Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Geochemical studies of granitoids from Shyok tectonic zone of Khardung-Panamik section, Ladakh, India

  • Published:
Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

The Shyok tectonic zone lies to the north of Ladakh magmatic arc or the Ladakh batholith in the Trans-Himalaya of Ladakh district, J & K. Investigations were carried out on the granitoids exposed along Leh-Siachan highway between Khardung and Panamik villages. The granitoid bodies under study are: Khardung granite (KG), Tirit granite (TG) and Panamik granite (PG) belonging to Ladakh batholith, Shyok ophiolitic mélange and Karakoram batholith respectively. Though the granitoids belong to different litho-tectonic units, yet they have subduction related geochemical characters typical of Andean-type granitoids. Re-melting of crustal rocks of volcanic arc affinity has played an important role for the origin of KG rocks which are more evolved, while the TG and PG rocks represent transitional tectonic environment from primitive to mature arc.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahmad, T., Thakur, V.C., Islam, R., Khanna, P.P. and Mukherjee, P.K. (1998) Geochemistry and geodynamic implications of magmatic rocks from the Trans-Himalayan arc. Geochem. Jour., v.32, pp.383–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batchelor, R.A. and Bowden, P. (1985) Petrogenetic interpretation of granitoid rock series using multicationic parameters. Chem. Geol., v.48, pp.43–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bateman, P.C. (1983) A summary of critical relations in the central part of the Sieera Nevada batholith, California, USA. Geol. Soc. Amer. Mem., v.159, pp.241–254.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G.C., Thorpe, R.S. and Webb, P.C. (1984) The geochemical characteristics of granitoids arcs and comments on magma sources. Jour. Geol. Soc. London, v.141, pp.413–426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chappell, B.W. and Stephens, W.E. (1988) Origin and infracrustal (I-type) granite magmas. Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin., Earth Sci., v.79, pp. 71–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Debon, F. and Le Fort, P. (1982) A chemical mineralogical classification of common plutonic rocks and associations. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, v.73, pp.135–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Debon, F., Le Fort, P. and Sonet, J. (1981) Granitoid belts west and south of Tibet: about their geochemical trends and Rb-Sr isotopic studies. In: Geological and ecological studies of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (Proc. Symp. Qinghai-Xizang Plateau): Beijing, Science Press, pp.395–405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Debon, F., Le Fort, P., Dautel, D., Sonet, J. and Zimmermann, J.L. (1987) Granitoids of western Karakoram and northern Kohistan (Pakistan): a composite Mid-Cretaceous to Upper Cenozoic magmatism. Lithos, v.20, pp.19–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Debon, F., Zimmermann, J.L. and Le Fort, P. (1996) Upper Hunza granites (North Karakoram, Pakistan): a syn-collision bimodal plutonism of mid-cretaceous age, Geomaterials (Petrology), C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, v.323, pp.381–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Desio, A. (1964) Tectonic relationship between the Karakoram, Pamir and Hindukush, Central Asia. Proc. 22nd International Geologial Congress, New Delhi, v.2, pp.192–213

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunlap, W.J. and Wysoczanski, R. (2000) Thermal evidence of early Cretaceous metamorphism in the Shyok suture zone and age of the Khardung volcanic rocks, Ladakh, India. Jour. Asian Earth Sci., v.20, pp.481–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gromet, L.P. and Silver, L.T. (1987) REE variation across the Peninsular range Batholith: implication for batholitic petrogenesis and crustal growth in magmatic arcs. Jour. Petrol., v.28, pp.75–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, T. and Blundy, J. (1994) Non-ideal interactions in calcic amphiboles and their bearing on amphibole-plagioclase thermometry. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., v.116, pp.433–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Fort, P. (1986) Metamorphism and magmatism during the Himalayan Collision. In: M.P. Coward and A. Ries (Eds.), Collision Tectonics. Geol. Soc. London Spec. Publ., v.19, pp.159–172.

  • Le Fort, P. (1988) Granites in the tectonic evolution of the Himalaya, Karakoram and southern Tibet. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, v.326 A, pp.281–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Fort, P., Michard, A., Sonet, J. and Zimmermann, J.L. (1983) Petrography, geochemistry and geochronology of some samples from the Karakoram Axial Batholith (North Pakistan). In: F.A. Shams (Ed.), Granites of Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush, University of Lahore, Lahore, pp.277–387.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, J.A., Harris, N.B.W. and Tindle, A.G. (1984) Trace element discrimination diagrams for the tectonic interpretation of granitic rocks. Jour. Petrol., v.25, pp.956–983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perchuk, L.L., Podlesskii, K.K. and Aranovich, L. Ya. (1991) Thermodynamics of some framework silicates and their equilibria. application to geothermobarometry. In: L.L. Perchuk (Ed.), Progress in metamorphic and magmatic petrology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp.131–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petterson, M.G. and Windley, B.F. (1985) Rb-Sr dating of the Kohistan arc-batholith in the Trans-Himalaya of north Pakistan, and tectonic implications. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., v.74, pp.45–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petterson, M.G., Crawford, M.B. and Windley, B.F. (1993) Petrogenetic implications of neodymium isotope data from the Kohistan batholith, North Pakistan. Jour. Geol. Soc. London, v.150, pp.125–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitcher, W.S. (1983) Granite type and tectonic environment. In: K. Hsu (Ed.), Mountain Building Process, Academic Press, London, pp.19–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pitcher, W.S. (1993) The nature and origin of granite. Chapman & Hall, London, 321p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rai, H. (1982) Geological evidence against the Shyok Palaeosuture, Ladakh Himalaya. Nature, v.297, pp.142–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rai, H. (1983) Geology of Nubra valley and its significance on the evolution of the Ladakh Himalaya. In: V.C. Thakur and K.K. Sharma (Eds.), Geology of Indus Suture Zone of Ladakh, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, pp.79–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rai, H. (1999) Geological and tectonic evolution of the Shyok Suture Zone, Ladakh. In: A.K. Jain, and R.M. Manickavasagam (Eds.), Geodynamics of the NW Himalaya, Gondwana Res. Group Mem., v.6, pp.159–166.

  • Rai, H. and Rameshwar Rao, D. (2005) Geochemical and isotopic studies of the granitoids exposed on the southern slope in the Sasoma-Saser Brangra section of Karakoram Batholith, Jammu and Kashmir. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.65, pp.325–334

    Google Scholar 

  • Raz, U. and Honnegger, K. (1989) Magmatic and tectonic evolution of the Ladakh block from field studies. Tectonophysics, v.161, pp.107–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rex, A.J., Searle, M.P., Tirrul, R., Crawford, M.B., Prior, D.J., Rex, D.C. and Barnicoat, A. (1988) The geochemical and tectonic evolution of the Central Karakoram, North Pakistan. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, v.326A, pp.229–255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, M.P. (1983) Stratigraphy, structure and evolution of the Tibetan-Tethys zone in Zanskar and the Indus suture zone in the Ladakh Himalaya. Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin., v.73, pp.205–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, M.P. (1991) Geology and Tectonics of the Karakoram Mountains. John Willey, Chichester, 358p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, A.P., Cooper, D.J.W. and Rex, A.J. (1988). Collision tectonics of the Ladakh-Zanskar Himalaya. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, v.A 326, pp.117–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, M.P., Khan, M., Asif Fraser, J.E., Gough, S.J., and Jan, M. Qasim (1999) The tectonic evolution of the Kohistan-Karakoram collision belt along the Karakoram Highway transect, north Pakistan. Tectonics, v.18,Issue 6, pp.929–949.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, K.K., Sinha, A.K., Bagdasarian, G.P. and Gukasian, R.Ch. (1978) Potassium argon dating of Dras volcanics, Shyok volcanics and Ladakh granite, Ladakh, northwest Himalaya. Himalayan Geol., v.8, pp.523–527.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinha, A.K., Rai, H., Upadhyaya, R. and Chandra, R. (1999). Contribution to the geology of the eastern Karakoram, India. Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. Paper, v.328, pp.33–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Srimal, N. (1986). India-Asia collision: implications from the geology of the eastern Karakoram. Geology, v.14, pp.523–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorpe, R.S. (1982) Andesites: orogenic andesites and related rocks. Wiley, Chichester, 724p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Upadhyay, R. (2008). Implications of U-Pb zircon age of the Tirit granitoids on the closure of the Shyok suture zone, northern Ladkah, India. Curr. Sci., v.94(12), pp.1635–1640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Upadhyay, R., Sinha, A.K., Chandra, R. and Rai, H. (1999). Tectonic and magmatic evolution of the eastern Karakoram, India. Geodinamica Acta., v.12, pp.341–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Virdi, N.S. (1981) Occurrence of paired-metamorphic belts in the Himalaya. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.22, pp.547–554.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wienberg, R.F. and Dunlap, W.J. (2000) Growth and Deformation of the Ladakh Batholith, Northwest Himalayas: implications for timing of continental collision and origin of calc-alkaline batholiths. Jour. Geol., v.108, pp.303–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wienberg, R.F., Dunlap, W. and Whitehouse, M. (2000) New field, structural and geochronological data from the Shyok and Nubra valleys, northern Ladkah: linking Kohistan to Tibet. In: M.A. Khan, P.J. Treloar, M.P. Searle and M.Q. Jan (Eds.), Tectonics of the Nanga Parbat Syntaxis and the Western Himalaya, Geol. Soc. London Spec. Publ., v.170, pp.253–275.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, General Mahadeo Singh Road, Dehradun, 248 001, India

    D. Rameshwar Rao & Hakim Rai

Authors
  1. D. Rameshwar Rao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hakim Rai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Rameshwar Rao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rameshwar Rao, D., Rai, H. Geochemical studies of granitoids from Shyok tectonic zone of Khardung-Panamik section, Ladakh, India. J Geol Soc India 73, 553–566 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-009-0039-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-009-0039-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation