This is a multi-institutional collaborative study of selected sequences of fresh basalt flows recovered from 3 to 5-km deep drill core sections from the western and eastern continental margins and offshore India, and also the samples from an -800-m drill core (Jamali Well Deccan volcanism. These studies include (a) 40Ar/39Ar dating of whole rock and plagioclase separates (incremental heating technique) and (b) major, minor, and trace element (XRF, INAA) and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic analyses. The data obtained on these unique drill core basalts will be integrated with the existing database of surface flows to generate a comprehensive model of temporal and chemical evolution for the entire Deccan province, but especially for the initial phases of flood basalt activity.
