Unified stratigraphy of Western Deccan Volcanic Province: A GPB perspective

The Western Ghats sections of the Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) are considered the ‘type area’ for most of the established models of its eruptive history and age. The prevailing chemostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy of the Western DVP based on the study of these sections are largely comparable but have subtle conceptual and practical differences. Although based on higher resolution data, the latter failed to get widespread acceptance. Horizons of giant phenocryst basalts (GPBs) have been used in both stratigraphic classifications as marker horizons. They can be traced across many tens of kilometres and serve as efficient and easy-to-map horizons during field mapping. We demonstrate the lateral continuity of the GPB horizons across the Western DVP to reiterate their relevance in stratigraphic classification of the otherwise uniform pile of basaltic flows. We propose a unified stratigraphy for this subprovince, which reconciles existing chemostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic classifications.