Discovery of Deccan Inclination Anomaly and its possible geodynamic implications over the Indian Plate

The rapid northward drift of the Indian plate during Deccan volcanism assumes a gradual shallowing of paleomagnetic inclinations in subsequent lava flow formations. A comparison of palaeomagnetic data produced during the last six decades reveals an inclination anomaly during Chron C29r (66.398 - 65.688 Ma) along with brief clockwise-counter-clockwise rotations during and after the main phase Deccan eruption. This interval temporally coincides with i) an accelerated Indian ocean spreading rates, ii) brief incursion of an inland ‘seaway’ and iii) a major drop in the sea level at the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula. Furthermore, the restoration of tilt later during C29n agrees with the withdrawal of the inland seaway and the development of a regional southward dip of the Deccan lava flow formations. Here, we produce an evolutionary model to postulate the interaction of the Reunion plume with the Indian lithospheric plate with coincident geological evidence demanding further exploration.