Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Petrogenetic evolution of pegmatites of the Shigar Valley, Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Arabian Journal of Geosciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Pegmatites of granitic composition intrude the Dassu orthogneiss of the Asian plate in the Shigar Valley of Pakistan. On the basis of field and petrographic studies, these pegmatites are distinguished into evolved and simple pegmatites. The evolved pegmatites are further distinguished as muscovite-tourmaline-beryl-garnet and muscovite-tourmaline pegmatites whereas the simple pegmatites as biotite ± garnet ± muscovite and muscovite-biotite ± garnet pegmatites. In the evolved pegmatites, the predominant minerals are albite and muscovite while in the simple pegmatites orthoclase and biotite are distinctive. Both the pegmatite types seem to be associated genetically to one common magma source and the variation within the mineral constituents are due to fractional crystallization. In spider diagrams, all the pegmatite types illustrate similar negative sloping trends from LILEs to HFSEs with depletion in Ba, Sr, and Ti concentration. In simple pegmatites, P is strongly depleted as compared to the evolved pegmatites. REEs illustrate nearly smooth patterns in all the pegmatite types with contrasting negative Eu anomaly signifying plagioclase fractionation. Both the evolved and simple pegmatites contain aluminous mineral assemblages and show mainly peraluminous geochemistry, which suggest their derivation from pelitic rocks of the Asian continental crust in syn-collision tectonic setting, ensued possibly by the collision of the Indian plate with Asian plate.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agheem MH, Shah MT, Khan T, Laghari A, Dars H (2011) Field features and petrography used as indicators for the classification of Shigar Valley pegmatites, Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Himal J Earth Sci Univ Peshawar 44(2):1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker DR (1998) The escape of pegmatite dikes from granitic plutons: constraints from new models of viscosity and dike propagation. Can Min 36:255–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck RA, Burbank DW, Sercombe WJ et al (1995) Stratigraphic evidence for an early collision between northwest India and Asia. Nature 373:55–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bignold SM, Treloar PJ (2003) Northward subduction of the Indian plate beneath the Kohistan island arc, Pakistan Himalaya: new evidence from isotopic data. J Geol Soc Lond 160:377–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brotzen O (1959) Outline of mineralization in zoned granitic pegmatites. Geol Fören Stockh Förh 496:2–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron EN, Jahns RH, McNair AH, Page LR (1949) Internal structure of granitic pegmatites. Econ Geol Monogr 2

  • Camp KF (2011) Geochemical evolution of pegmatites as monitored selected indicator elements. Search and discovery article no. 80160, posted June 30, 2011

  • Ćerný P (1991a) Rare-element granitic pegmatites. Part 1: anatomy and internal evolution of pegmatite deposits. Geosci Can 18:49–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Ćerný P (1991b) Rare-element granitic pegmatites. Part 11: regional to global environments and petrogenesis. Geosci Can 18:68–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Ćerný P (1982a) Anatomy and classification of granitic pegmatites. In: Ćerný P (ed) Granitic pegmatites in science and industry, Min Assoc Canada, Short Course Handbook, 8:1–39

  • Ćerný P (1982b) Petrogenesis of granitic pegmatites. In: Ćerný P (ed) Granitic pegmatites in science and industry, Min Assoc Canada, Short Course Handbook, 8:405–461

  • Fersman AE (1930) Les pegmatites: Academy of Sciences. USSR. (French translation Univ of Louvana Belgica) 3

  • Fraser JE, Searle MP, Parrish RR, Noble SR (2001) Chronology of deformation, metamorphism and magmatism in the southern Karakoram Mountains. Bull Geol Soc Am 113(11):1443–1455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaetani M, Garzanti E, Jadoul F, Nicora A, Tintori A, Pasini, Kanwar SAK (1990) The north Karakoram side of the Central Asia geopuzzle. Geol Soc Am Bull 102:54–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gansser A (1964) Geology of the Himalayas. John Wiley, New York, 289p

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginsburg AI, Timofeyev IN, Feldman, L G (1979) Principles of geology of the granitic pegmatites. Nedra Moscow, 296 p in Russian

  • Hanson CR (1986) Bedrock geology of the Shigar valley area Skardu, Northern Pakistan. Dartmouth College, New Hampshire

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson CR (1989) The northern suture in the Shigar valley, Baltistan, Northern Pakistan. In: Maliconico LL and Lillie RJ (eds) Tectonics of the Western Himalaya Geol Soc Am Spec Pap, 232:202–216

  • Jahns RH (1953) The genesis of pegmatites 1. Occurrence and origin of giant crystals. Am Min 38:563–598

    Google Scholar 

  • Jahns RH (1955) The study of pegmatites. Econ Geol, 50th Anniversary 1025–1130

  • Jahns RH (1982) Internal evolution of pegmatite bodies. In: Ćerný P (ed) Granitic pegmatites in science and industry, Min Assoc Canada, Short Course Handbook, 8:293–327

  • Jahns RH, Burnham (1969) Experimental studies of pegmatite genesis: 1. A model for the derivation and crystallization of granite pegmatites. Econ Geol 64:843–864

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurs BM, Dilles JH, Wairrach Y, Kausar AB, Snee LW (1998) Geological setting and petrogenesis of symmetrically zoned, miarolitic granitic pegmatites at StakNala, Nanga Parbat Haramosh Massif, Northern Pakistan. Can Min 36:1–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Fort P, Pecher A (2002) An introduction to the geological map of the area between Hunza and Baltistan, Karakorum-Kohistan-Ladakh-Himalaya region, northern Pakistan (1:150,000). Geologica 6(1):1–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Fort P, Cuney M, Deneil C, France-Lanord, Sheppard SMF, Upreti BN, Vidal P (1987) Crustal generation of Himalayan leucogranites. Tectnophys 134:39–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • London D (1986) Formation of tourmaline-rich gem pockets in miarolitic pegmatites. Am Min 71:396–405

    Google Scholar 

  • London D, Burt MD (1982) Lithium minerals in pegmatites. In: Ćerný P (ed) Granitic pegmatites in science and industry, Min Assoc Canada, Short Course Handbook, 8:99–133

  • Maniar PD, Piccoli PM (1989) Tectonic discrimination of granitoids. Geol Soc Am Bull 101:635–643

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Molnar P, Tapponnier P (1975) Cenozoic tectonics of Asia: effects of a continental collision. Science 189:419–426

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nabelek PI, Liu M (2004) Petrologic and thermal constraints on the origin of leucogranites in collisional orogens. Trans R Soc Edinb Earth Ser 95:73–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nabelek PI, Russ-Nabelek C, Denison JR (1992) The generation and crystallization conditions of the Proterozoic Harney Peak leucogranite, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA: petrologic and geochemical constraints. Contrib Mineral Petrol 110:17–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura N (1974) Determination of REE, Ba, Fe, Mg, Na, and K in carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 38:757–775

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patino DAE (1999) What do experiments tell us about the relative contributions of crust and mantle to the origin of granitic melts. In: Castro A, Fernandez C, Vigneresse JL (eds) Understanding granites: integrating new and classical techniques. Geol Soc London, Spec Publ 168:55–75

  • Pearce JA, Harris NBW, Tindle AG (1984) Trace element discrimination diagrams for the tectonic interpretation of granitic rocks. J Petrol 25:956–983

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petterson MG, Windley BF (1985) Rb-Sr dating of the Kohistan arc batholith in the Trans-Himalaya of N. Pakistan and tectonic implications. Earth Planet Sci Lett 74:45–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rehman H, Seno T, Yamamoto H, Khan T (2011) The timing of collision of the Kohistan-Ladakh arc with India and Asia: debate. Island Arc 20:308–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robles ER, Perez AP, Roldan FV, Fontan F (1999) The granitic pegmatites of the Fregeneda area (Salamanca, Spain): characteristics and petrogenesis. Mineral Mag 63(4):535–558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rolland Y, Pecher A, Piccard C (2000) Mid Cretaceous back-arc formation and arc evolution along the Asian margin: the Shyok suture zone in northern Ladakh (NW Himalaya). Tectonophysics 325:145–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowley DB (1996) Age of collision between India and Asia: a review of the stratigraphic data. Earth Planet Sci Lett 145:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Searle MP (1991) Geology and tectonics of the Karakoram Mountains. John Willy and Sons, New York, 358 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle MP, Rex AJ, Tirrul R, Rex DC, Barnicoat A, Windley BF (1989) Metamorphic, magmatic and tectonic evolution of the Central Karakoram in the Biafo-Baltoro-Hushe regions of N. Pakistan. Geol Soc Am Spec Pap 232:47–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle MP, Khan MA, Fraser JE, Gough SJ (1999) The tectonic evolution of the Kohistan-Karakoram collision belt along the Karakoram Highway transect, north Pakistan. Tectonics 18(6):929–949

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart DB (1963) Petrogenesis and mineral assemblages of lithium-rich pegmatites. Geol Soc Am Spec Pap 76:159

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart DB (1978) Petrogenesis of lithium-rich pegmatites. Am Min 63:970–980

    Google Scholar 

  • Tahirkheli RAK, Mattauer M, Proust F, Tapponnier P (1979) The India-Eurasia suture zone in northern Pakistan: some new data interpretation at plate scale. In: Farah A, De Jong KA (eds) Geodynamics of Pakistan. Geol Surv Pakistan, Quetta, pp 125–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor SR, McLannan SM (1985) The continental crust: its composition and evolution. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitney DL, Evans BW (2010) Abbreviations for names of rock-forming minerals. Am Min 95:185–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winchester JA, Floyd PA (1977) Geochemical discrimination of different magma series and their 298 differentiation products using immobile elements. Chem Geol 20:325–343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeitler PK, Chamberlain CP (1991) Petrologic and tectonic significance of young leucogranites from the northwestern Himalaya, Pakistan. Tectonics 10:729–741

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The first author is thankful to the administration of University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan for facilitating this study. Thanks are also extended to Director NCE in Geology, University of Peshawar, for the financial grant. The authors are also thankful to the anonymous reviewers who critically reviewed this manuscript and offered fruitful suggestions for its improvement.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Pure and Applied Geology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan

    Muhammad Hassan Agheem & Humaira Dars

  2. National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan

    Mohammad Tahir Shah

  3. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bahria University, Shangrilla Road, E-8, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Tahseenullah Khan & Muhammad Zafar

  4. Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, Naruto University of Education, Naruto, Tokushima, 772-8502, Japan

    Mamoru Murata

Authors
  1. Muhammad Hassan Agheem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mohammad Tahir Shah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tahseenullah Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mamoru Murata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Humaira Dars
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Muhammad Zafar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Muhammad Hassan Agheem.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Agheem, M.H., Shah, M.T., Khan, T. et al. Petrogenetic evolution of pegmatites of the Shigar Valley, Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Arab J Geosci 8, 9877–9886 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1900-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1900-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation