ORIGINAL ARTICLE Geochemical constraints on the tectonic setting of the Sonakhan Greenstone Belt, Bastar Craton, Central India S. D. Deshmukh 1 • K. R. Hari 2 • P. Diwan 3 • M. P. Manu Prasanth 2 Received: 19 August 2016 / Revised: 30 March 2017 / Accepted: 16 August 2017 Ó Science Press, Institute of Geochemistry, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2017 Abstract The Neo-Archean Sonakhan Greenstone Belt (SGB) located in the north-eastern fringes of Bastar craton, Central India, is dominated by Basalts, Andesites, Dacites and Rhyolites association. Partial melting modeling on the SGB metabasalts indicates that these rocks were derived by 20% melting of spinel peridotite. Fractional crystallisation modeling with REE reveal that the most evolved samples represent the product of fractional crystallization of least evolved magma with 35% plagioclase, 35% clinopyroxene, 20% olivine, 5% magnetite and 5% ilmenite as fraction- ating minerals with 40% remaining magma. Depletion of HFSE with reference to the LILE and LREE/HFSE ratios and Nb, Zr anomalies in the multi-element diagram of the mafic rocks of SGB indicate Island arc magmatic setting. The enriched Th/Yb values further substantiate that the mantle arrays were modified by subduction-related fluids or melts. The general conclusions drawn indicate that the metabasalts from the SGB were formed as a result of subduction of an intraoceanic lithosphere in a fore-arc suprasubduction zone environment. Keywords Supra-subduction Á Neo-Archean Á Sonakhan Greenstone terrain Á Bastar craton 1 Introduction The nature of petrogenetic and geodynamic process behind the generation of Archean continental crust still remains one of the most challenging problems in Earth Science (Hawkesworth et al. 2010; Foley et al. 2002; Rapp et al. 2003; Xiao and Santosh 2014; Zhai 2014). Occurrence of Greenstone-Gneiss association is a common feature of Archean cratons (Naqvi 2005). The term Greenstone Belt is generally used to describe elongated to variably-shaped terrain of variable length and width, consisting of spatially and temporally related materials from (1) Archean to Proterozoic intrusive and extrusive ultramafic, (2) mafic to felsic rocks commonly associated with variable amounts and types of metasedimentary rocks, and (3) intruded by granitoid plutons. 85% of the ophiolite occurrences in the greenstone sequences can be classified as the subduction- related tectonic environment. Subduction unrelated green- stone occurrences are mainly developed during ocean basin evolution, and are related to continental rifting, seafloor spreading drift-rift tectonics and plume magmatism (Fur- nes et al. 2014, 2015). The Peninsular Indian Shield, which is made up of low to high-grade metamorphic terrain, has an age range of 3.6–2.6 Ga. These terrain attained tectonic stability for prolonged periods, and they constitute continental crust designated as cratons (Naqvi and Rogers 1987; Balasub- ramanyan 2006; Ramakrishnan and Vaidyanadhan 2008). Stabilization of a craton occurs when intruded by plutons, and as a result, the whole-rock isotopic systems become closed so platform sedimentation takes place on the newly formed basement (Rogers and Santosh 2003). The Bastar Craton, which is located in the eastern part of Peninsular India, is bordered by the Satpura mobile belt in the north, the Pranhita–Godavari rift in the south, the Deccan Traps & K. R. Hari krharigeology@gmail.com 1 Department of Geology, Govt. V. Y. T. P G Autonomous College, Durg, Chhattisgarh, India 2 School of Studies in Geology and W.R.M., Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India 3 Department of Applied Geology, National Institute of Technology, Raipur, India 123 Acta Geochim DOI 10.1007/s11631-017-0213-z