Mesozoic siliciclastic rocks of the Kutch Basin represent a unique archive of western India’s evolution during Gondwana breakup. Previous studies revealed differences in provenance between individual sub-basins within this basin, but the understanding of sediment-supplying units remains hampered due to the absence of detailed geochronological studies. In this study, we present detrital zircon and rutile U-Pb data from sedimentary units of all sub-basins, as well as modern rivers draining potential source areas. The Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous succession deposited in these sub-basins is classified into the Kutch Mainland Group, Pachchham Island Group and Eastern Kutch Group. The zircon and rutile ages of all three groups reveal the absence of post-Devonian igneous as well as medium- to high-temperature tectono-thermal events in the source areas. The Pachchham Island Group exhibits a higher proportion of ∼1615 Ma zircon and >700 Ma rutile compared to the two other groups, confirming a different evolutionary course. While ∼1615 Ma zircon occurs in pre-Callovian samples of the Eastern Kutch Group, indicating a common source, this changes from the late Bathonian to Callovian onwards, where both the Eastern Kutch and Kutch Mainland groups show an increasing proportion of ∼540 Ma zircons. This late Bathonian to Callovian provenance change is coeval with the uplift of a basement high, known as the Median High, causing a drainage divide which diverted sediments away from the Pachchham Island sub-basin. These findings provide new constraints on sediment provenance, routing and tectonic controls during the evolution of the Kutch Basin.

An integrated approach involving Sr–Nd isotope, trace and rare earth element analyses tracks multiple sources of the Mesozoic sediments of the Kutch Basin at the western continental margin of India. High (87Sr/86Sr)t (ratio at time of deposition), negative εNd and high concentrations of large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) indicate the upper continental source. Ratios of Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf suggest sedimentary and felsic igneous sources of sediments. The moderate to high concentration of La, Th and Sc, light rare earth elements (LREE-) enrichment, weak negative Eu anomalies and the relationship between εNd(0) and Th/Sc indicate the dominantly felsic composition of source rocks. However, low contents of Th, low values of (87Sr/86Sr)t and depleted mantle model age TDM < 1600 Ma indicate input from a younger mafic source. Increasing concentrations of Zr, Hf and Nd isotopes and a gradual increase in mean TDM from the older to the younger formations indicate erosional unroofing at the source terrain. The increasing (87Sr/86Sr)t through time relates to increased weathering of the source rock. The overwhelmingly southwesterly palaeocurrent direction of current-generated sedimentary structures, and the mean TDM ages trace suggest source areas of the Kutch Basin to Precambrian rocks in the north and NE of this basin. The TDM ages highlight the dominance of late Palaeoproterozoic source rocks. Nd isotope composition indicates that Proterozoic rocks of Marwar Supergroup and Erinpura Granite, in particular, served as main sediment contributors for the Mesozoic sediments in Kutch. We therefore conclude that the Mesozoic sediments in the Kutch Basin are predominantly of late Palaeoproterozoic age with lesser inputs from rocks of early Mesoproterozoic and early Palaeoproterozoic age.