Mid-Miocene (post 12 Ma) displacement along the central Karakoram fault zone in the Nubra Valley, Ladakh, India from spot LA-ICPMS U/Pb zircon ages of granites

Michael E. Brookfield*, Sun Lin Chung, J. Gregory Shellnutt

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Karakoram fault zone is a prominent right lateral fault that connects the frontal thrust of the North Pamir with the Indus suture zone near Mount Kailas. Its nature and age of initiation is controversial. In the Nubra valley, Ladakh, India, a Karakoram range granite is thrust over Cretaceous magmatic arc rocks and this thrust is cut by a western strand of the Karakoram fault zone. Three different lithologies from this granite gave weighted mean zircon U/Pb ages of 12.92±0.77 Ma, 12.41±0.43 Ma, and 11.72±0.31 Ma. The ages indicate a relatively short intrusive history of about 1 Ma for the phases: the geochemistry is practically identical to the Pangong leucogranites in the same tectonic block. The Karakoram fault zone in this area is thus less than ~12 Ma old which supports a post middle Miocene (Serravallian) age of Karakoram fault initiation in this area.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)231-239
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the Geological Society of India
Volume89
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017 Mar 1

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geology

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