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Initial movement of the Karakorum Fault in western Tibet: constraints from SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircons

  • Articles/Geology
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

The Karakorum Fault zone (KFZ) plays an important role in understanding the formation, evolvement and deformation of the Tibetan Plateau. The high-T dextral shearing metamorphic rocks, e.g., mylonites or mylonitized gneisses-granites, locally crop out along the southeastern part of the KFZ in the Ayila Ri’gyü Range area. The SHRIMP U-Pb dating of the syn-kinematic crystallized zircons indicates that the initial age of the KFZ is ∼27 Ma, ∼10 Ma older than previous results. The extensive high-T dextral shearing along the KFZ started at least at 27–20 Ma, accompanied by the syn-kinematic emplacement of leuco-granites. Deformation and concomitant fluid circulation during shearing most likely occurred as early as at 25–13 Ma. The KFZ probably grew from southeast to northwest along the fault as a result of continuous convergence between the India plate and Eurasia plate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China

    Li HaiBing, Liu DunYi, Xu ZhiQin, Yang JingSui, Chen SongYong & Qi XueXiang

  2. Department of Earth Science, Hongkong University, Hongkong, China

    Franck Valli

  3. Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 75252, Paris CX05, France

    Li HaiBing, Paul Tapponnier & Robin Lacassin

  4. Beijing SHRIMP Center, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China

    Liu DunYi

  5. ISTEEM-USTL, Place Eugene Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier CX5, France

    Nicolas Arnaud

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  1. Li HaiBing
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  2. Franck Valli
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  3. Liu DunYi
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  4. Xu ZhiQin
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Correspondence to Li HaiBing.

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Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40272096 and 40572122) and China Geological Survey (Grant No.1212010610105)

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Li, H., Valli, F., Liu, D. et al. Initial movement of the Karakorum Fault in western Tibet: constraints from SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircons. Chin. Sci. Bull. 52, 1089–1100 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0164-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0164-6

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