Correlation of lithotectonic units across the eastern Himalaya, Bhutan

Abstract

Research Article| May 01, 2006 Correlation of lithotectonic units across the eastern Himalaya, Bhutan Andy Richards; Andy Richards 1Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Randall Parrish; Randall Parrish 2Department of Geology, University of Leicester and NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey,Keyworth, Notts NG12 5GG, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Nigel Harris; Nigel Harris 3Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Tom Argles; Tom Argles 4Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Li Zhang Li Zhang 5State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Andy Richards 1Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK Randall Parrish 2Department of Geology, University of Leicester and NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey,Keyworth, Notts NG12 5GG, UK Nigel Harris 3Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK Tom Argles 4Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK Li Zhang 5State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 15 Aug 2005 Revision Received: 24 Oct 2005 Accepted: 29 Oct 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2006) 34 (5): 341–344. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22169.1 Article history Received: 15 Aug 2005 Revision Received: 24 Oct 2005 Accepted: 29 Oct 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Andy Richards, Randall Parrish, Nigel Harris, Tom Argles, Li Zhang; Correlation of lithotectonic units across the eastern Himalaya, Bhutan. Geology 2006;; 34 (5): 341–344. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22169.1 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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Clastic sediments deposited in foreland basins and offshore fans allow the evolution of an orogen to be reconstructed—provided their source regions are properly characterized. Isotopic data from the lithotectonic units of the eastern Himalaya (Bhutan) indicate clear isotopic differences directly comparable with the equivalent units from the central Himalaya. Zircons from metaquartzites of the High Himalayan Series that range in age from 980 to 1820 Ma and an orthogneiss intruded at 825 ± 9 Ma bracket deposition to between 816 and 980 Ma. Model ages derived from Nd isotopes of associated metapelites range from 1700 to 2200 Ma. In contrast, zircons from a metaquartzite from the Lesser Himalayan Series range from 1850 to 2550 Ma. A Paleoproterozoic deposition age (ca. 1750 Ma) is inferred from the age of a metarhyolite associated with the sediments. Model Nd ages of metapelites from the Lesser Himalayan Series range from 2500 to 2600 Ma. The Bhutanese Himalayan units can be correlated more than 1000 km westward along strike from catchments of the Brahmaputra to the headwaters of the Sutlej on the basis of their structural position, provenance, and isotopes. Because current discharge from the Brahmaputra carries the dominant sedimentary flux into the Bengal Fan, results from this work validate the interpretation of isotopic variations observed in offshore deposits, in terms of the unroofing history of the component lithologies of the Himalaya. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.