u pb dating of monazite and its application to geological problems monazite is an underutilized mineral in u pb geochronological studies of crustal rocks it occurs as an accessory mineral in a wide variety of rocks including granite pegmatite felsic volcanic a

isotopic constraints on the structural relationships between the lesser himalayan series and the high himalayan crystalline series garhwal himalaya nd and sr isotope systematics may provide important constraints on the location of major thrust systems that separate lithologically similar sedimentary sequences the potential of the technique is illustrated by this isotopic study of the main central thrust system of the himalaya nd isotope data from the garhwal himalaya indicate that metasedimentary rocks from the vaikrita group nd 14 to 19 correlate closely with those from the high himalayan crystalline series which constitutes the hanging wall lithologies of the main central thrust in contrast metasedimentary rocks from the munsiari group nd 23 to 28 show marked similarities to the lesser himalayan series in the footwall of the main central thrust sr isotopes support the correlations in that the vaikrita group shows partial reequilibration at 500 ma whereas the munsiari group has not undergone sr isotope homogenization since 1800 ma thus the vaikrita thrust that juxtaposes these two formations is recognized as the main central thrust in garhwal himalaya the thrust coincides approximately with the location of the kyanite isograd confirming that inverted metamorphism is characteristic of both hanging wall and footwall of the main central thrust along the tons thrust known locally as the srinagar thrust 50 km south of the main central thrust low grade quartzarenites with nd sr isotope and trace element characteristics typical of lesser himalayan formations have been emplaced on phyllites and siltstones with geochemical characteristics of the high himalayan crystalline series the field relationships most probably result from out of sequence thrusting in which lesser himalayan series rocks to the north were emplaced over low grade equivalents of the high himalayan crystalline series preserved in the external part of the orogen this study establishes the value of isotope data for lithostratigraphic correlations within orogenic belts

trace element modelling of pelite derived granites the presence or absence of a vapour phase during incongruent melt reactions of muscovite and biotite together with the composition of the protolith determines the trace element characteristics of the resulting melt provided that equilibrium melting occurs for those phases that host the tracc elements of interest for granitic melts rb sr and ba provide critical constraints on the conditions that prevailed during melting whereas ree are primarily controlled by accessory phase behaviour mass balance constraints for eutectic granites that are formed by the incongruent melting of muscovite in pelites indicate that melting in the presence of a vapour phase will result in a large melt fraction and deplete the restite in feldspar hence the melt will be characterized by low rb sr and high sr ba ratios in contrast vapour absent melting will result in a smaller melt fraction and an increase in the restitic feldspar consequently high rb sr and low sr ba ratios are predicted vapour absent melting will also enhance the negative eu anomaly in the melt granites that result from the incongruent melting of biotite in the source will be characterized by higher rb concentrations than those that result from the incongruent melting of muscovite the himalayan leucogranites provide an example of unfractionated crustally derived eutectic melts that are enriched in rb but depleted in sr and ba relative to their metasedimentary protoliths these compositions may be generated by the incongruent melting of muscovite as a low melt fraction f 0 1 from a pelitic source under vapour absent conditions

cenozoic anatexis and exhumation of tethyan sequence rocks in the xiao gurla range southwest tibet article i nfo in order to advance our understanding of the suturing process between continental landmasses a geologic and geochronologic investigation was undertaken just south of the india asia suture in southwestern tibet the focus of this study the xiao gurla range is located near the southeastern terminus of the active right lateral strike slip karakoram fault in southwestern tibet the range exposes metasandstone phyllite schist locally of sillimanite facies calc gneiss and marble paragneiss pyroxene quartzite metagranite and variably deformed leucogranite these metamorphic rocks are exposed in the footwall of a domal top to the west low angle normal detachment fault structurally beneath neogene quaternary basin fill and serpentinized ultramafic rocks of the kiogar jungbwa ophiolite the detachment is interpreted to be the northeastern continuation of the gurla mandhata detachment fault system that bounds metamorphic rocks of the gurla mandhata range 60 km to the southwest u pb geochronology on five detrital zircon samples of schist phyllite and quartzite yielded maximum depositional ages that range from 644 363 ma and age probability distributions that are more similar to tethyan sequence rocks than lesser himalayan sequence rocks a felsic gneiss yielded a metamorphic zircon age of 35 3 0 8 ma with a significant population of early paleozoic xenocrystic core ages the gneiss is interpreted to be the metamorphosed equivalent of the cambro ordovician gneiss that is exposed near the top of the greater himalayan sequence leucogranitic bodies intruding metasedimentary footwall rocks yielded two distinct u pb zircon ages of 23 ma and 15 ma locally rocks exposed in the hanging wall of this fault and of the southward dipping northward verging great counter thrust to the north consist of serpentinite bearing melange and conglomerate of inferred paleogene age dominated by carbonate clasts the melange is intruded by a 44 ma granite and the stratigraphically highest conglomerate unit yielded detrital zircon u pb ages similar to tethyan sequence rocks we attribute the middle eocene magmatism south of the suture to break off of the neo tethyan oceanic slab in addition our observations are consistent with the late eocene shortening and crustal thickening within the tethyan himalayan sequence early middle miocene leucogranite emplacement being related to underthrusting and melting of the greater and possibly lesser himalayan sequences and late miocene arc parallel extension in the hinterland of the southward propagating himalayan thrust belt

new insights into the origin of two contrasting himalayan granite belts the two parallel belts of miocene granite that extend along much of the himalaya differ in age petrogenesis and emplacement style we suggest that their origin is linked to shear heating on a continuously active decollement that cuts through previously metamorphosed indian supracrustal rocks that were transformed into basement during the initial stages of the indian asian collision numerical simulations assuming a shear stress of 30 mpa indicate that initiation of slip on the himalayan thrust at 24 ma could trigger discontinuous melting reactions leading to formation of the high himalayan granite chain from 24 to 20 ma and the north himalayan belt from 18 to 12 ma this model result agrees well with observation as do model predictions regarding emplacement style and location

heat sources for tertiary metamorphism and anatexis in the annapurna manaslu region central nepal following the collision of india with southern tibet crustal rocks of the leading edge of india 1 underwent regional metamorphism to upper amphibolite grade 2 melted locally to produce anatectic granitoids and 3 were sheared and thrust onto lower grade rock along the main central thrust yielding an inverted metamorphic sequence this sequence is exemplified in the annapurna manaslu region we use simple physical calculations to examine the heat sources involved in the different phases of metamorphism the regional metamorphism apparently is due to the burial of the northern edge of india beneath the accretionary prism along the southern edge of tibet the observed temperatures and pressures of this first phase of metamorphism are consistent with the thermal relaxation during the 10 30 m y before slip on the main central thrust began of thickened continental lithosphere whose original surface heat flux was between 50 and 70 mw m 2 the release of water from the footwall of the main central thrust apparently facilitated melting of the overlying crust in the second phase such melting could have occurred in the first million years or so of thrusting if warm 550 650 c crust in the footwall contained the necessary water if melting did not occur in the earliest stages of slip on the main central thrust dissipative heating with shear stresses of 10 to 100 mpa is required for temperatures near the main central thrust to have remained high enough to generate melting above the fault during the underthrusting of cold material the thickness 6 8 km of the zone of inverted isograds associated with the fault if undisrupted and due solely to thermal diffusion implies that the time required to carry the rocks preserving the inverted metamorphism from the surface to depths of 30 40 km was 4 8 m y the apparent inverted temperature gradients about 10 25 c km in this zone can be understood as the combined result of two processes diffusion of heat from hot rock thrust over cold rock expunged the original temperature gradient near the fault and could have created an inverse gradient of 10 20 c km the peak temperatures in such a zone however would not have exceeded about 350 c without an additional source of heat dissipative heating at shear stresses of about 100 mpa can account for peak temperatures in excess of 600 c during slip on the fault and would have contributed as much as 13 c km to the inverse gradient although inversion of metamorphic isograds could have occurred as a result of deformation within the main central thrust zone the high temperatures during slip on this zone still require dissipative heating unless the duration of slip exceeded 25 m y

generation of leucogranites via fractional crystallization a case from the late triassic luoza batholith in the lhasa terrane southern tibet abstract leucogranites are important in understanding intracrustal differentiation and regional tectonic evolution but how these rocks form remains a matter of much debate the luoza batholith in the central lhasa subterrane provides an important opportunity to address these issues as this batholith consists of normal calc alkaline s type granodiorites group 1 and highly fractionated s type leucogranites group 2 laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry zircon u pb dating indicates that these rocks were emplaced at ca 221 205 ma the group 1 samples ca 205 ma have low sio2 content 64 67 wt and low differentiation index values di 75 76 and are slightly depleted in ba p sr and ti compared to the group 2 samples ca 221 ma and 213 ma which have high sio2 content 74 75 wt high differentiation index values 91 94 and are significantly depleted in ba p sr and ti samples from group 1 and group 2 exhibit similar zircon ehf t values 15 6 to 1 4 both of which are significantly higher than melts from the pure ancient basement in the central lhasa subterrane 20 5 to 10 6 the group 1 samples can be interpreted as having been derived from the partial melting of metagreywacke within the ancient basement in the central lhasa subterrane with contributions from mantle or juvenile crust derived components whereas the group 2 samples may have formed via varying degrees of fractional crystallization of different minerals e g plagioclase k feldspar biotite zircon allanite monazite titanite and apatite from the parental magmas represented by the granodioritic samples in group 1 in shallow crustal magma chambers in combination with sedimentary records the high temperature and low pressure conditions indicated by the group 1 samples can be geodynamically linked to a back arc extensional setting in response to the southward subduction of the bangong nujiang tethys ocean seafloor our work implies that fractional crystallization is likely a feasible mechanism for the development of leucogranites and for explaining the compositional diversity of the granite during intracrustal differentiation

himalayan leucogranites and migmatites nature timing and duration of anatexis widespread anatexis was a regional response to the evolution of the himalayan tibetan orogen that occurred some 30 ma after collision between asia and india this paper reviews the nature timing duration and conditions of anatexis and leucogranite formation in the greater himalayan sequence ghs and compares them to contemporaneous granites in the karakoram mountains himalayan leucogranites and associated migmatites generally share a number of features along the length of the mountain front such as similar timing and duration of magmatism common source rocks and clockwise p t paths despite commonalities most papers emphasize deviations from this general pattern indicating a fine tuned local response to the dominant evolution there are significant differences in p t xh2o conditions during anatexis and timing in relation to regional decompression further to that some regions underwent a second event recording melting at low pressures zircon and monazite ages of anatectic rocks range between c 25 and 15 ma suggesting prolonged crustal melting typically a single sample may have ages covering most of this 10 ma period suggesting recycling of accessory phases from metamorphic rocks and early formed magmas recent studies linking monazite and zircon ages with their composition have determined the timing of prograde melting and retrograde melt crystallization thus constraining the duration of the anatectic cycle in some areas this cycle becomes younger down section towards the leading front of the himalayas whereas the opposite is true in other areas the relationship between granites and movement on the south tibetan detachment std reveals that fault motion took place at different times and over different durations requiring complex internal strain distribution along the himalayas the nature and fate of magmas in the ghs contrast with those in the karakoram mountains ghs leucogranites have a strong crustal isotopic signature and migration is controlled by low angle foliation leading to diffuse injection complexes concentrated below the std in contrast the steep attitude of the karakoram shear zone focused magma transfer feeding the large karakoram baltoro batholith anatexis in the karakoram involved a cretaceous calcalkaline batholith that provided leucogranites with more juvenile isotopic signatures the impact of melting on the evolution of the himalayas has been widely debated melting has been used to explain subsequent decompression or conversely decompression has been used to explain melting weakening due to melting has also been used to support channel flow models for extrusion of the ghs or alternatively to suggest it triggered a change in its critical taper in view of the variable nature of anatexis and of motion on the std it is likely that anatexis had only a second order effect in modulating strain distribution with little effect on the general history of deformation thus despite all kinds of local differences strain distribution over time was such that it maintained the well defined arc that characterizes this orogen this was likely the result of a self organized forward motion of the arc controlled by the imposed convergence history and energy conservation balancing accumulation of potential energy and dissipation independent of the presence or absence of melt

metamorphic reactions related to decompression and synkinematic intrusion of leucogranite high himalayan crystallines bhutan the high himalayan crystallines hhc of bhutan were penetratively deformed intruded by leucogranite and metamorphosed during the collision of the indian and asian plates metamorphic reaction textures in the hhc show that it experienced decompression while maintaining a laterally heterogeneous and locally inverted internal temperature range of c 600 750c this thermal structure was produced by thrusting hot migmatitic rocks over lower grade rocks within the hhc and by the advection of heat from the intrusion of leucogranite dykes and sills during decompression a variable velocity field within the hhc during exhumation and extrusion between india and tibet caused the inversion of top to the south sense of shear present throughout most of the hhc to top down to the north shear near its top

geochronology and geochemistry of the late triassic longtan pluton in south china termination of the crustal melting and indosinian orogenesis the indosinian orogeny is recorded by triassic angular unconformities in vietnam and south china and by widely occurring granitoids in the yunkai nanling and the xuefengshan belts of south china the longtan pluton in the northwestern part of the xuefengshan belt is a typical high k calc alkaline i type granitoid which can shed light on the relationship between the indosinian tectonic and magmatic activity in the region three precise zircon u pb ages yielded a mean of 218 0 8 ma which is taken as the age of crystallization the pluton consists of both granodiorite 64 59 68 01 sio2 and 3 25 4 22 k2o and granite 70 49 71 80 sio2 and 4 07 4 70 k2o the granodiorites are characterized by relatively high mg 54 57 low contents of na2o 3 2 4 3 wt low abundances of incompatible elements lile nb and p high initial 87sr 86sr 0 7175 0 7184 and negative end t 9 98 to 9 72 ree patterns show moderate fractionation la yb cn 8 07 18 80 with negative eu anomalies eu eu 0 62 0 86 compared with the granodiorite the granite has a wider range of mg 49 59 lower contents of na2o 2 8 4 2 wt higher initial 87sr 86sr 0 7232 0 7243 and more negative end t 12 07 to 11 24 values ree patterns are relatively flat la yb cn 14 73 29 37 with smaller negative eu anomalies eu eu 0 48 0 63 the granodiorite has lower k2o na2o and al2o3 mgo feotot values than the granite based on major and trace element geochemistry and sr nd isotopes we interpret the longtan granodioritic magma to have been derived by partial melting of interlayered proterozoic metabasaltic to metatonalitic source rocks whereas the granite was probably derived from a mixture of proterozoic metagraywackes and metaigneous rocks field petrographic and geochemical evidence indicate that partial melting and fractional crystallization were the dominant mechanism in the evolution of the pluton the longtan granodiorites and granites are petrologically and geochemically similar to typical indosinian varieties and are considered to have been produced in a similar manner the indosinian granitoids in the region show a magmatic peak age of 238 ma from the yunkai nanling belt in the southeast and a magmatic peak age of 218 ma of the xuefengshan belt to the northwest these early and late magmatic episodes of the indosinian granitoids also display slight variations of regular compositions end t values and t dm ages thus we propose a syncollisional extension model that indosinian granitoids were generated by decompressional partial melting of crustal materials triggered by two extensions during collision of the indochina and south china blocks the longtan pluton in the northwesternmost part of the orogenic belt marks the termination of the indosinian magmatism and orogenesis

the siwaliks of western nepal ii mechanics of the thrust wedge abstract comparison between numerical models and structural data is used for a better understanding of the evolution of the siwalik thrust belt of western nepal the numerical model involves discontinuities within a critical wedge model a kinematic forward model of serial cross sections and a linear diffusion algorithm to simulate erosion and sedimentation in western nepal large piggy back basins duns are located above thick thrust sheets that involve more than 5500 m of the neogene siwalik group whereas piggy back basin sedimentation is less developed above thinner thrust sheets 4300 m thick numerical model results suggest that thrust sheet thickness and extension of wedge top basins are both related to an increase of the basal decollement dip beneath the duns the west dang transfer zone wdtz is a n ne trending tectonic lineament that limits the westward extent of the large piggy back basins of mid western nepal and is linked to a thickening of the himalayan wedge eastward the wdtz also affects the seismotectonics pattern the geometry of the thrust front the lateral extent of lesser himalayan thrust sheets and the subsidence of the foreland basin during middle siwalik sedimentation numerical models suggest that the individualisation of the piggy back basins at the transition between the middle siwalik and upper siwaliks followed the deposition of the middle siwaliks that induced a geometry of the foreland basin close to the critical taper as wdtz induces an e w thickning of the himalayan wedge it could also induce a northward shift of the leading edge of the ductile deformation above the basal detachment in greater himalayas of far western nepal field data locally suggest episodic out off sequence thrusting in the frontal thrust belt of western nepal whereas numerical results suggests that episodic out off sequence reactivation could be a general characteristic of the himalayan wedge evolution often hidden by erosion

petrogenesis and tectonic implications of a type granites in the dabie orogenic belt china geochronological and geochemical constraints the dabie orogenic belt is characterized by the presence of large volumes of intrusive and volcanic rocks that formed in late mesozoic times most of the intrusive bodies are i type granites but it is still unclear whether there are contemporary a type granites here we report the first unambiguous discovery of a type granite from baiyashan in the north dabie tectonic belt the crystallization age of the body has been fixed as 120 4 1 2 ma using u pb analysis of zircons by la icpms the baiyashan granite is enriched in si k na rb and ree has elevated feo tot feo tot mgo and ga al ratios and is depleted in mg ca mn ba sr p and ti the ree composition shows highly fractionated patterns with la yb n 6 95 16 68 and eu eu 0 33 0 59 its crystallization age field relationships petrographic and geochemical data show beyond doubt that the baiyashan granite is an early cretaceous a type granite sr nd isotope systematics are characterized by a high i sr of 0 708 0 714 and a low nd of 7 5 to 19 4 with t dm2 1 5 2 5 ga and these data indicate that the magmas were dominantly sourced from partial melting of middle to lower crustal intermediate felsic igneous rocks and mingling with mafic to intermediate magmas during rift related magmatism associated with subduction of the palaeo pacific plate beneath eastern china in early cretaceous times

the four plutonic belts of the transhimalaya himalaya a chemical mineralogical isotopic and chronological synthesis along a tibet nepal section

anomalously mild younger dryas summer conditions in southern greenland the first late glacial lake sediments found in greenland were analyzed with respect to a variety of environmental variables the analyzed sequence covers the time span between 14400 and 10500 calendar yr b p and the data imply that the conditions in southernmost greenland during the younger dryas stadial 12800 11550 calendar yr b p were characterized by an arid climate with cold winters and mild summers preceded by humid conditions with cooler summers climate models imply that such an anomaly may be explained by local climatic phenomenon caused by high insolation and fohn effects it shows that regional and local variations of younger dryas summer conditions in the north atlantic region may have been larger than previously found from proxy data and modeling experiments

u th pb systematics and ages of himalayan leucogranites south tibet abstract the age and origin of five leucogranites from the high and tethys himalaya and two country rock gneisses were investigated by u pb dating of zircon fractions and single grains and fractions of monazite additionally th u concentrations in whole rock powders and isotopic compositions of pb in leached k feldspars were determined monazites yield ages of 16 8 0 6 m y for the nialam migmatite granite 15 1 0 5 m y for the lhagoi kangri granite 14 3 0 6 m y for a granite from mt everest and 9 8 0 7 m y and 9 2 0 9 m y for two varieties of the maja granite these data together with monazite ages of 21 9 0 2 and 24 0 0 4 m y determined earlier on the makalu granite 1 substantiate a period of intracontinental granite emplacements from 24 to 9 m y ago i e from uppermost oligocene to late miocene times such a period of plutonic activity is consistent with the view that all these granites result from intracrustal melting following the collision of india with eurasia furthermore the individual ages together with structural relationships between granites and country rocks suggest that granite formation and tectono metamorphism occurred as alternating and strongly related processes with a periodicity of 7 to 9 m y inherited lead components present in all granite zircons point to large proportions of precambrian material in the magma source regions up to 2200 m y old th u systematics between monazite and country rocks indicate that u has been leached from most of the granites after crystallisation of monazite zircon dating of the kangmar granite gneiss which occurs in a window through the tethys himalayan sediments shows that this pluton transformed to a gneiss during the alpine orogeny crystallised in lowermost palaeozoic times 562 4 m y ago

a model for monazite melt equilibrium and application to the generation of granitic magmas abstract in order to model the behaviour of zr hf ti p u th y and the rare earth elements ree in the continental crust the parameters which control the equilibria between accessory minerals and granitic melts must be determined this paper proposes equations for the equilibrium between monazite and ca poor felsic melts in a first step all the light ree are considered as a single component and an equation describing monazite solubility is deduced from the available experimental data in a second step the fractionation of ree by monazite is investigated on the basis of a natural example of coexisting monazite and obsidian from macusani peru the solubility of monazite can be used as a thermometer based on the total ree content of natural magmatic rocks application of ree thermometry to various peraluminous rock series suggests that it is a reliable tool for determining temperatures of magmatic processes the equation governing ree fractionation by monazite is used to discuss genetic relationships between a melt and a presumed parental rock using the composition of the monazite in the parental rocks and the ree pattern of the daughter rock this method has been applied successfully to high himalayan manaslu and tibetan slab granites it is suggested that detailed petrographical work on monazite including electron microprobe analyses and sem imaging of its internal structures combined with the model presented here can be a useful tool for deciphering the genesis and the differentiation of peraluminous granitic magmas in the continental crust

causes and consequences of protracted melting of the mid crust exposed in the north himalayan antiform gneiss domes exposed by the north himalayan antiform in southern tibet provide evidence for protracted melting of the mid crust during convergent tectonics anatexis was initiated during underthrusting and recurred during the southwards extrusion of a low viscosity crustal sheet sr nd isotope systematics establish that the cores of the domes dominated by cambrian gneiss form a window of the high himalayan crystalline series hhcs indian plate combined trace element and isotopic analyses from 4 two mica granites that intrude both core and the metasedimentary mantle of the domes indicate an origin from melting of the high himalayan crystalline series by the incongruent breakdown of muscovite and to a lesser extent biotite at temperatures from 680 to 760 c u pb dating of accessory phases extends the known period of granite magmatism from the late oligocene to mid miocene a ca rich garnet bearing leucogranite of oligocene age 27 5 ma provides a rare insight into the pre miocene history of the underthrust indian plate reflecting prograde melting at greater depths during a period of crustal thickening the origin of the miocene granites 15 10 ma can be modeled from the exhumation of an extruding channel at a rate of ca 1 mm year constrained by ar isotope data melting over a protracted time scale along the leading edge of the indian plate less than 50 km from the suture accelerated horizontal shortening within the collision zone and provided a positive feedback mechanism between magmagenesis and deformation

timing of prograde metamorphism in the zanskar himalaya the timing of the prograde metamorphism of continental crust buried during the collision of india and eurasia is of importance to our understanding of the mechanics of mountain building and crustal metamorphism our knowledge of the himalaya indicates that continental collision at 55 50 ma culminated in crustal melting and leucogranitic magmatism at 24 18 ma however the timing of events in the intervening 30 m y is poorly understood here we present sm nd isotope analyses of garnets from the zanskar himalaya that also preserve information on crustal and orogenic evolution during that period the prograde p t t paths indicate that heating and burial from 6 to 10 kbar continued until at least 25 30 ma and imply peak temperatures 700 c close to those necessary to cause the crustal melting in the himalaya at ca 20 ma without a requirement for additional heat sources such as shear heating on major crustal shear zones the persistence of high temperatures as late as 20 ma in the himalaya may be related to postcollisional thrusting south of the suture zone and within the indian plate at 40 35 ma

evolution of north himalayan gneiss domes structural and metamorphic studies in mabja dome southern tibet field structural and metamorphic petrology investigations of mabja gneiss dome southern tibet suggest that contractional extensional and diapiric processes contributed to the structural evolution and formation of the domal geometry the dome is cored by migmatites overlain by sillimanite zone metasedimentary rocks and orthogneiss metamorphic grade diminishes upsection and is defined by a series of concentric isograds evidence for three major deformational events two older penetrative contractional and extensional events and a younger doming event is preserved metamorphism migmitization and emplacement of a leucocratic dike swarm were syntectonic with the extensional event at mid crustal levels metamorphic temperatures and pressures range from 500 8c and 150 450 mpa in chloritoid zone rocks to 705 65 8c and 820 100 mpa in sillimanite zone rocks we suggest that adiabatic decompression during extensional collapse contributed to development of migmatites diapiric rise of low density migmatites was the driving force at least in part for the development of the domal geometry the structural and metamorphic histories documented in mabja dome are similar to kangmar dome suggesting widespread occurrence of these events throughout southern tibet q 2004 elsevier ltd all rights reserved

crustal generation of the himalayan leucogranites abstract detailed studies of the himalayan two mica leucogranites such as the manaslu pluton indicate that they have very uniform mineralogical petrological and structural characteristics one can relate their occurrence to the thickest zones of the underlying tibetan slab in these zones migmatization attains its greatest development and vertical extension the granite is emplaced at first along the main disharmonic plane above the main central thrust mct at the top of the tibetan slab infrastructure ductile deformation of the granite is variable the granite being syn to late kinematic with regard to the functioning of the mct major elements are very homogeneous except for na and k implying that p t conditions of melting were relatively uniform the melted material was of a similar composition over a vast volume and the percentage of melting was small 10 15 trace elements are highly variable some are characteristic for very evolved material ta rb cs u or show the link with the tibetan slab ba sr whilst others are problematic th ree ree and th abundances being much less in the granite than in the tibetan slab imply that they have been extracted during one of the main stages of formation possibly by monazite radiogenic pb sr nd and stable o isotopes are consistent with the origin of the granite from the tibetan slab however the heterogeneous sr isotopic ratios make age dating difficult and imply poor mixing or little fluid interaction during its evolution h isotope data indicate that magmatic compositions of the main body of the manaslu granite have been preserved late or post magmatic alterations are extremely local in the main pluton to the north another belt of two mica granites occurs whose characteristics are very similar to the high himalaya belt they were probably generated in a similar way during this recent intracontinental evolution

when did the roof collapse late miocene north south extension in the high himalaya revealed by th pb monazite dating of the khula kangri granite th pb ion microprobe measurements made on 12 monazite grains from the khula kangri granite tibet bhutan frontier are interpreted to indicate that crystallization occurred at 12 5 0 4 ma the leucogranite is cut by the gonto la detachment part of the southern tibet detachment system that has allowed upper level north directed extension of the himalayan orogen significant orogen normal extension in southern tibet appears to have continued 8 10 m y later than previously recognized this is the first reported crystallization age for a leucogranite east of the yadong cross structure an apparent 70 km offset of the high himalaya and southern tibet detachment west of the yadong cross structure reliable ages for high himalaya events major main central thrust slip granite generation and emplacement attainment of critical topography and major detachment extension group between ca 24 and 19 ma we interpret the west to east change across the yadong cross structure to be due to either 1 an abrupt 10 m y younging of principal high himalayan events or 2 a deeper thus younger exposed part of the footwall of the southern tibet detachment near khula kangri the southern tibet detachment is cut by the highly oblique yadong gulu rift a manifestation of tibet plateau east west extension integrated estimates of magnitude and rate of detachment displacement suggest that the observed postcrystallization north directed extension lasted for 1 3 m y after which time the yadong gulu rift formed this interpretation is consistent with initiation of east west extension of tibet at ca 8 ma

exhumation of the main central thrust from lower crustal depths eastern bhutan himalaya geothermometry and mineral assemblages show an increase of temperature structurally upwards across the main central thrust mct however peak metamorphic pressures are similar across the boundary and correspond to depths of 35 45 km garnet bearing samples from the uppermost lesser himalayan sequence lhs yield metamorphic conditions of 650 675 c and 9 13 kbar staurolite kyanite schists about 30 m above the mct yield p t conditions near 650 c 8 10 kbar kyanite bearing migmatites from the greater himalayan sequence ghs yield pressures of 10 14 kbar at 750 800 c top to the south shearing is synchronous with and postdates peak metamorphic mineral growth metamorphic monazite from a deformed and metamorphosed proterozoic gneiss within the upper lhs yield u pb ages of 20 18 ma staurolite kyanite schists within the ghs a few metres above the mct yield monazite ages of c 22 1 ma we interpret these ages to reflect that prograde meta morphism and deformation within the main central thrust zone mctz was underway by c 23 ma u pb crystallization ages of monazite and xenotime in a deformed kyanite bearing leucogranite and kyanite garnet migmatites about 2 km above the mct suggest crystallization of partial melts at 18 16 ma higher in the hanging wall south verging shear bands filled with leucogranite and pegmatite yield u pb crystallization ages for monazite and xenotime of 14 15 ma and a 1 2 km thick leuco granite sill is 13 4 0 2 ma thus metamorphism plutonism and deformation within the ghs con tinued until at least 13 ma p t conditions at this time are estimated to be 500 600 c and near 5 kbar from these data we infer that the exhumation of the mct zone from 35 to 45 km to around 18 km occurred from 18 to 16 to c 13 ma yielding an average exhumation rate of 3 9 mm year 1 this process of exhumation may reflect the ductile extrusion by channel flow of the mctz from between the overlying tibetan plateau and the underthrusting indian plate coupled with rapid erosion

first field identification of the cuonadong dome in southern tibet implications for ew extension of the north himalayan gneiss dome the cuonadong dome exposes in east southern margin of the north himalayan gneiss domes nhgd which is reported first time in this study the cuonadong dome is located at the southern part of the zhaxikang ore concentration area which is divided into three tectono lithostratigraphic units by two curved faults around the dome geometry from upper to lower or from outer to inner the upper unit middle unit and lower unit and the outer fault is nading fault while the inner fault is jisong fault the cuonadong dome is a magmatic orthogneiss and leucogranite mantled by orthogneiss and metasedimentary rocks which in turn are overlain by jurassic metasedimentary and sedimentary rocks the grades of metamorphism and structural deformation increase towards the core which is correspondence with the ridang formation low metamorphic schist tourmaline granitic biotite gneiss garnet mica gneiss and mylonitic quartz mica gneiss the cuonadong dome preserves evidences for four major deformational events firstly top to s thrust d1 early approximately n s extensional deformation d2 main approximately e w extensional deformation d3 and late collapse structural deformation d4 around the core of the cuonadong dome which are consistent to three groups lineation approximately n s trending lineation including l1 and l2 e w trending l3 and l4 with plunging towards outside of the dome respectively the formation of the cuonadong dome was probably resulted from the main e w extensional deformation which is a result of eastward flow of middle or lower crust from beneath tibet accommodated by northward oblique underthrusting of indian crust beneath tibet the establishment of the cuonadong dome enhanced the e w extension of the nhgd which is further divided into two structural dome zones according to the different extensional directions approximately n s extensional north himalayan gneiss domes ns nhgd and e w extensional north himalayan gneiss domes ew nhgd the ns nhgd developed by a dominantly n s contraction and locally extensional regime and keep a close relationship to the south tibetan detachment system whereas the ew nhgd formed by an e w extensional deformation along the north south trending rifts

constraints on the collision and the pre collision tectonic configuration between india and asia from detrital geochronology thermochronology and geochemistry studies in the lower indus basin pakistan abstract knowledge of the timing of india asia collision is a fundamental prerequisite for understanding the evolution of the himalayan tibetan orogen and its role in global climate oceanic chemistry and ecological evolution despite much active research the basic pre collision tectonic configuration and the timing of terminal india asia suturing remain debated for example debates regarding when and how the intervening kohistan ladakh arc was sutured with india and asia still remain elusive some models propose the arc collided with asia at about 100 ma with india asia collision at ca 55 ma whilst a newer model proposed the arc s collision with india at 50 ma and subsequently with asia at 40 ma another example is the recent proposition that an oceanic greater india basin separated the tethyan himalaya microcontinent from the remaining indian plate until 20 25 ma with the consumption of this oceanic basin marking the final collision at this time these controversies relate to whether the commonly documented 50 ma contact represents the terminal india asia suturing or the amalgamation between various arcs or microcontinents with india or asia here we present an integrated provenance study of geochronology thermochronology and geochemistry on the late cretaceous pleistocene sediments from the lower indus basin on the indian plate the detrital zircon u pb and fission track data show a reversal in sediment source from a pure indian signature to increasing inputs from the suture zone and the asian plate between the middle paleocene and early oligocene the nd and sr isotopes narrow down this change to 50 ma by revealing input of asian detritus and the establishment of a nd sr isotopic pattern similar to the present day indus fan by 50 ma with no significant variations up section contrary to what might be expected if later major collisions had occurred our isotopic data indicate that greater india was occupied by a fluvial deltaic system analogous to the present day indus and named as the paleo indus which has been transporting asian detritus southward across the suture zone and kohistan ladakh arc since 50 ma suggesting no other ocean basins intervened between india and asia after this time in this region our data require that in the west the india asia collision were accomplished by 50 ma

a model for the origin of himalayan anatexis and inverted metamorphism the origin of the paired granite belts and inverted metamorphic sequences of the himalaya has generally been ascribed to development of the main central thrust mct although a variety of models have been proposed that link early miocene anatexis with inverted metamorphism recent dating studies indicate that recrystallization of elements of the mct footwall occurred in the central himalaya as recently as 6 ma the recognition that hanging wall magmatism and footwall metamorphism are not spatially and temporally related renders unnecessary the need for exceptional physical conditions to explain generation of the high himalayan leucogranites and north himalayan granites which differ in age petrogenesis and emplacement style we suggest that their origin is linked to shear heating on a continuously active thrust that cuts through indian supracrustal rocks that had previously experienced low degrees of partial melting numerical simulations assuming a shear stress of 30 mpa indicate that continuous slip on the himalayan decollement beginning at 25 ma could trigger partial melting reactions leading to formation of the high himalayan granite chain between 25 and 20 ma and the north himalayan belt between 17 and 8 ma the ramp flat geometry we apply to model the himalayan thrust system requires that the presently exposed rocks of the hanging wall resided at middle crustal levels above the decollement throughout the early and middle miocene late miocene out of sequence thrusting within the broad shear zone beneath the mct provides a mechanism to bring these rocks to the surface in their present location i e well to the north of the present tectonic front and has the additional benefit of explaining how the inverted metamorphic sequences formed beneath the mct we envision that formation of the mct zone involved successive accretion of tectonic slivers of the lesser himalayan formations to the hanging wall and incorporate these effects into the model the model predicts continued anatexis up to 400 km north of the himalayan range consistent with the timing and geochemistry of leucogranites exhumed on the flank of a south tibetan rift

melt enhanced deformation a major tectonic process convergent tectonics between continental crustal blocks result in deep burial and anatexis of supracrustal rocks anatectic and or mantle derived melts combine to form a melt weakened zone in the thickened lower crust the accumulation of melt eventually leads to crustal failure along melt lubricated shear zones rapid 1 mm yr vertical component movements of large crustal blocks result we refer to these crustal displacements as tectonic surges the melt lubricated shears are characterized by the close association of sheared country rocks with foliated or massive igneous sills and plutons rocks that formed at different crustal levels are juxtaposed across these shear zones one result of surges with large lateral component of movement is metamorphic inversion with high pressure and high temperature metamorphic rocks structurally over lower pressure and temperature assemblages large and rapid vertical surges may displace crust containing abundant melt and may result in high t p including granulite facies metamorphism and preservation of metamorphic textures caused by rapid decompression

lithium isotopic composition and concentration of himalayan leucogranites and the indian lower continental crust abstract the lithium isotopic compositions of adakitic rocks and k rich volcanic rocks in southern tibet range from 1 3 to 7 5 and 4 9 to 3 5 respectively the subduction of the indian plate beneath the lhasa terrane means that traditional lithium isotopic compositions of various reservoirs are unable to explain the aforementioned 7 li data therefore it is necessary to determine the li isotopic compositions of the different geological endmembers underneath southern tibet here we report the lithium isotopic composition and concentration of indian upper and lower continental crust on the basis of whole rock major and trace element data and sr nd pb isotope data leucogranites from luozha and longzi are considered as representative of indian upper crust whereas two mica granites from quedang and dala and granulites and gneisses from nyalam are considered as representative of indian lower crust the li concentration of indian upper crust varies from 23 to 45 ppm with a mean of 34 ppm consistent with a weighted mean li concentration for the upper crust of 35 11 ppm in contrast the li abundance of indian lower crust is estimated to be 33 84 ppm with a mean of 58 ppm much higher than the average li concentration for the lower crust of 8 ppm because of the high modal abundance of biotite and muscovite the li isotopic compositions 0 9 to 5 6 of indian upper continental crust are relatively heavy compared with the average li isotopic composition of upper continental crust on the other hand the li isotopic compositions of indian lower continental crust 4 4 to 0 1 are lighter than those of indian upper continental crust the isotopically heavy signature of indian upper crust is produced by high 7 li fluids released from the indian lower crust slab whereas the lighter signature of indian lower crust is generated by the partial melting of residual indian lower crust slab during metamorphic dehydration of indian lower crust

temperature and age constraints on the metamorphism of the tethyan himalaya in central nepal a multidisciplinary approach abstract metasediments of devonian to triassic age of the tethyan himalaya th from several areas in central and western nepal between western dolpo and marsyandi valley were sampled for thermo metamorphic studies illite and chlorite crystallinity vitrinite reflectance calcite dolomite and chlorite chloritoid geothermometers k ar dating on illite rich fractions and zircon fission track thermochronology this paper reports for the first time the occurrence of chloritoid in the th out of the range of granite contact aureoles it also presents the first zircon fission track dating performed on th metasediments the peak temperatures of metamorphism have been around 250 300 c 320 350 c 330 370 c and 400 450 c in the western dolpo hidden valley manang and marpha areas respectively in the manang and hidden valley areas illite k ar data are interpreted as ages of recrystallized k white micas newly formed during metamorphism at around 25 30 ma in the marpha area illite k ar and zircon fission track ages 12 15 ma are consistent representing cooling ages after metamorphic overprinting of higher grade than in the other areas the joint investigation of the organic maturation and zircon ft chronology yields insight on the thermal calibration of zircon reset the rmax of 5 7 to 8 0 indicates a temperature range of ca 315 325 c which is in the partial annealing zone of the zircon ft thermochronometer our results might be explained by the presence of a thick thrust sheet once existing above the study area

early cretaceous lower crustal reworking in ne china insights from geochronology and geochemistry of felsic igneous rocks from the great xing an range this paper presents new zircon la icp ms u pb ages and whole rock geochemical data for two granitic plutons and rhyolites of the baiyingaolao formation in the western xing an range ne china the two syenogranite granitic plutons yield identical zircon u pb age of 142 1 ma and the baiyingaolao rhyolites yield zircon u pb age of 138 2 ma the granites contain some hornblendes and show low zr and zr nb ce y contents and low a cnk 0 98 1 11 mg 6 55 and feot mgo values rhyolite samples show similar geochemical characteristics with a cnk of 0 99 1 10 and mg of 14 21 in combination with the high k2o contents 4 43 5 61 wt and negative correlations between p2o5 and sio2 both the granites and rhyolites were classified as high k calc alkaline i type granitoids all samples give high zirconium saturation temperature of 794 964 c with few initially inherited zircons and belong to high temperature i type granitoids they were generated by dehydration melting of biotite muscovite from sub alkaline meta basalts in lower crust depth leaving garnet amphibole and plagioclase as the major residual minerals the syenogranites and rhyolites are likely formed in mongol okhotsk oceanic subduction setting incorporating other lower crust originated felsic rocks in erguna and xing an massifs and songliao basin it is argued that lower crustal reworking is pronounced in ne china during early cretaceous

magnesium isotopic behaviors between metamorphic rocks and their associated leucogranites and implications for himalayan orogenesis abstract magnesium isotopic compositions along with new sr nd pb isotopic data and elemental analyses are reported for 12 miocene tourmaline bearing leucogranites 15 eocene two mica granites and 40 metamorphic rocks to investigate magnesium isotopic behaviors during metamorphic processes and associated magmatism and constrain the tectonic magmatic metamorphic evolution of the himalayan orogeny the gneisses granulites and amphibolites represent samples of the indian lower crust and display large range in 26mg from 0 44 to 0 09 in mafic granulites 0 44 to 0 10 in amphibolites and 0 70 to 0 03 in granitic gneisses the average mg isotopic compositions of the granitic gneisses 0 19 0 34 mafic granulites 0 22 0 17 and amphibolites 0 25 0 24 are similar indicating the limited mg isotope fractionation during prograde metamorphism from granitic gneisses to mafic granulites and retrograde metamorphism from mafic granulites to amphibolites the eocene two mica granites and miocene leucogranites are characterized by large variations in elemental and sr nd pb isotopic compositions the leucogranites and two mica granites have their corresponding 87sr 86sr i varying from 0 7282 to 0 7860 and 0 7163 to 0 7191 143nd 144nd i from 0 511888 to 0 512040 and 0 511953 to 0 512076 207pb 204pb from 15 7215 to 15 7891 and 15 7031 to 15 7317 208pb 204pb from 38 8521 to 39 5286 and 39 2710 to 39 4035 and 206pb 204pb from 18 4748 to 19 0139 and 18 7834 to 18 9339 however they have similar mg isotopic compositions 0 21 to 0 06 versus 0 24 to 0 09 which did not originate from fractional crystallization nor source heterogeneity based on hornblende biotite muscovite dehydration melting reaction and mg isotopic variations in two mica granites and leucogranites with the proceeding metamorphism along with elemental discrimination diagrams eocene two mica granites and miocene leucogranites could be related to hornblende dehydration melting and muscovite dehydration melting respectively mg isotopic compositions of eocene two mica granites become heavier compared to the source because of residues of isotopically light garnet in the source while those of miocene leucogranites become lighter because of entrainment of isotopically light garnet from the source region thus a new model for crustal anatexis and himalayan orogenesis was proposed based on the mg isotope fractionation in the leucogranites and metamorphic rocks this model emphasizes a successive process from indian continental subduction to rapid exhumation of the higher himalayan crystalline series hhcs the former underwent high temperature ht and high pressure hp granulite facies prograde metamorphism which resulted in the hornblende dehydration melting and the formation of eocene two mica granites while the latter experienced amphibolite facies retrogression and decompression which resulted in the muscovite dehydration melting and the formation of miocene leucogranites

leucogranites in lhozag southern tibet implications for the tectonic evolution of the eastern himalaya abstract petrogenesis of the himalayan leucogranite is strongly influenced by conditions which are associated with the tectonic evolution of himalayan orogen in this article we present petrological geochronological and geochemical results of the lhozag leucogranites that crop out alongside the south tibetan detachment system stds in the east of himalaya zircon u pb dating revealed three episodes of leucogranitic magmatism in lhozag at 17 8 0 1 ma 15 1 0 1 ma and 12 0 0 1 ma respectively the lhozag leucogranites show relatively low end t low zircon ehf t and high initial 87sr 86sr ratios which are similar to the high himalayan crystalline series hhcs indicating that they were derived from the hhcs the characteristics of relatively high na2o and rb contents high rb sr ratios and low cao mgo tfe2o3 tio2 and sr contents indicate that both the ca 18 ma lhozag tourmaline leucogranites and the ca 15 ma lhozag two mica granites were derived from fluid absent muscovite dehydration melting of metasediments the opposite geochemistry characteristics of the ca 12 ma khula kangri two mica granites imply that these granites are derived from fluid present melting of metasediments four khula kangri two mica granite samples with relatively lower tio2 tfe2o3 mgo and cao contents higher rb concentrations and rb sr ratios could be evolved from the khula kangri two mica granites with relatively lower rb sr ratios the melting behaviors of the lhozag leucogranites varied from fluid absent melting to fluid present melting implying that there were p t xh2o variations in the deep crust the tectonic evolution would give rise to variation of p t xh2o variation and subsequent transformation of melting behavior our new results display the transformation of melting behavior of the lhozag leucogranites which implies the tectonic evolution from earlier n s extension to later e w extension in the eastern himalaya at ca 12 ma

crustal channel flows 2 numerical models with implications for metamorphism in the himalayan tibetan orogen 1 results from a thermal mechanical model ht1 that includes midcrustal channel flow are compatible with many features of the himalayan tibetan system radioactive self heating and rheological weakening of thickened model orogenic crust lead to the formation of a hot low viscosity midcrustal channel and a broad plateau channel material corresponding to the greater himalayan sequence ghs flows outward from beneath the plateau in response to topographically induced differential pressure at the plateau flank it is exhumed by focused surface denudation and juxtaposed with cooler newly accreted material corresponding to the lesser himalayan sequence lhs the model channel is bounded by coeval thrust and normal sense ductile shear zones interpreted to represent the main central thrust mct zone and south tibetan detachment system respectively inverted metamorphism associated with the model mct zone results from distributed ductile shear along the mct and extrusion of the hot channel a variety of model p t t path styles resembling those observed in the ghs and lhs are produced for points traveling through contrasting tectonic regimes that coexist in different parts of the model predicted times of peak metamorphism cooling and erosion of metamorphic facies are generally compatible with observations although model ghs cooling ages are too young the times of m1 and m2 metamorphic events observed in the ghs correspond to model times of maximum burial and maximum heating respectively the results highlight the need to integrate tectonics and metamorphism in continental collision models and demonstrate the importance of lateral transport of both heat and material in large hot orogens

geochemistry of granitic melts produced during the incongruent melting of muscovite implications for the extraction of himalayan leucogranite magmas granites formed from the incongruent melting of muscovite preserve evidence of chemical disequilibrium both between restite and melt and within individual phases during crystallization miocene leucogranites from the himalayas exemplify melt formation from a pelitic source through muscovite breakdown trace elements rb sr and ba reside almost entirely in micas and feldspars in the protolith and therefore are appropriate for quantitative modeling equilibrium between melt and restite was established for sr under fluid phase absent conditions but some disequilibrium is suggested by rb abundances consistent with known diffusion rates for these elements abundances of zr and ce in the granites which provide essential structural constituents of the accessory phases zircon and monazite indicate that the himalayan granite melts were saturated in these elements if formed at temperatures of 670 700 c but slightly undersaturated if formed at somewhat higher temperatures ion microprobe traverses of y and heavy rare earth element abundances across single garnets from himalayan leucogranites provide evidence for disequilibrium between melt and phenocryst during garnet growth thus constraining the evolution of magmatic compositions during melt formation and crystallization in some cases progressive melting of the protolith and crystallization of garnet from the melt appear to have been concomitant indicating that minimum solidus temperatures were maintained throughout the melting event this suggests that thermal buffering rather than melt extraction provided the rate determining step in magma evolution

gneiss domes and orogeny many gneiss domes record positive feedback between decompression and partial melting of orogenic middle crust exhumed orogens are riddled with gneiss domes cored by migmatites that underwent dehydration melting during decompression the decreasing buoyancy associated with increasing melt fraction drives further decompression at near isothermal conditions as the partially molten crust rises diapirically this combination of processes may explain the generation and retention of large volumes of crustally derived melt recorded in many deep seated migmatite terranes and inferred for active orogens in exhumed orogens the signature of the rapid ascent of partially molten crust is a gneiss dome cored by migmatite granite the large volume of material involved in the vertical transfer of partially molten crust indicates that the formation of gneiss domes is an efficient mechanism for heat advection during orogenesis

kinematics and vorticity in kangmar dome southern tibet testing midcrustal channel flow models for the himalaya 1 kinematic kinematic vorticity wm and deformation temperature analyses were completed to test the hypothesis that midcrustal rocks exposed in the core of the kangmar gneiss dome southern tibet record ductile deformation patterns of a frozen segment of a southward flowing midcrustal channel microscopic and mesoscopic kinematic indicators exhibit a downward transition from a subequal mix of top north and top south shear in garnet zone rocks to dominantly top north shear in staurolite kyanite zone and deeper rocks kinematic vorticity values indicate an increase in pure shear component with depth from 48 pure shear in chloritoid zone rocks through 62 in garnet zone to staurolite kyanite zone rocks to 68 pure shear in an orthogneiss the deepest exposed rocks deformation temperatures inferred from grain scale microstructures and quartz lattice preferred orientations increase from 300 c 400 c in chloritoid zone rocks to 600 c in the deepest exposed rocks these temperatures are equivalent to temperatures derived from garnet biotite thermobarometry indicating that wm was recorded during peak metamorphism this ductile deformation zone was cut by the brittle southern tibetan detachment system stds that juxtaposed metasedimentary rocks upon the orthogneiss on the basis of these relations midcrustal rocks in the core of kangmar dome record 1 general shear vertical thinning and n s horizontal extension with a component of top north shear during peak metamorphism within a ductile shear zone corresponding to the northern and deeper portion of the stds 2 an increase in pure shear with structural depth a consequence of an increase in lithostatic load and 3 displacement of the high temperature shear zone by the brittle stds our data are compatible with the deformation patterns predicted for the top part of a southward flowing midcrustal channel

himalayan metamorphism and deformations in the north himalayan belt southern tibet china abstract the kangmar massif which has been attributed to the north himalayan belt of two mica granites in southern tibet china is shown to be an orthogneiss in the core of a dome which displays an intermediate high pressure type metamorphism himalayan in age 40 to 20 ma and above the main central sheet this metamorphism took place during high shear strain deformation and it is not recorded to the west where north himalayan plutons have developed contact metamorphism

himalayan metamorphic sequence as an orogenic channel insight from bhutan the bhutan himalayas differ from the rest of the himalayas in two major ways i low grade sedimentary rocks lie above the greater himalayan sequence as klippen i e erosional remains of the south tibetan detachment and ii an out of sequence thrust the kakhtang thrust lies structurally above the klippen and it doubles the exposed thickness of the greater himalayan sequence our field observations and geochronological data constrain the main kinematic events in the bhutan himalayas crystallisation ages of leucogranite dykes deformed by the main central thrust and the south tibetan detachment indicate that these two structures operated together between 16 and 22 ma the out of sequence kakhtang thrust was active at 10 14 ma and was concurrent with reactivation of the south tibetan detachment restoration of the bhutan himalayas prior to the out of sequence thrusting shows that the greater himalayan sequence was the core of a long low viscosity crustal channel extending under the tibetan plateau we propose that the gravity driven southward extrusion of the channel material from underneath the tibetan plateau caused the inverted metamorphic sequence in the lesser himalayan sequence and in the greater himalayan sequence this process also led to occurrences of present day surface rocks that were derived from variable distances down dip but from similar crustal depths such an exhumation pattern can explain the similar peak pressures for the greater himalayan sequence along the length of the himalayas

ree fractionation and nd isotope disequilibrium during crustal anatexis constraints from himalayan leucogranites abstract the processes controlling rare earth element ree behaviour during crustal anatexis have profound implications not only for ree abundances of crustally derived granites but also for their model nd ages for typical protoliths of anatectic granites such as are exposed in metapelites from the high himalayan crystalline series hhcs a high proportion 90 of bulk rock lree and mree are sited in the accessory phases apatite and monazite and of hree in garnet and apatite mass balance constraints indicate that observed ree abundances of himalayan leucogranites cannot be generated from ree deficient reactant phases in their metasedimentary protoliths muscovite biotite plagioclase and quartz but must result from the dissolution of accessory phases ree and th abundances in anatectic melts are modelled by combining empirical expressions for monazite apatite and zircon solubilities as a function of temperature melt composition and melt water content with analysed accessory phase ree abundances this approach which allows the contribution to the melt from each accessory phase to be identified successfully predicts himalayan leucogranite trace element abundances the lree and th concentrations of a metapelite derived melt are buffered by monazite stability although apatite dissolution contributes up to 10 of lree to the melt together with 50 of the mree and 90 of the hree zircon contributes a negligible proportion of ree to the melt during anatexis dissolution of monazite and apatite in the melt results in 1 increasing ree abundances and lree hree ratios with increasing temperature of melting 2 a negative eu anomaly in the melt 3 high sm nd ratios in the melt relative to its metasedimentary protolith and 4 nd isotope disequilibrium between the melt and its protolith all of these features are observed in the ree geochemistry of himalayan leucogranites the combined effects of sm nd fractionation and nd isotope disequilibrium during anatexis imply that model nd ages calculated for anatectic granites derived from apatite and monazite bearing protoliths should be treated with considerable caution

kwangsian crustal anatexis within the eastern south china block geochemical zircon u pb geochronological and hf isotopic fingerprints from the gneissoid granites of wugong and wuyi yunkai domains abstract gneissoid granites were traditionally thought to be the components of the precambrian basement in the eastern south china block but twenty four gneissoid granite samples from the wugong northern wuyi southern wuyi and yunkai domains gave zircon u pb ages of 424 456 ma 410 457 ma 426 438 ma and 415 450 ma respectively the existence of the abundant kwangsian gneissoid granites which have incorrectly been assigned to the precambrian basement indicates that the so called precambrian stratigraphic sequence of the cathaysia block should be termed complex rather than group these gneissoid granites are peraluminous granites with relatively high al 2 o 3 mgo tio 2 feot and cao na 2 o but low cao al 2 o 3 mgo feot and rb sr ratios they exhibit strongly negative ba sr nb p and ti and positive pb anomalies in primitive mantle normalized diagrams and have initial 87 sr 86 sr ratios ranging from 0 70924 to 0 72935 and negative end t values from 6 4 to 11 4 similar to those of paragneissic enclaves and precambrian sedimentary rocks in the eastern south china block the zircons crystallized in the kwangsian gneissoid granites gave ehf t values ranging from 2 4 to 19 4 with the peak at 4 almost all grains clustering at 1 to 12 and hf model ages of 1 1 2 1 ga the synthesis of these geochemical and in situ zircon hf isotopic data indicates that the kwangsian gneissoid granites dominantly originated from proterozoic metapelitic and meta igneous components with insignificant input of juvenile mantle derived magmas a model of two stage crustal anatexis is proposed for the kwangsian granitic magma in the eastern south china block with 1 the formation of 460 430 ma granite through the breakdown of hydrous minerals under the condition of the doubly thickened crust and 2 the generation of the 430 400 ma granite accompanying promoted melting along a path of isothermal decompression due to the increasing thermal weakening for the collapse of the thickened crust the crustal anatexis has probably occurred in an intracontinental tectonic regime that was geodynamically linked to the far field response to the assembly of the australian indian plate with the cathaysia block during middle paleozoic kwangsian time

isotopic study of the manaslu granite himalaya nepal inferences on the age and source of himalayan leucogranites a detailed isotopic study of the manaslu leucogranite was carried out a u pb age of 25 ma and a whole rock rb sr age isochron of 18 ma were obtained suggesting that the magmatic activity lasted at least 7 ma initial sr isotopic ratios are very high 0 740 to 0 760 and initial nd isotopic ratios are low nd in 13 to 16 and they show the existence of large isotopic variations even at the metre scale these are not the result of perturbations by fluids but rather they reflect the initial isotopic heterogeneity of the source material which has not been obliterated by magmatic processes e g fusion mixing by convection these results also support the crustal origin of this leucogranite the tibetan slab paragneisses whose sr and nd isotopic ratios are very similar to those of the granite at an age of 20 ma are the most probable parental material nd model ages for both the leucogranite and the gneisses are in the range 1 5 2 ga a model of formation of the manaslu granite by coalescence of different batches of magma is in agreement with the present data

mid eocene high sr y granites in the northern himalayan gneiss domes melting thickened lower continental crust abstract within the himalayan collisional belt granotoids occur along two sub parallel belts the northern himalayan gneiss domes nhgd and the high himalayan crystalline series hhcs in the yardoi area of nhgd two mica granite a new type granite occurs in the core of the yardoi gneiss dome ygd dala and quedang from north to south and extends at least 50 km long these granites have similar mineral composition elemental and radiogenic isotope geochemistry and age of formation shrimp zircon u pb dating indicates that the yardoi and the quedang two mica granites formed at 42 6 1 1 ma and 42 8 0 6 ma respectively similar to the dala pluton these two mica granites have 1 high sio2 68 wt al2o3 15 wt and a cnk 1 0 2 relatively high sr and lree but low y 40 and up to 250 and la yb 30 4 very weak or no eu anomalies and 5 as compared with those in the himalayan leucogranites low initial sr 87sr 86sr i

himalayan tectonics explained by extrusion of a low viscosity crustal channel coupled to focused surface denudation recent interpretations of himalayan tibetan tectonics have proposed that channel flow in the middle to lower crust can explain outward growth of the tibetan plateau1 2 3 and that ductile extrusion of high grade metamorphic rocks between coeval normal and thrust sense shear zones can explain exhumation of the greater himalayan sequence4 5 6 7 here we use coupled thermal mechanical numerical models to show that these two processes channel flow and ductile extrusion may be dynamically linked through the effects of surface denudation focused at the edge of a plateau that is underlain by low viscosity material our models provide an internally self consistent explanation for many observed features of the himalayan tibetan system8 9 10

oligocene initiation of the south tibetan detachment system constraints from syn tectonic leucogranites in the kampa dome northern himalaya abstract himalayan leucogranites provide a robust record of the thermal and tectonic processes that occurred during convergence of the eurasian and indian tectonic plates we present structural petrological mineralogical whole rock geochemical sr nd isotope and geochronological results for cenozoic leucogranites from the kampa dome northern himalaya the kampa leucogranites are typical syn tectonic granites and occur as a series of sills dikes and puddings in the kampa shear zone which is considered to be the exhumed portion of the south tibetan detachment system stds in the northern himalaya the kampa syn tectonic leucogranites provide information about the timing and nature of regional kinematics and record thermal conditions and the initiation of the stds whole rock geochemistry and sr nd isotope analyses show that the kampa leucogranites are characterized by the following 1 they are peraluminous and have high sio2 al2o3 and a cnk low tio2 mgo p2o5 and tfe2o3 and variable cao na2o k2o and total alkalis 2 they are enriched in large ion lithophile elements e g k and rb and depleted in high field strength elements e g zr and ti with negative eu anomalies and 3 they display variable initial 87sr 86sr compositions 0 7507580 826065 and their end i values range between 7 6 and 12 2 anatexis of graywackes and metapelites in the great himalayan crystalline series played an important role in the formation of the kampa leucogranites anatexis was controlled by fluid absent partial melting of muscovite mineralogical and petrological analyses show that zircons belong to an early crystallization phase whereas monazites are remnants of the final crystallization phase of the granitic melt zircon u pb dating reveals that anatexis in the deep himalayan crust occurred at ca 32 23 ma during the oligocene monazites yield homogeneous 208pb 232th ages of ca 23 5 ma and record rapid emplacement in the kampa shear zone these results indicate that movement on the stds was initiated during the early oligocene and became well developed during the late oligocene in the kampa region the oligocene was a unique period of counterbalance between continued plate convergence and intense extension in the himalayan orogen

yadong cross structure and south tibetan detachment in the east central himalaya 89 90 e the yadong cross structure ycs occurring at 89 30 east longitude in the himalaya is the largest across strike discontinuity in the geologic structure and topography of the high himalaya between the himalayan syntaxes it is manifest by a plan view left offset of the topographic crest of the range and a coincident apparent left strike offset of the south tibetan detachment system stds of about 70 km new field mapping indicates that the stds intersects the west side of the ycs at zherger la and further suggests that the ycs is the surface expression of a large north northeast striking west facing lateral ramp in the himalayan thrust system the greater himalayan allochthon is apparently draped across this lateral ramp resulting in a north northeast striking monoclinal flexure of the allochthon manifest in the chomolhari range superimposed steep west northwest directed normal shear appears to have obliterated earlier northerly directed stds shear fabric along along the ycs segment of the tethyan belt greater himalayan belt contact recent seismicity suggests that the greater himalayan allochthon is still moving southward along the lateral ramp u pb monazite dates on leucogranites in the footwall of the stds on opposite sides of the ycs are suggestive of a south to north decrease in the crystallization age of these granites the age pattern is consistent with southward extrusion of the greater himalayan allochthon and suggests the possibility of determining an average slip rate for the stds by dating granites in the immediate footwall of the stds that are substantially separated in north south section an average slip rate of about 7 mm yr between 23 and 12 ma is suggested by the data presented here

diverse magma sources for the himalayan leucogranites evidence from b sr nd isotopes abstract the himalayan orogen is featured by widespread s type leucogranites ca 45 to 9 ma formed primarily from the partial melting of metapelites 800 480 ma and minor from the partial melting of amphibolite with subordinate metapelites the ama drime gneiss and mabja leucogranite pluton are both located at the footwall of the ns trending xainza dinggye normal fault in the central part of the himalayan orogen with published end t values of 21 0 to 19 6 and 19 3 to 18 3 and 87sr 86sr t values of 0 90954 0 92574 and 0 84853 0 85474 respectively in this study we presented new shrimp zircon u pb ages and laser ablation multi collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry la mc icp ms tourmaline boron isotope data on the metamorphic rocks and leucogranites of the himalayan orogen the weighted mean 207pb 206pb age of the zircon cores of the ama drime gneiss t0446 2 3 is 1854 4 ma the tourmaline 11b values of the ama drime gneiss t0446 1 6 are 17 6 to 14 3 similar to those of the mabja leucogranite t0436 4 18 9 to 17 4 in contrast the tourmaline 11b values of the quedang metapelite t0389 18 and its partial melting product malashan leucogranite t0659 12a 3 are substantially higher i e 15 3 to 12 5 and 16 2 to 8 0 respectively the tourmaline 11b values of the yadoi leucogranite t0321 4 derived from partial melting of amphibolite range from 8 4 to 5 4 therefore the tourmaline b isotopes and sr nd isotopes results are consistent and may have reflected an e w extension along the southern tibetan rift system indicating a late miocene anatexis in the north himalaya region the melts derived from the partial melting of metapelites and mature crustal materials e g paleoproterozoic ama drime gneiss ascended along the n s trending xainza dinggye normal fault and were subsequently emplaced in the tethyan himalaya sequence

a thermal model for the distribution in space and time of the himalayan granites abstract in southern tibet crustal thickening due to the india asia collision has led to the formation of two granite belts one is located at the southern edge of the accretionary wedge of tethyan sedimentary rocks close to the contact with basement gneisses of the tibetan slab the other is found within the wedge itself close to the kangmar thrust trace available ages suggest that the granites appeared first in the southern belt and then in the kangmar belt this sequence seems to violate the chronology of thrusting another feature of the himalayas is that melting started only about 20 ma after the onset of thickening which is much less than the thermal time constant of thick crust we give a thermal model based on the assumption of conductive heat transfer which explains these features the model relies on the geometry of a sedimentary accretionary wedge bounded by low angle thrust faults and on the existence of a thermal conductivity contrast between old basement and young sedimentary rocks the wedge of sedimentary rocks acts as an insulating cap and its southern edge heats up along the contact with basement rocks on a horizontal cross section there is a temperature maximum along this southern edge which explains why melting starts there the early thermal evolution is sensitive to local conditions and granites first appear in the vicinity of the most radiogenic parts of the basement the distribution of granites in space and time is seemingly random reflecting different melting events in different radiogenic environments in the heterogeneous basement this model predicts a relationship between radioactivity and age which is compatible with available data the results emphasize that there are large horizontal temperature variations across a thickened region and that granite ages are not related simply to the timing of tectonic phases