Palaeomagnetic Results From the Tibetan Sedimentary Series of the Manang Area (North Central Nepal)

Abstract

The remanent magnetization of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic carbonates from the Tibetan Sedimentary Series (TSS) of the Manang area north of the Annapurna Range (north central Nepal) has been investigated. the TSS forms part of the tectonic unit between the Indian-Eurasian plate boundary in the north and the Main Central Thrust (MCT) in the south. Apart from a present field direction, three remanence components have been separated: a normal polarity, post-folding remanence (negative fold test) is carried by pyrrhotite (the core corrected mean direction for five sites with 47 specimens from Silurian/Devonian rocks is decl. = 312.9°, incl. = 58.3°, α95 = 17.6°, k = 19.8). the origin of this component is not understood. A more precisely determined, reversed polarity, post-folding remanence (99 per cent negative fold test) is also carried by pyrrhotite (the core corrected mean direction for 12 sites with 229 specimens from Carboniferous/Triassic rocks is decl. = 196.4°, incl. = -65.9°, α95 = 3.2°, k = 183). One site of Lower Carinan age shows—in addition to the pyrrhotite component—a second, stable remanence direction carried by magnetite. the fold test is 99 per cent positive and there is a high probability that the remanence is of detrital origin (the bedding corrected direction for one site with 40 specimens is decl. = 334.3°, incl. = -54.1°, α95 = 4.2°, k = 30.2, palaeolatitude 34.6°S). The direction of the magnetite component coincides with other Triassic palaeodirection data from the literature and the inclination suggests a palaeoposition of the TSS at the northern margin of India at this time. the northern extent of India in the Triassic cannot be reconstructed from the data because of the strong anticlockwise rotation (48°) of stable India since this time. The inclination of the reverse polarity pyrrhotite component is 19° steeper than expected from the maximum northern position of the area. This suggests a regional northward tilt along the MCT which is supported by steep inclinations found in other areas. Declination data for the reverse polarity pyrrhotite component and for the magnetite component deviate clockwise from expected values for the area by 23°-34° (calculated from the Indian APWP). Utilizing Klootwijk, Conaghan & Powell's (1985) rotational underthrusting model, the minimum magnitude of continental underthrusting between the TSS and stable India at the longitude of central Nepal (84°E) has been calculated from the declination of our reverse polarity pyrrhotite component. A possible range of 520–1100 km results from consideration of different tectonic models.