Dome formation and extension in the Tethyan Himalaya, Leo Pargil, northwest India

Research Article| May 01, 2006 Dome formation and extension in the Tethyan Himalaya, Leo Pargil, northwest India Rasmus C. Thiede; Rasmus C. Thiede 1Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Postfach 601553, Potsdam 14415, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. Ramón Arrowsmith; J. Ramón Arrowsmith 2Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1404, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Bodo Bookhagen; Bodo Bookhagen 3Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Postfach 601553, Potsdam 14415, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael McWilliams; Michael McWilliams 4Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Edward R. Sobel; Edward R. Sobel 5Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Postfach 601553, Potsdam 14415, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Manfred R. Strecker Manfred R. Strecker 5Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Postfach 601553, Potsdam 14415, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Rasmus C. Thiede 1Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Postfach 601553, Potsdam 14415, Germany J. Ramón Arrowsmith 2Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1404, USA Bodo Bookhagen 3Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Postfach 601553, Potsdam 14415, Germany Michael McWilliams 4Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Edward R. Sobel 5Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Postfach 601553, Potsdam 14415, Germany Manfred R. Strecker 5Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Postfach 601553, Potsdam 14415, Germany Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 15 Jul 2005 Revision Received: 17 Jan 2006 Accepted: 27 Jan 2006 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2006) 118 (5-6): 635–650. https://doi.org/10.1130/B25872.1 Article history Received: 15 Jul 2005 Revision Received: 17 Jan 2006 Accepted: 27 Jan 2006 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Rasmus C. Thiede, J. Ramón Arrowsmith, Bodo Bookhagen, Michael McWilliams, Edward R. Sobel, Manfred R. Strecker; Dome formation and extension in the Tethyan Himalaya, Leo Pargil, northwest India. GSA Bulletin 2006;; 118 (5-6): 635–650. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B25872.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Metamorphicdomecomplexesoccurwithin the internal structures of the northern Himalaya and southern Tibet. Their origin, deformation, and fault displacement patterns are poorly constrained. We report new field mapping, structural data, and cooling ages from the western flank of the Leo Pargil dome in the northwestern Himalaya in an attempt to characterize its post–middle Miocene structural development. The western flank of the dome is characterized by shallow, west-dipping pervasive foliation and WNW-ESE mineral lineation. Shear-sense indicators demonstrate that it is affected by east-west normal faulting that facilitated exhumation of high-grade metamorphic rocks in a contractional setting. Sustained top-to-northwest normal faulting during exhumation is observed in a progressive transition from ductile to brittle deformation. Garnet and kyanite indicate that the Leo Pargil dome was exhumed from the mid-crust.40Ar/39Ar mica and apatite fission track (AFT) ages constrain cooling and exhumation pathways from 350 to 60 °C and suggest that the dome cooled in three stages since the middle Miocene. 40Ar/39Ar white mica ages of 16–14 Ma suggest a first phase of rapid cooling and provide minimum estimates for the onset of dome exhumation. AFT ages between 10 and 8 Ma suggest that ductile fault displacement had ceased by then, and AFT track-length data from high-elevation samples indicate that the rate of cooling had decreased significantly. We interpret this to indicate decreased fault displacement along the Leo Pargil shear zone and possibly a transition to the Kaurik-Chango normal fault system between 10 and 6 Ma. AFT ages from lower elevations indicate accelerated cooling since the Pliocene that cannot be related to pure fault displacement, and therefore may reflect more pronounced regionally distributed and erosion-driven exhumation. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.