Tectonochemistry andp‐tConditions of Ramgarh and Almora Gneisses from Askot Klippe, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya

Abstract

The chemical and petrological correlation of metamorphic nappes and klippes overlying the Proterozoic sedimentary units in the Kumaun Himalaya is still debated. The Ramgarh and Almora gneisses, not previously distinguished in the Askot Klippe, show distinct field, petrological and chemical signatures markedly similar to the tectonostratigraphic disposition of the Almora Nappe. A negative Eu anomaly in the Ramgarh granitic gneisses indicates lesser plagioclase fractionation while the Eu anomaly in the Almora pelitic gneisses is likely to have been controlled by feldspar crystallization in restites. During the anatexis at > 776°C temperature and >6.6 kbar pressure, the melt moved slightly away to its crystallization sites. The Rb/Sr ratio ∼0.54 and Nb ∼10 ppm is consistent with the granodioritic composition. The negative Sr anomaly in the underlying Ramgarh granitic gneisses indicates a distinct mantle derived source/plagioclase fractionation with a notable correspondence to other late orogenic granites, particularly the basement Ulleri gneisses from the Nepal Himalaya. Ramgarh gneisses plot in the late‐ and post‐COLG field. The Askot ensemble is likely to be the tectonometamorphically reworked basement, viz. the Ramgarh Group along with its metapelitic cover of the Almora Group, together comprising southward thrust remnants of the leading edge of the Indian Plate that collided with Tibet during the Tertiary Himalayan orogeny.