Palaeogene plutonic magmatism in Central Afghanistan, and its relation to the India-Eurasia collision

Abstract

Numerous granitic intrusions occur along the southern margin of the Tajik Block and the Band-e-Bayan Zone in the Ghor Province of Central Afghanistan. Previously, they used to be linked to the Cimmerian igneous episodes of Triassic and Cretaceous ages. However, the new U-Pb dating has revealed that these granite intrusions occurred during the Eocene within a narrow time span of 41–36 Ma. They are related to the number of local depressions filled with the volcanic-sedimentary sequence of the same age. These data indicate an intense short-termed magmatic event that affected the region in the Palaeogene. The magmatism might be related to the India-Eurasia collision, which started approximately at the same time. It is likely to have induced the horizontal displacement of crustal blocks westwards along the Hari Rod fault.