Geological records of the Lhasa-Qiangtang and Indo-Asian collisions in the Nima area of central Tibet

Research Article| July 01, 2007 Geological records of the Lhasa-Qiangtang and Indo-Asian collisions in the Nima area of central Tibet Paul Kapp; Paul Kapp 1Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721–0077, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter G. DeCelles; Peter G. DeCelles 1Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721–0077, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar George E. Gehrels; George E. Gehrels 1Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721–0077, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Matthew Heizler; Matthew Heizler 2New Mexico Geochronological Research Laboratory, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico 87801, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lin Ding Lin Ding 3Institutes of Tibetan Plateau Research and Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, People's Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Paul Kapp 1Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721–0077, USA Peter G. DeCelles 1Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721–0077, USA George E. Gehrels 1Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721–0077, USA Matthew Heizler 2New Mexico Geochronological Research Laboratory, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico 87801, USA Lin Ding 3Institutes of Tibetan Plateau Research and Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, People's Republic of China Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 04 May 2006 Revision Received: 18 Dec 2006 Accepted: 19 Jan 2007 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2007) 119 (7-8): 917–933. https://doi.org/10.1130/B26033.1 Article history Received: 04 May 2006 Revision Received: 18 Dec 2006 Accepted: 19 Jan 2007 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Paul Kapp, Peter G. DeCelles, George E. Gehrels, Matthew Heizler, Lin Ding; Geological records of the Lhasa-Qiangtang and Indo-Asian collisions in the Nima area of central Tibet. GSA Bulletin 2007;; 119 (7-8): 917–933. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B26033.1 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 A geological and geochronologic investigation of the Nima area along the Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Bangong suture of central Tibet (∼32°N, ∼87°E) provides well-dated records of contractional deformation and sedimentation during mid-Cretaceous and mid-Tertiary time. Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous (≤125 Ma) marine sedimentary rocks were transposed, intruded by granitoids, and uplifted above sea level by ca. 118 Ma, the age of the oldest nonmarine strata documented. Younger nonmarine Cretaceous rocks include ca. 110–106 Ma volcanic-bearing strata and Cenomanian red beds and conglomerates. The Jurassic–Cretaceous rocks are unconformably overlain by up to 4000 m of Upper Oligocene to Lower Miocene lacustrine, nearshore lacustrine, and fluvial red-bed deposits. Paleocurrent directions, growth stratal relationships, and a structural restoration of the basin show that Cretaceous–Tertiary nonmarine deposition was coeval with mainly S-directed thrusting in the northern part of the Nima area and N-directed thrusting along the southern margin of the basin. The structural restoration suggests >58 km (>47%) of N–S shortening following Early Cretaceous ocean closure and ∼25 km shortening (∼28%) of Nima basin strata since 26 Ma. Cretaceous magmatism and syncontractional basin development are attributed to northward low-angle subduction of the Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere and Lhasa-Qiangtang continental collision, respectively. Tertiary syncontractional basin development in the Nima area was coeval with that along the Bangong suture in westernmost Tibet and the Indus-Yarlung suture in southern Tibet, suggesting simultaneous, renewed contraction along these sutures during the Oligocene-Miocene. This suture-zone reactivation immediately predated major displacement within the Himalayan Main Central thrust system shear zone, raising the possibility that Tertiary shortening in Tibet and the Himalayas may be interpretable in the context of a mechanically linked, composite orogenic system. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.