Thermal conductivity, density, petrological and geochemical characteristics of granitoids from Singhbhum Craton, eastern India

•Co-eval granitoids show increasing trend in thermal conductivity from north to south.•Variation in thermal conductivity can be related to diverse magma sources.•Density is slightly higher for gneisses than for granites. Laboratory measurements have been made on 162 granitoid samples for thermal conductivity, density, and porosity from the Singhbhum Craton in eastern India, one of the oldest cratons (3.53 Ga), which is surrounded by highly-rich mineralized belts. Study reveals that the thermal conductivity of co-eval Paleoarchaean granitoids depicts an increasing trend, statistically different at a 95 % confidence level, from north to south. This variation can be attributed to the relative abundances of major minerals and is corroborated by diverse nature of magma sources. Extensive coverage for thermal conductivity would help in robust estimates of heat flow for which plans are underway.