of continental crust, perhaps by widespread formation of TTG magmas.

The continental crust is the record of the history of the Earth, of the processes and events that have contributed to the planet's evolution. It is now understood that the continental crust is growing continuously since the early ages of the Earth. Archean-Proterozoic boundary marks one of the major transition periods in the crustal evolution processes. However, there are only few crustal remnants available to investigate this milestone of Earth history, reported with significant chemical discontinuity. The Neoarchean crustal fragments of southern India provide a window to probe the processes that happened during such transitions. The geology of southern India can be broadly divided in to the Archean Dharwar Craton (DC) of granites and greenstones belts to the north and an assembly of crustal blocks experienced granulite grade metamorphism to the south from Archean to Neoproterozoic, namely the Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT). The relationship between DC and SGT terranes are not well established, primarily due to lack of studies on the growth and evolution on each of the crustal blocks. This study focuses on the crustal tract between Salem Attur Shear Zone and the Cauvery Shear Zone of the SGT. This region lies to the east of Palghat Cauvery Shear System, which is considered as dextral shear zone, suture zone, Neoproterozoic terrain boundary and reworked Archean crust in the previous studies. However, so far no comprehensive studies had been reported from the region that consists of a spectrum of rocks charnockite, granitic gneiss, hornblende gneiss, granite and mafic-ultramafics litho-units inclusive of a layered complex. The objectives of this study are 1) to understand the crustal formation processes in Kolli-massif 2) to delineate the chronology of events or processes through radiometric dating. 3) to understand the crustal reworking and evolutionary processes in Kolli-massif . Major tools used in this study include petrology (field studies and petrography), geochemistry, U-Pb Zircon geochronology, Sr-Nd and Hf Isotopes. The content of this thesis is divided in to six chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the topic – crustal growth. It discusses the importance of continental crustal process in understanding the evolutionary history of the 2500 Ma Earth. It also emphasizes on the reason to investigate Kolli-massif which is a part of the Southern Granulite Terrain. Chapter 2 deals with the literature review which is relevant in the context of the study. The chapter discusses topics like structure of the Earth crust, various models proposed on the generation of continental crust (continuous as well as episodic) and also the models discussed in the literature on the generation of TTG (subduction of oceanic crust and ocean plateau and non-subduction). An overall view on crustal reworking and recycling is also included. The chapter ends with a short review on southern Indian crustal tectonics and a detailed discussion on the evolution Palghat Cauvery Shear Zone. Chapter 3 describes the geology of the study area Kolli-massif in details. This includes the structural, lithological units, field relation and geochronolgical aspects combined and their implications on the crustal assembly of southern India. Chapter 4 is a discussion on the results, interpretation and implications of crustal generation and evolution of the Archean Kolli-massif. This chapter is subdivided to four. Chapter 4.1 deals with possible source and tectonic settings for the magma generation which lead to the formation of Archean Sittampundi Complex. The whole rock and spinel chemistry two different suggests both MORB and arc signature for these rocks. Although this is such a quite contrasting scenario, such scenarios are known to occur in an intra-oceanic subduction in the Archean as well as modern analogue. The search for MOR setting lead to Kanjamalai, where major rocks like metagabbro show geochemical affinity, as described in Chapter 4.2. The presence of rocks like plagiogranite also supports MORB affinity. Based on field observations and above evidences Kanjamalai complex is interpreted as subducted remnant of an Archean Mid Oceanic Ridge. Chapter 4.3 deals with the major rock type of the region charnockite and granitic gneiss. The whole geochemical chemistry suggests arc signatures (depleted HFS elements, enriched LREE) and negative Nd and Hf isotope suggests reworked magma. However, the high HREE content and absence of Eu anomaly in the charnockite but reverse case of granitic gneiss indicates they might have of a different source and may not solely by the subduction of oceanic crust described in chapter 4.1. Combining the results from Hf and Nd isotopes that shows the presence of an older crust of age 2700-2900 Ma, it can be concluded that the an older oceanic crust, probably with an ocean plateau was part of subduction and magma genesis. The presence of garnet websterite describes accretion in operation in the generation of Kolli-massif. Chapter 4.4 deals with crustal recycling. The results on the investigation on meta-BIFs yielded results that can be interpreted that the iron formations were deeply subducted. The proposal of accretionary tectonics is also supported by the presence of meta-BIFs in the shear zone with in the Kolli-massif. Chapter 5 deals with the Neoproterozic reworking of the Archean Kolli-massif. The investigations on the sapphirine bearing granulite suggest that the rocks have undergone UHT metamorphism (6Kbar and 925˚C). The geochronogical evidences shows that the zircon rim growth ca. 550 Ma over a 2480 Ma crust. This suggests crustal reworking that would have happened during the Gondwana amalgamation happened during the Neoproterozoic time.It is therefore concluded in Chapter 6 that the Kolli-massif is having an Archean nucleus that was grown by the arc accretion. This reworked during the regional metamorphism along with the Gondwana metamorphism in the Neoproterozoic. Further scope of this study is also discussed.