Origin of iron oxide spherules in the banded iron formation of the Bababudan Group, Dharwar Craton, southern India

The banded iron formation of the Bababudan Group (Western Dharwar Craton, India) is composed of millimetric to centimetric alternating quartz and grey to red Fe-oxide bands. Major phases are quartz and martite (hematized magnetite) with minor Fe-sulfides and Ca–Mg–Fe-carbonates. Micrometric Fe-oxide spherules fill cavities in discontinuous micrometric layers of Fe-oxides that occur in the massive quartz layers and at the interface of massive Fe-oxide and quartz layers. The spherules are composed of micrometric radial plates of hematite intergrown with nanometric magnetite. These spherules contain carbonaceous matter (CM) with nanometric Fe-particles and have low N contents (∼900 ppm; CM1). The spherule formation is attributed to a low temperature hydrothermal process (150–200 °C) at around 2.52 Ga, possibly favored by the presence of CM. These hydrothermal fluids dissolved diagenetic interstitial sulfides or carbonates creating cavities which, provided space for the spherule precipitation. Carbonaceous matter of semi-anthracite maturity is encapsulated in quartz grains adjacent to the Fe-oxide spherules (CM2) and it is thus concluded that CM1 and CM2 are most likely contemporaneous and of the same origin, either incorporated at the time of BIF formation or during the hydrothermal event at 2.52 Ga from the underlying phyllitised black shales. Carbonaceous matter (CM3) was also found around the Fe-oxide spherules and the martite grains. CM3 has much higher N contents (>5000 ppm), is of a lower maturity than CM1 and CM2, and is related to weathering, which is also indicated by the presence of goethite and kaolinite. The δ13C of all CMs varies from −19.4 to −24.7‰, similar to values measured in the underlying phyllitised black shales and likely reflect denitrifying microbial activity