Relationship between leucogranites and the Qomolangma detachment in the Rongbuk Valley, south Tibet

Abstract

Research Article| September 01, 1999 Relationship between leucogranites and the Qomolangma detachment in the Rongbuk Valley, south Tibet M. A. Murphy; M. A. Murphy 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar T. Mark Harrison T. Mark Harrison 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1999) 27 (9): 831–834. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0831:RBLATQ>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation M. A. Murphy, T. Mark Harrison; Relationship between leucogranites and the Qomolangma detachment in the Rongbuk Valley, south Tibet. Geology 1999;; 27 (9): 831–834. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0831:RBLATQ>2.3.CO;2 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 Central to understanding the exhumation history of the Himalaya is knowing the timing of slip and magnitude of displacement on the primary fault systems that bound the range. The widely accepted view that early Miocene deformation in the Himalaya is characterized by simultaneous shortening along the Main Central thrust and extension at shallower crustal levels in part developed on the basis of knowledge of the age of the Rongbuk granite and its apparent crosscutting relationship with the Qomolangma detachment. This key contact, however, has not previously been directly observed. Field mapping of the Qomolangma detachment and its footwall reveals that no leucogranite bodies crosscut the detachment. These observations together with Th-Pb monazite dating of leucogranites exposed in the footwall suggest that slip was occurring across the Qomolangma detachment shear zone ca. 17 Ma. Although there is no evidence that requires simultaneous shortening and extension in the High Himalaya, our observations are consistent with alternating periods of shortening and extension in the Himalaya since the early Miocene. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.