Structural insights into the early stages of exhumation along an orogen-scale detachment: The South Tibetan Detachment System, Dzakaa Chu section, Eastern Himalaya (original) (raw)
Related papers
Geology, 2016
A newly identified and dated segment of the South Tibetan detachment in the Karnali klippe, western Nepal Himalaya, constrains initiation of mid-crustal tectonically driven exhumation to the early Oligocene. The folded top-to-the-northeast high-temperature (~600 °C) shear zone separates amphibolite-facies rocks with a ca. 36-30 Ma prograde metamorphic history in the footwall from weakly to non-metamorphosed upper crustal rocks in the hanging wall. In situ dating of syn-kinematic-post-metamorphic peak monazite indicates that the base of the shear zone was active from ca. 30-29 to <24 Ma, and a post-deformation muscovite cooling age implies that ductile shearing had ceased by ca. 19 Ma. Deformation along the South Tibetan detachment in western Nepal was thus synchronous with thrustsense shearing along the lower boundary of a zone of migmatitic rocks, compatible with tectonic models involving mid-crustal channelized flow during the Oligocene. Along with other published data from the Himalayan range, this suggests that the South Tibetan detachment actively exhumed the middle crust for almost 20 m.y.
New insight into the South Tibetan detachment system: Not a single progressive deformation
1] Low-angle normal faults (LANF), typically regarded as accommodating crustal or lithospheric extension, may also form during lithospheric shortening. The best-studied system of syn-contractional LANFs is the South Tibetan detachment system, a network of low-angle normal sense faults and shear zones that formed coevally with and parallel to south-vergent thrusts during lithospheric shortening accompanying development of the Himalayan orogen. In the eastern Himalaya, there are several across-strike exposures of the South Tibetan detachment system. We present new structural and thermometry data from the eastern Himalaya that demonstrate that the South Tibetan detachment system cannot have formed as a single progressive structure. We characterize and distinguish two distinct structural and tectonic components within the currently recognized system: (1) an extensive diffuse, sheared layer that formed the boundary between strong upper crust and weak, southward-flowing middle crust, and (2) a network of brittle-ductile LANFs that locally exhume, partly excise and overprint the earlier mylonite zone at the topographic break between the Himalayan orogen and the Tibetan plateau. The sheared layer, not a LANF, formed the boundary between upper and middle crust during ductile flow of the middle crust and is extensively exposed in the Himalaya at the base of klippen of upper crustal rocks preserved in Bhutan, along the crest of the Himalaya where it has been excised and exhumed by the brittle-ductile extrusion LANFs, and bounding the cores of the North Himalayan gneiss domes.
The core of the Greater Himalayan Sequence in the Mugu-Karnali area (Western Nepal) is affected by a thick shear zone with development of nearly 4 km of mylonites (Mangri shear zone). It is a contractional shear zone showing a top-to-the-SW and WSW sense of shear. The shear zone developed during the decompres-sion, in the sillimanite stability field, of rocks that previously underwent relatively high-pressure metamor-phism deformed under the kyanite stability field. P–T conditions indicate that the footwall experienced higher pressure (1.0–0.9 GPa) than the hanging wall (0.7 GPa) and similar temperatures (675°–700 °C). U–Pb in-situ dating of monazites indicate a continuous activity of the shear zone between 25 and 18 Ma. Samples from the lower part of the Greater Himalayan Sequence underwent similar ductile shearing at ~17–13 Ma. These ages and the associated P–T–t paths revealed that peak metamorphic conditions were reached ~ 5–7 Ma later in the footwall of the shear zone with respect to the hanging-wall pointing to a diachroneity in the metamorphism triggered by the shear zone itself. Mangri Shear Zone, with the other recently documented tectonic and metamorphic discontinuities within the Greater Himalayan Sequence, point to the occurrence of a regional tectonic feature, the High Himalayan Discontinuity, running for more than 500 km along the strike of the Central Himalayas. It was responsible of the exhumation of the upper part of the Greater Himalayan Sequence starting from 28 Ma, well before the activation of the Main Central Thrust and the South Tibetan Detachment. Our data point out that exhumation of the Greater Himalayan Sequence was partitioned in space and time and different slices were exhumed in different times, starting from the older in the upper part to the younger in the lower one.
Tectonics, 1991
Space and time evolution of the synmetamorphic structures across the metamorphic pile have been studied in several areas along the Himalayan belt (east and central Nepal, Garhwal, Zanskar). From one area to the other the evolution is very similar: (1) At the base of the pile, in the Main Central Thrust (MCT) shear zone, the stretching lineation, penetrative and regularly oriented N0øE to N30øE, indicates the MCT transport direction, very constant all along the belt, from the Eohimalayan main metamorphic development up to the latemetamorphic movements. (2) At the top of the pile, at the contact between the crystalline unit and its sedimentary cover, gravity-driven structures are confirrned (north-vergent folds, ductile normal faulting). However, there are numerous local indications of late Miocene (syn-to late emplacement of the leucogranitic plutons) dextral shearing. (3) In between, across the medium part of the pile, the stretching lineation shows a conspicuous progressive regional clockwise rotation, clearly indicated by the strain trajectories mapped in Nepal and Garhwal. Points 1 and 2 show that the crystalline-sedimentary boundary, despite its apparent structural and metamorphic continuity, is not only a normal fault but also an important dextral shear zone, which has acted since the upper Miocene as the main southern limit of the eastward extruding Tibetan block.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2017
North-dipping, low-angle normal faults of the South Tibetan detachment system (STDS) are tectonically important features of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogenic system. The STDS is best exposed in the N-S-trending Rongbuk Valley in southern Tibet, where the primary strand of the systemthe Qomolangma detachmentcan be traced down dip from the summit of Everest for a distance of over 30 km. The metamorphic discontinuity across this detachment implies a large net displacement, with previous studies suggesting >200 km of slip. Here we refine those estimates through thermal-kinematic modeling of new (U-Th)/He and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar data from deformed footwall leucogranites. While previous studies focused on the early ductile history of deformation along the detachment, our data provide new insights regarding the brittle-ductile to brittle slip history. Thermal modeling results generated with the program QTQt indicate rapid, monotonic cooling from muscovite 40 Ar/ 39 Ar closure (ca. 15.4-14.4 Ma at ca. 490˚C) to zircon (U-Th)/He closure (ca. 14.3-11.0 Ma at ca. 200˚C), followed by slower cooling to apatite (U-Th)/He closure at ca. 9-8 Ma (at ca. 70˚C). Although previous work has suggested that ductile slip on the detachment lasted only until ca. 15.6 Ma, thermal-kinematic modeling of our new data suggests that rapid (ca. 3-4 km/Ma) tectonic exhumation by brittleductile to brittle fault slip continued to at least ca. 13.0 Ma. Much lower modeled exhumation rates (≤0.5 km/Ma) after ca.13 Ma are interpreted to reflect erosional denudation rather than tectonic exhumation. Projection of fault-related exhumation rates backward through time suggests total slip of ca. 61 to 289 km on the Qomolangma
The South Tibet Detachment System (STDS) is a flat normal fault that separates the Upper Himalaya Crystalline Sequence (UHCS) below from the Tethyan Sedimentary Sequence (TSS) above. Timing of deformations related to the STDS is critical to understand the mechanism and evolution of the Himalaya collision zone. The Nyalam detachment (ND) (~86°E) locates in the middle portion of STDS (81°-89°E). Dating of deformed leucocratic dykes that are most probably syntectonic at different depth beneath the ND, allow us to constrain the timing of deformation. (1) Dyke T11N37 located ~3500 m structurally below the ND emplaced at 27.4± 0.2 Ma; (2) Dyke T11N32 located ~1400 m structurally below the ND emplaced at 22.0±0.3 Ma; (3) T11N25 located within the top to the north STD shear zone, ~150 m structurally below the ND, emplaced at 17.1±0.2 Ma. Combining ND footwall cooling history and T11N25 deformation temperature, we indicate a probable onset of top to the north deformation at ~16 Ma at this location. These results show an upward younging of the probable timing of onset of the deformation at different structural distance below the ND. We then propose a new model for deformation migration below the ND with deformation starting by pure shear deformation at depth prior to ~27.5 Ma that migrates upward at a rate of ~ 0.3 mm/a until ~18 Ma when deformation switches to top to the north shearing in the South Tibet Detachment shear zone (STDsz). As deformation on the ND stops at 14-13 Ma this would imply that significant top to the North motion would be limited to less than 5 Ma and would jeopardize the importance of lower channel flow.
Lithosphere, 2009
In the eastern Himalaya (Bhutan), there are two distinct top-down-to-the-north segments of the South Tibetan detachment system. The outer segment is a diffuse ductile shear zone preserved as klippen in broad open synforms. New age constraints show that it was active until at least ca. 15.5 Ma and cooled by ca. 11.0 Ma, as constrained by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb geochronology of magmatic zircon and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar thermochronology of muscovite in ductilely deformed leucogranite sills. The inner segment is a ductile shear zone active at least until ca. 11.0 Ma (constrained by SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology of magmatic zircon) and overprinted by more recent brittle faulting. These age constraints indicate that ductile deformation continued on the South Tibetan detachment more recently in the eastern Himalaya than in central and western parts of the orogen. These improved constraints on timing of South Tibetan detachment segments allow for a more detailed reconstruction of continental collision in the eastern Himalaya in which the outer South Tibetan detachment segment was abandoned in the mid-Miocene and passively transported southward in the hanging wall of the Main Himalayan thrust (the basal detachment of the orogen), while top-to-the-north ductile to brittle shearing continued on the inner South Tibetan detachment segment. Hinterland stepping of the South Tibetan detachment to maintain an orogenic critical taper (frictional wedge model) is a possible mechanism for this tectonic reorganization of the South Tibetan detachment during the Miocene. However, our data combined with published geochronologic data for the eastern Himalaya demonstrate that foreland translation and exhumation of a midcrustal dome (viscous wedge model) is the more tenable mechanism.
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2006
Recent suggestions that the Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS) represents a mid-crustal channel of low viscosity, partially molten Indian plate crust extruding southward between two major ductile shear zones, the Main Central thrust (MCT) below, and the South Tibetan detachment (STD) normal fault above, are examined, with particular reference to the Everest transect across Nepal-south Tibet. The catalyst for the early kyanite + sillimanite metamorphism (650-6808C, 7-8 kbar, 32-30 Ma) was crustal thickening and regional Barrovian metamorphism. Later sillimanite + cordierite metamorphism (600-6808C, 4 -5 kbar, 23-17 Ma) is attributed to increased heat input and partial melting of the crust. Crustal melting occurred at relatively shallow depths (15-19 km, 4-5 kbar) in the crust. The presence of highly radiogenic Proterozoic black shales (Haimanta-Cheka Groups) at this unique stratigraphic horizon promoted melting due to the high concentration of heat-producing elements, particularly U-bearing minerals. It is suggested that crustal melting triggered channel flow and ductile extrusion of the GHS, and that when the leucogranites cooled rapidly at 17-16 Ma the flow ended, as deformation propagated southward into the Lesser Himalaya. Kinematic indicators record a dominant southvergent simple shear component across the Greater Himalaya. An important component of pure shear is also recorded in flattening and boudinage fabrics within the STD zone, and compressed metamorphic isograds along both the STD and MCT shear zones. These kinematic factors suggest that the ductile GHS channel was subjected to subvertical thinning during southward extrusion. However, dating of the shear zones along the top and base of the channel shows that the deformation propagated outward with time over the period 20-16 Ma, expanding the extruding channel. The last brittle faulting episode occurred along the southern (structurally lower) limits of the MCT shear zone and the northern (structurally higher) limits of the STD normal fault zone. Late-stage breakback thrusting occurred along the MCT and at the back of the orogenic wedge in the Tethyan zone. Our model shows that the Himalayan-south Tibetan crust is rheologically layered, and has several major low-angle detachments that separate layers of crust and upper mantle, each deforming in different ways, at different times.
2010
Abstract The South Tibetan detachment system (STDS) in the Himalayan orogen is an example of normal-sense displacement on an orogen-parallel shear zone during lithospheric contraction. Here, in situ monazite U (–Th)–Pb geochronology is combined with metamorphic pressure and temperature estimates to constrain pressure–temperature–time (P–T–t) paths for both the hangingwall and footwall rocks of a Miocene ductile component of the STDS (outer STDS) now exposed in the eastern Himalaya.
Journal of Structural Geology, 2010
The Ama Drime Massif is a north–south trending antiformal structure located on the southern margin of the Tibetan Plateau that is bound by the Ama Drime and Nyönno Ri detachments on the western and eastern sides, respectively. Detailed kinematic and vorticity analyses were combined with deformation temperature estimates on rocks from the Ama Drime detachment to document spatial and temporal patterns of deformation. Deformation temperatures estimated from quartz and feldspar microstructures, quartz [c] axis fabrics, and two-feldspar geothermometry of asymmetric strain-induced myrmekite range between ∼400 and 650 °C. Micro- and macro-kinematic indicators suggest west-directed displacement dominated over this temperature range. Mean kinematic vorticity estimates record early pure shear dominated flow (49–66% pure shear) overprinted by later simple shear (1–57% pure shear), high-strain (36–50% shortening and 57–99% down-dip extension) dominated flow during the later increments of ductile deformation. Exhumation of the massif was accommodated by at least ∼21–42 km of displacement on the Ama Drime detachment. Samples from the Nyönno Ri detachment were exhumed from similar depths. We propose that exhumation on the Nyönno Ri detachment during initiation of orogen-parallel extension (11–13 Ma) resulted in a west-dipping structural weakness in the footwall that reactivated as the Ama Drime detachment.