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Time relationships between magmatism, tectonics and metamorphism in three plutonic belts in Southern Tibet: new K-Ar data

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Zusammenfassung

Die drei plutonischen Gürtel sind, im Süd-Tibet, von Norden nach Süden, der Transhimalaya (oder Kangdese), der Nordhimalaya (oder Lhagoi Kangri) und der Hochhimalaya. 25 neue K/Ar-Datierungen an Mineralien und Gesamtgestein wurden frühen Werten hinzugefügt und erlauben eine Präzisierung der chronologischen Beziehungen der verschiedenen magmatischen, tektonischen und metamorphen Ereignisse, die beiderseits der Indus-Tsangpo-Suturzone stattfanden. 1 - Die Platznahme des größten Teils des Transhimalayaplutons scheint im Eozän erfolgt zu sein, was eine enge Beziehung des magmatischen Ereignisses mit dem Finalstadium der Konvergenz Indiens und Eurasien vermuten läßt. 2 - Im Süden der Suturzone schwanken die Alterswerte im wesentlichen zwischen 11 und 15 Mia. Jahren. Das höchste Alter erlaubt die Festlegung der unteren chronologischen Grenze der metamorphen Rekristallisation der paläozoischen Granitoide des Nordhimalayas; ein mittleres Alter könnte der unteren Grenze für die Platznahme der känozoischen Granitoide des Hochhimalayas und z. T. des Nordhimalayas entsprechen; das jüngste Alter könnte schließlich die nördlichsten Granitoide des Nordhimalayasgürtel kennzeichnen. Die große Kohärenz zwischen diesen Altersbestimmungen und den im Gelände gemessenen Werten legt nahe, daß die schwachen chronologischen Unterschiede signifikant sein können. 3 - Unsere Bestimmungen ergeben oft bedeutend jüngere Alter, als meistens für die gleichen magmatischen Ereignisse angegeben worden ist. Wie nahegelegt wurde, könnte diese Diskrepanz ein relativ spätes Kollidieren der Indischen und Eurasischen Platte im Östlichen Teil der Sutur bedeuten.

Abstract

From North to South, the three plutonic belts in Southern Tibet are the Transhimalaya (or Kangdese), the North Himalaya (or Lhagoi Kangri) and the High Himalaya. 25 new mineral and whole rock K-Ar dates, added to previous data, enable a precise analysis to be made of the time relationships between different magmatic, tectonic and metamorphic events that occurred on both sides of the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone. These include: 1 - The emplacement of a large part of the eastern Transhimalaya magmatism occurred during Eocene time, suggesting a close relationship between this emplacement and the late stages of conver-gence between India and Eurasia. 2 - South of the suture, the ages obtained fall mainly between 11 and 15 MA. The greatest age allows us to fix a lower limit on the timing of metamorphic recrystallization of the Paleozoic North Himalaya granites; an intermediate age may correspond to a minimum age of emplacement of the High Himalaya and part of the North Himalaya Cenozoic granitoids; finally, the youngest age may characterize the northernmost Cenozoic granitoids of the North Himalaya belt. The consistency of these tenuous age variations with field and structural data suggests that they may be significant. 3 - Our determinations give ages often significantly younger than those usually proposed for the same events. As suggested by some authors, such a discrepancy might reflect relatively late India-Eurasia collision in this eastern part of the suture.

Résumé

Du Nord au Sud, les trois ceintures plutoniques du Tibet méridional sont celles du Transhimalaya (ou Kangdese), Nord Himalaya (ou Lhagoi Kangri) et Haut Himalaya. 25 nouvelles datations par K-Ar, sur minéraux et roches totales, associées à des données antérieures permettent de préciser les relations chronologiques de différents événements magmatiques, tectoniques et métamorphiques intervenus de part et d'autre de la zone de suture Indus-Tsangpo. Ainsi: 1 - La mise en place d'une part importante du magmatisme Transhimalayen oriental se révèle d'âge Eocène, ceci suggérant l'existence d'une étroite relation causale entre cette mise en place et le stade final de convergence entre l'Inde et l'Eurasie. 2 - Au Sud de la suture, les âges obtenus oscillent essentiellement entre 11 et 15 MA. L'âge le plus ancien permet de fixer une limite chronologique inférieure à la recristallisation métamorphique des granitoïdes paléozoïques du Nord Himalaya; un âge intermédiaire pourrait correspondre à une limite minimale pour la mise en place des granitoïdes cénozoïques du Haut Himalaya et pro parte du Nord Himalaya; enfin, l'âge le plus récent caractériserait les granitoïdes les plus septentrionaux de la ceinture nord himalayenne. La grande cohérence existant entre ces datations et les données de terrain suggère que les faibles écarts chronologiques mis en évidence sont réellement significatifs. 3 - Les âges que nous obtenons sont souvent nettement plus jeunes que ceux habituellement proposés pour les mêmes évènements. Comme cela a été suggéré, une telle discordance pourrait être l'indice du caractère relativement tardif de la collision Inde-Eurasie au niveau de cette partie orientale de la suture.

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Debon, F., Zimmermann, J.L., Guohue, L. et al. Time relationships between magmatism, tectonics and metamorphism in three plutonic belts in Southern Tibet: new K-Ar data. Geol Rundsch 74, 229–236 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01824894

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