Orogen Interior Research Articles

A numerical study of contemporary crustal deformation partitioning across the Southwestern Tian Shan orogen

The Tian Shan region is a typical example of crustal deformation within an intracontinental environment, where the lithospheric rheological properties are marked by significant spatial heterogeneity. However, the role of lithospheric rheology in crustal strain partitioning within the interior of the Tian Shan orogenic belt remains nebulous. Here, we utilized a two-dimensional viscoplastic model with contact elements constrained by GPS velocities and fault slip rates to investigate the influence of the block's strength on crustal deformation in the southwestern Tian Shan region. Our founding suggests that a weaker lower crust beneath the northern Tian Shan region offers a potential mechanism for the contemporary deformation patterns. Contemporary crustal deformation at Tian Shan is mainly concentrated along the piedmont thrust-and-fold belts and diffuses in the orogen's interior. This pattern of crustal strain partitioning is closely linked to the interplay between fault slips and lithospheric deformation. This finding emphasizes the significant role that the lithospheric rheology and pre-existing faults played in the deformation partitioning in the interior of the Tian Shan orogeny.

Stress Patterns and Crustal Anisotropy in the Eastern Alps: Insights From Seismological and Geological Observations

AbstractIn the Eastern Alps, the indentation of the Adriatic promontory since the Cenozoic affected the kinematics of separate crustal domains bounded by faults that accommodate lateral extrusion processes and differential shortening. Deciphering the pattern of crustal stresses in the orogen interior is challenging, due to the lack of in situ stress measurements at crustal depths. We define stress regimes and the orientations of the most‐compressive horizontal stress (SHmax) by integrating published results with new data, including stress analysis from fault plane solutions, estimation of crustal anisotropy through the shear wave splitting analysis, paleostress determination from fault slip data, and computation of cumulative seismic displacements. The retrieved regional SHmax are generally consistent with N‐S convergence. In the northern part of the study area, current stress orientations are almost parallel to paleo‐SHmax, suggesting a rather uniform compressional regime since the late Cenozoic. Conversely, sharp deflections and divergence with paleo‐SHmax appear at the western border of the Adriatic promontory across major transpressive and extensional shear zones and in the Southalpine domain, indicating a change in tectonically induced second‐order stresses. A current strike‐slip regime with subordinate orogen‐parallel seismic displacements affects a belt to north of the Periadriatic Lineament and NE‐extension characterizes the Ortles‐Engandine region. Seismic anisotropy locally exhibits fault‐parallel fast axes (Brenner‐Giudicarie fault‐systems, Dinaric and Southalpine thrusts), whereas stress‐induced anisotropy parallel to SHmax characterizes the southern part of the orogen. Cumulative seismic displacements are small compared to geodetic ones, and unravel partitioning of deformation into second‐order transpressive and extensional belts in response to indentation.

Diverse Deformation Mechanisms and Lithologic Controls in an Active Orogenic Wedge: Structural Geology and Thermochronometry of the Eastern Greater Caucasus

AbstractOrogenic wedges are common at convergent plate margins and deform internally to maintain a self‐similar geometry during growth. New structural mapping and thermochronometry data illustrate that the eastern Greater Caucasus mountain range of western Asia undergoes deformation via distinct mechanisms that correspond with contrasting lithologies of two sedimentary rock packages within the orogen. The orogen interior comprises a package of Mesozoic thin‐bedded (<10 cm) sandstones and shales. These strata are deformed throughout by short‐wavelength (<1 km) folds that are not fault‐bend or fault‐propagation folds. In contrast, a coeval package of thick‐bedded (up to 5 m) volcaniclastic sandstone and carbonate, known as the Vandam Zone, has been accreted and is deformed via imbrication of coherent thrust sheets forming fault‐related folds of 5–10 km wavelength. Structural reconstructions and thermochronometric data indicate that the Vandam Zone package was accreted between ca. 13 and 3 Ma. Following Vandam Zone accretion, thermal modeling of thermochronometric data indicates rapid exhumation (∼0.3–1 mm/yr) in the wedge interior beginning between ca. 6 and 3 Ma, and a novel thermochronometric paleo‐rotation analysis suggests out‐of‐sequence folding of wedge‐interior strata after ca. 3 Ma. Field relationships suggest that the Vandam Zone underwent syn‐convergent extension following accretion. Together, the data record spatially and temporally variable deformation, dependent on both the mechanical properties of deforming lithologies and perturbations such as accretion of material from the down‐going to the overriding plate. The diverse modes of deformation are consistent with the maintenance of critical taper.

The late Miocene eolian record at the eastern margin of the Puna Plateau, NW Argentina: Evidence of upper-tropospheric paleocirculation

ABSTRACT The Puna–Altiplano Plateau of the Central Andes is the second-highest plateau in the world (after Tibet), with a mean elevation of 4000 m.a.s.l. and an arid to hyperarid climate. Uplift of the Puna–Altiplano Plateau has affected lower-level atmospheric circulation, acting as a barrier to humid easterly winds from the Amazon basin and favoring an across-strike precipitation gradient resulting in a humid climate towards the east of the plateau and an arid to hyperarid climate in the orogen's interior. In the modern climate, the Bolivian High anticyclone regulates upper troposphere circulation, but little is known about the high-altitude tropospheric circulation of the past. This work focuses on the eolian record of the San Antonio de los Cobres basin along the eastern border of the Puna Plateau, NW Argentina, with the aim of analyzing its origin and thus elucidating the late Miocene winds. The eolian deposits are constrained by 7.8 Ma (K/Ar and U/Pb) and 6.4 Ma (U/Pb) ignimbrites at the nearly basal and upper contacts, respectively. Based on stratigraphic, sedimentological, and provenance analysis of the eolian units, we have identified three main facies associations (FAs): FA1) cross-stratified sandstones with large- to small-scale tabular, planar cross-bedding and with trough cross-stratification; FA2) sandstones with planar to low-angle stratification associated with thinly laminated ripple sandstone strata; FA3) medium- to coarse-grained massive sandstones associated with pebbly to bouldery, matrix-supported conglomerates and clast-supported conglomerates. The lateral and vertical facies assemblages indicate a dune field confined to topographic depressions dominated by transverse dunes with straight and sinuous crestlines that laterally grade into sandsheets associated with ephemeral streams. Paleoflows, lithotypes, and grain-size determinations indicate a persistent north-northwest provenance and wind velocities of 24–38 km/h (with maximum velocities of 55–75 km/h). The results of our analysis coupled with data from previous studies indicates that, for at least the last ca. 8 Myr, the winds have been blowing constantly from the north-northwest with an intensity similar to the present. This implies that the paleo-atmospheric circulation had a similar pattern to the present-day one. Therefore, we conclude that the upper-troposphere circulation in the Puna Plateau of NW Argentina was already regulated by the Bolivian High anticyclone during the Miocene, generating constant north-northwesterly winds.

Detrital zircon U–Pb ages and Hf-isotopes from Eocene intermontane basin deposits of the southern Canadian Cordillera

Lower Eocene strata exposed in the hinterland of the southern Canadian Cordillera were deposited in extensional–transtensional basins and provide insights into the evolution of the orogen. We measured stratigraphic sections and collected 22 sandstone samples for detrital zircon uranium–lead (U–Pb) geochronology (n = 2995) and hafnium isotope (εHf) values (n = 67) in order to reconstruct the Eocene physiography and sedimentary history of the region. Early Eocene sedimentation in the interior of the southern Canadian Cordillera occurred in alluvial fan, fluvial, lacustrine and paludal settings in multiple compartmentalized basins. In most locations, detrital zircons have ages of ca. 50 Ma, which are interpreted to be derived from the syndepositional Challis–Kamloops volcanics. Several locations have dominant detrital zircon populations with ages between ca. 145 and 200 Ma, suggesting distinct sediment sources and paleodrainages within the southern Canadian Cordillera. Maximum depositional ages record coeval sedimentation across the southern Canadian Cordillera hinterland, supporting the hypothesis that upper crustal deformation and basin subsidence occurred at the same time across the orogen interior. εHf(t) values of ca. 50 Ma and 145–200 Ma detrital zircons vary between −16 and +12, with more evolved εHf(t) values in the eastern portion of the study area and more juvenile εHf(t) values in the west. Differences in εHf(t) are interpreted to reflect crustal changes across the region, likely related to underlying Laurentian basement rock. Detrital zircons from intermontane basins may provide an additional tool for examining crustal heterogeneity in cordilleran orogens.

Tracking C-O-H fluid-rock interactions in reworked UHT granulite: Tectonic evolution from ca. 990 Ma to ca. 500 Ma in orogenic interior of Eastern Ghats Belt, India

A suite of high-grade granulite rocks occurring close to one of the earliest reported ultra-high temperature rocks (“Paderu” rocks) from the central part of the Eastern Ghats Belt, India has been studied. Here we present a detailed pressure-temperature-time-fluid history of the suite of aluminous granulite and associated gneisses from a single exposure, which were injected by granitic aplite veins at a high angle at a ductile depth of the host gneissic rocks. Detailed studies of the sapphirine-spinel-quartz-bearing aluminous granulite reveal a peak metamorphic condition of ~1000 °C at ~8 kbar. Porphyroblastic garnet and quartz in the peak assemblage have mono-phase, high-density, CO2-rich primary fluid inclusions (~1 g/cm3). Orthopyroxene-garnet-sillimanite forming corona textures in the aluminous granulite and the presence of cordierite-K-feldspar-quartz intergrowths imply post-peak cooling and subsequent decompression down to ~6 kbar. Secondary fluid inclusions in quartz grains of the aluminous granulite have the signature of bi-phase CO2-H2O fluids with a comparatively low estimated density (0.8 g/cm3). The CO2 isochore plots suggest a pressure drop from 7 to 8 kbar to 4–5 kbar (simultaneous or after the cooling from 1000 °C to 800 °C). Texture-constrained monazite dating using U-Th-total Pb EPMA technique reveals that there are strong peaks at ~940 Ma, ~900 Ma, and ~ 800 Ma with several smaller and younger peaks. On the other hand, the UPb SHRIMP dating of zircon from the same rock reveals discordant ages with upper and lower intercepts at ~1700 Ma and ~ 990 Ma. Late pegmatite dykes and aplite veins were emplaced cutting across the dominant structural fabric of this litho-assemblage at a high angle. The asymmetric dragging of the foliation of the host leptynite possibly implies a shear-induced intrusion. The fluid inclusion study of the aplite reveals that the quartz grains contain numerous primary and pseudosecondary fluid inclusions (CO2 monophase to biphase). The calculated density is in the range of 0.71–0.82 g/cm3, suggesting the entrapment of carbonic fluid at <3 kbar. Monazite dating yields a strong single peak at 497 ± 4 Ma, one of the rare dates from the orogenic interior of the Eastern Ghats Belt. The studied suite of deep crustal granulites with aplite veins preserves a history of at least two events of fluid-rock interactions during its residence at the extremely hot deep crustal level until its exhumation to shallower levels where a magmatic fluid is trapped, through a time corridor between the Grenvillian and Kuunga orogenies.

(U-Th)/He Thermochronology of the Indus Group, Ladakh, Northwest India: Is Neogene Cooling a Continental-Scale Thermal Event in the India-Asia Collision Zone?

Abstract The India-Asia continental collision zone archives a sedimentary record of the tectonic, geodynamic, and erosional processes that control the thermal history of the Himalayan orogenic interior since the onset of collision in early Paleogene time. In this paper, we present new (U-Th)/He thermochronometric cooling age data from 18 detrital zircons (ZHe) and 19 detrital apatites (AHe) of the early Eocene–early Miocene (ca. 50–23 Ma) continental facies of the Indus Group along the India-Asia collision zone in Ladakh, northwest (NW) India. This along-strike regional-scale low-temperature thermochronometric data set from the Indus basin is the first report of ZHe and AHe cooling ages from western and eastern Ladakh. Thermal modeling of our ZHe and AHe cooling ages indicates a postdepositional Neogene cooling signal in the Indus Group. Cooling initiated at ca. 21–19 Ma, was operational along the ~300 km strike of the collision zone in NW India by ca. 11 Ma, and continued until ca. 3 Ma. The Miocene cooling signal, also present along the India-Asia collision zone in south Tibet, is a continental-scale cooling event likely linked to increased erosional efficiency by the Indus and Yarlung Rivers across an elevated region resulting from the subduction dynamics of the underthrusting Indian plate.

Basement-involved thrusting, salt migration and intramontane conglomerates: a case from the Southern Pyrenees

The northern margin of the Organyà basin (Southern Pyrenees) has a complex structure in which syn-rift Lower Cretaceous carbonates flank a wide Keuper evaporite province, featuring the leading edges of the basement-involved thrust sheets of the Pyrenean antiformal stack. Recent studies show that Keuper diapirs and salt walls grew during the Cretaceous extensional episode, conditioning the development of differentiated depocenters and minibasins. The role of salt tectonics during the Pyrenean orogeny has not been addressed in previous structural studies, but present-day cross-sections indicate a Keuper evaporite-bearing vertical thickness of up to 3000 m in the Senterada-Gerri de la Sal area. We infer that salt migration was a determinant mechanism in triggering a gentle northward tilting of the Organyà basin during the Eocene-Oligocene, recorded in the La Pobla de Segur and Gurp syn-tectonic conglomerates in a large north-directed onlap, opposite to the main sedimentary influx direction. Contemporaneously, we interpret that salt migration, promoted by conglomerate differential loading, enabled the sinking and rotation of the unrooted Nogueres thrust units (têtes plongeantes). We use new and published structural data for the Lower Cretaceous margin of the Organyà basin, combined with structural and clast provenance data from the Cenozoic alluvial fan conglomerates of La Pobla and Gurp, to understand the Lutetian to late Oligocene evolution of the northern margin of the Central South-Pyrenean Unit. The tectono-sedimentary evolution of this area and the salt evacuation patterns are closely related to the exhumation history of the stacked Paleozoic thrust sheets of the Pyrenean hinterland to the north. In this study, we correlate the movements over a mobile substratum and the paleogeographic changes of conglomeratic basins at the toe of an exhuming orogenic interior.

A lifetime of the Variscan orogenic plateau from uplift to collapse as recorded by the Prague Basin, Bohemian Massif

AbstractThe Ordovician to Middle Devonian Prague Basin, Bohemian Massif, represents the shallowest crust of the Variscan orogen corresponding toc.1–4 km palaeodepth. The basin was inverted and multiply deformed during the Late Devonian to early Carboniferous Variscan orogeny, and its structural inventory provides an intriguing record of complex geodynamic processes that led to growth and collapse of a Tibetan-type orogenic plateau. The northeastern part of the Prague Basin is a simple syncline cross-cut by reverse/thrust faults and represents a doubly vergent compressional fan accommodatingc.10–19 % ~NW–SE shortening, only minor syncline axis-parallel extension and significant crustal thickening. The compressional structures were locally overprinted by vertical shortening, kinematically compatible with ductile normal shear zones that exhumed deep crust in the orogen's interior atc. 346–337 Ma. On a larger scale, the deformation history of the Prague Syncline is consistent with building significant palaeoelevation during Variscan plate convergence. Based on a synthesis of finite deformation parameters observed across the upper crust in the centre of the Bohemian Massif, we argue for a differentiated within-plateau palaeotopography consisting of domains of local thickening alternating with topographic depressions over lateral extrusion zones. The plateau growth, involving such complex three-dimensional internal deformations, was terminated by its collapse driven by multiple interlinked processes including gravity, voluminous magma emplacement and thermal softening in the hinterland, and far-field plate-boundary forces resulting from the relative dextral motion of Gondwana and Laurussia.

Climatic and glacial impact on erosion patterns and sediment provenance in the Himalayan rain shadow, Zanskar River, NW India

Erosion is a key step in the destruction and recycling of the continental crust, yet its primary drivers continue to be debated. The relative balance between climatic and solid Earth forces in determining erosion patterns and rates, and in turn orogenic architecture, is unresolved. The monsoon-dominated frontal Himalaya is a classic example of how surface processes may drive focused denudation and potentially control structural evolution. We investigate whether there is a clear relationship between climate and erosion in the drier Himalayan rain shadow on the periphery of the Tibetan Plateau, where a coupled climate-erosion relationship is less clear. We present a new integrated data set combining bulk petrography, geomorphometric analysis, detrital U-Pb zircon geochronology, and bulk Nd and Sr isotope geochemistry from modern river sediments that provides constraints on spatial patterns of sediment production and transport in the Zanskar River. Zanskar River sands are dominated by Greater Himalayan detritus sourced from the glaciated Stod River catchment, which represents only 13% of the total basin area. Prevalent zircon peaks from Cambrian-Ordovician (440-500 Ma) and Mississippian- Permian (245-380 Ma) units indicate more abundant pre-Himalayan granitoids in the northwest Indian Himalaya than in the central and eastern Himalaya. Erosion from the widely exposed Tethyan Himalaya, however, appears modest. Spatial patterns of erosion do not correlate with highest channel steep-ness. Our data demonstrate that Zanskar differs from the monsoon-soaked frontal Himalaya and the arid, extremely slow-eroding Tibetan orogenic interior in that focused erosion and sediment production are driven by glaciers. Subsequent remobilization of glacially derived sediments is likely controlled by monsoonal rainfall, and we suggest sediment reworking plays an important role. These data support a strong climatic control on modern orogenic erosion in the Himalayan rain shadow on the periphery of the Tibetan Plateau.

Climatic controls on debris‐flow activity and sediment aggradation: The Del Medio fan, NW Argentina

AbstractIn the Central Andes, several studies on alluvial terraces and valley fills have linked sediment aggradation to periods of enhanced sediment supply. However, debate continues over whether tectonic or climatic factors are most important in triggering the enhanced supply. The Del Medio catchment in the Humahuaca Basin (Eastern Cordillera, NW Argentina) is located within a transition zone between subhumid and arid climates and hosts the only active debris‐flow fan within this intermontane valley. By combining 10Be analyses of boulder and sediment samples within the Del Medio catchment, with regional morphometric measurements of nearby catchments, we identify the surface processes responsible for aggradation in the Del Medio fan and their likely triggers. We find that the fan surface has been shaped by debris flows and channel avulsions during the last 400 years. Among potential tectonic, climatic, and autogenic factors that might influence deposition, our analyses point to a combination of several favorable factors that drive aggradation. These are in particular the impact of occasional abundant rainfall on steep slopes in rock types prone to failure, located in a region characterized by relatively low rainfall amounts and limited transport capacity. These characteristics are primarily associated with the climatic transition zone between the humid foreland and the arid orogen interior, which creates an imbalance between sediment supply and sediment transfer. The conditions and processes that drive aggradation in the Del Medio catchment today may provide a modern analog for the conditions and processes that drove aggradation in other nearby tributaries in the past.

Time scales and mechanisms of growth of active margins of Gondwana: A model based on detrital zircon ages from the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Blovice accretionary complex, Bohemian Massif

New U–Pb detrital zircon ages from (meta-)graywackes of the Blovice accretionary complex, Bohemian Massif, provide an intriguing record of expansion of the northern active margin of Gondwana during late Neoproterozoic and Cambrian. The late Neoproterozoic (meta-)graywackes typically contain a smaller proportion of Archean and Paleoproterozoic zircons and show a 1.6–1.0Ga age gap and a prominent late Cryogenian to early Ediacaran age peak. The respective zircon age spectra match those described from other correlative Cadomian terranes with a West African provenance. On the other hand, some samples were dominated by Cambrian zircons with concordia ages as young as 499Ma. The age spectra obtained from these samples mostly reflect input from juvenile volcanic arcs whereas the late Cambrian samples are interpreted as representing relics of forearc basins that overlay the accretionary wedge.The new U–Pb zircon ages suggest that the Cadomian orogeny, at least in the Bohemian Massif, was not restricted to the Neoproterozoic but should be rather viewed as a continuum of multiple accretion, deformation, magmatic and basin development events governed by oceanic subduction until late Cambrian times. Our new U–Pb ages also indicate that the Cadomian margin was largely non-accretionary since its initiation at ~650–635Ma and that most of the material accreted during a short time span at around 527Ma, closely followed by a major pulse of pluton emplacement. Based on the new detrital zircon ages, we argue for an unsteady, cyclic evolution of the Cadomian active margin which had much in common with modern Andean and Cordilleran continental-margin arc systems. The newly recognized episodic magmatic arc activity is interpreted as linked to increased erosion–deposition–accretion events, perhaps driven by feedbacks among the changing subducted slab angle, overriding plate deformation, surface erosion, and gravitational foundering of arc roots. These Cadomian active-margin processes were terminated by slab break-off and/or slab rollback and by a switch from convergent to divergent plate motions related to opening of the Rheic Ocean at around 490–480Ma.The proposed tectonic evolution of the Teplá–Barrandian unit is rather similar to that of the Ossa Morena Zone in Iberia but shows significant differences to that of the North Armorican Massif and Saxothuringian unit in Western and Central Europe. This suggests that the Cadomian orogenic zoning was complexly disrupted during early Ordovician opening of the Rheic Ocean and Late Paleozoic Variscan orogeny so that the originally outboard tectonic elements are now in the Variscan orogen's interior and vice versa.

Surface uplift and convective rainfall along the southern Central Andes (Angastaco Basin, NW Argentina)

Stable-isotopic and sedimentary records from the orogenic Puna Plateau of NW Argentina and adjacent intermontane basins to the east furnish a unique late Cenozoic record of range uplift and ensuing paleoenvironmental change in the south-central Andes. Today, focused precipitation in this region occurs along the eastern, windward flanks of the Eastern Cordillera and Sierras Pampeanas ranges, while the orogen interior constitutes high-elevation regions with increasingly arid conditions in a westward direction. As in many mountain belts, such hydrologic and topographic gradients are commonly mirrored by a systematic relationship between the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope ratios of meteoric water and elevation. The glass fraction of isotopically datable volcanic ash intercalated in sedimentary sequences constitutes an environmental proxy that retains a signal of the hydrogen-isotopic composition of ancient precipitation. This isotopic composition thus helps to elucidate the combined climatic and tectonic processes associated with topographic growth, which ultimately controls the spatial patterns of precipitation in mountain belts. However, between 25.5 and 27°S present-day river-based hydrogen-isotope lapse rates are very low, possibly due to deep-convective seasonal storms that dominate runoff. If not accounted for, the effects of such conditions on moisture availability in the past may lead to misinterpretations of proxy-records of rainfall. Here, we present hydrogen-isotope data of volcanic glass (δDg), extracted from 34 volcanic ash layers in different sedimentary basins of the Eastern Cordillera and the Sierras Pampeanas. Combined with previously published δDg records and our refined U–Pb and (U–Th)/He zircon geochronology on 17 tuff samples, we demonstrate hydrogen-isotope variations associated with paleoenvironmental change in the Angastaco Basin, which evolved from a contiguous foreland to a fault-bounded intermontane basin during the late Mio–Pliocene. We unravel the environmental impact of Mio–Pliocene topographic growth and associated orographic effects on long-term hydrogen-isotope records of rainfall in the south-central Andes, and potentially identify temporal variations in regional isotopic lapse rates that may also apply to other regions with similar topographic boundary conditions.

Age, tectonic evolution and origin of the Aswa Shear Zone in Uganda: Activation of an oblique ramp during convergence in the East African Orogen

The Aswa Shear Zone (ASZ) is a major NW–SE trending structure of over 1000 km length in East Africa. In Uganda, the ASZ is a steeply NE-dipping, up to 11 km wide mylonitic shear zone that shows multiple stage brittle reactivation. On outcrop-scale, the fabric in the ASZ is characterized by a well-developed NW–SE striking and subvertical or steeply NE or SW dipping mylonitic foliation and a subhorizontal to moderately NW- or SE-plunging stretching lineation. Sinistral kinematics and fabric are very consistent along strike. The strain is heterogeneously distributed and partitioned into lens-shaped lower strain zones dominated by folding and characterized by pure shear, which are surrounded by high strain zones, some of them thick ultramylonites, with intense simple shear combined with flattening and strong transposition of pre-existing fabrics. Ductile shearing occurred during bulk E–W shortening, commenced at amphibolite facies conditions and continued with similar kinematics at greenschist and even lower grade conditions. A number of (sub-)parallel shear zones occur to the NE and SW of the main zone at a distance of up to 20–45 km. They show similar fabrics and kinematics and are thus related to activity along ASZ reflecting strain partitioning into simple shear and pure shear domains on a regional scale.Samples of mylonitic gneisses from the shear zone have been analyzed with U–Pb LA-MC-ICPMS and show Neoarchaean crystallisation ages between 2.66 and 2.61 Ga. Timing of ductile sinistral shearing is poorly constrained by lower intercept ages of 686 ± 62 and 640 ± 44 Ma. The fabric and structural relationship of the ca. 660 Ma Adjumani Granite exposed in the northern segment of ASZ suggest that the age of shear activity can be further limited to ca. 685 and 655 Ma.The Aswa Shear Zone is interpreted as an intra-cratonic, crustal-scale structure close to the northeastern margin of the Congo Craton, possibly inherited from previous continental extension. Early Aswa Shear Zone activation is linked to underthrusting of the Congo Craton and coeval high-grade metamorphism and intense deformation in the orogen interior. During E–W convergence between ca. 690 and 650 Ma, the NE-dipping ASZ was activated as an oblique ramp leading to deflection of the transport direction and concentration of non-coaxial strain and sinistral shear along the shear zone system. During progressive convergence, between ca. 645 and 620 Ma, sinistral shearing along ASZ changed to ductile–brittle deformation mechanisms, while thrusting took place in Pan-African belts in eastern and western Uganda. Late-orogenic brittle sinistral reactivation of the ASZ can be regarded as the result of continent collision and closure of the Mozambique ocean further to the east, that potentially caused lateral escape manifested in NW–SE striking sinistral shear zones in Kenya and the southern Arabina-Nubian Shield between 620 and 570 Ma.

Differentiating between rain, snow, and glacier contributions to river discharge in the western Himalaya using remote-sensing data and distributed hydrological modeling

Rivers draining the southern Himalaya provide most of the water supply for the densely populated Indo-Gangetic plains. Despite the importance of water resources in light of climate change, the relative contributions of rainfall, snow and glacier melt to discharge are not well understood, due to the scarcity of ground-based data in this complex terrain. Here, we quantify discharge sources in the Sutlej Valley, western Himalaya, from 2000 to 2012 with a distributed hydrological model that is based on daily, ground-calibrated remote-sensing observation. Based on the consistently good model performance, we analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of hydrologic components and quantified their contribution to river discharge. Our results indicate that the Sutlej River's annual discharge at the mountain front is sourced to 55% by effective rainfall (rainfall reduced by evapotranspiration), 35% by snow melt and 10% by glacier melt. In the high-elevation orogenic interior glacial runoff contributes ∼30% to annual river discharge. These glacier melt contributions are especially important during years with substantially reduced rainfall and snowmelt runoff, as during 2004, to compensate for low river discharge and ensure sustained water supply and hydropower generation. In 2004, discharge of the Sutlej River totaled only half the maximum annual discharge; with 17.3% being sourced by glacier melt. Our findings underscore the importance of calibrating remote-sensing data with ground-based data to constrain hydrological models with reasonable accuracy. For instance, we found that TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) product 3B42 V7 systematically overestimates rainfall in arid regions of our study area by a factor of up to 5. By quantifying the spatiotemporal distribution of water resources we provide an important assessment of the potential impact of global warming on river discharge in the western Himalaya. Given the near-global coverage of the utilized remote-sensing datasets this hydrological modeling approach can be readily transferred to other data-sparse regions.

Pliocene orographic barrier uplift in the southern Central Andes

Research Article| August 01, 2014 Pliocene orographic barrier uplift in the southern Central Andes Heiko Pingel; Heiko Pingel 1Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ricardo N. Alonso; Ricardo N. Alonso 2Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional de Salta, 4400-Salta, Argentina Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Andreas Mulch; Andreas Mulch 3Institut für Geowissenschaften, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany4Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F) and Senckenberg, 60325 Frankfurt/Main, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alexander Rohrmann; Alexander Rohrmann 1Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Masafumi Sudo; Masafumi Sudo 1Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Manfred R. Strecker Manfred R. Strecker 1Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Heiko Pingel 1Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Ricardo N. Alonso 2Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional de Salta, 4400-Salta, Argentina Andreas Mulch 3Institut für Geowissenschaften, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany4Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F) and Senckenberg, 60325 Frankfurt/Main, Germany Alexander Rohrmann 1Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Masafumi Sudo 1Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Manfred R. Strecker 1Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 03 Feb 2014 Revision Received: 19 May 2014 Accepted: 27 May 2014 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2014 Geological Society of America Geology (2014) 42 (8): 691–694. https://doi.org/10.1130/G35538.1 Article history Received: 03 Feb 2014 Revision Received: 19 May 2014 Accepted: 27 May 2014 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 Heiko Pingel, Ricardo N. Alonso, Andreas Mulch, Alexander Rohrmann, Masafumi Sudo, Manfred R. Strecker; Pliocene orographic barrier uplift in the southern Central Andes. Geology 2014;; 42 (8): 691–694. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G35538.1 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 Sedimentary basin fills along the windward flanks of orogenic plateaus are valuable archives of paleoenvironmental change with the potential to resolve the history of surface uplift and orographic barrier formation. The intermontane basins of the southern Central Andes contain thick successions of sedimentary material that are commonly interbedded with datable volcanic ashes. We relate variations in the hydrogen isotopic composition of hydrated volcanic glass (δDg) of Neogene to Quaternary fills in the semiarid intermontane Humahuaca Basin (Eastern Cordillera, northwest Argentina) to spatiotemporal changes in topography and associated orographic effects. δD values from volcanic glass in the basin strata (–117‰ to –98‰) show two main trends that accompany observed tectonosedimentary events in the study area. Between 6.0 and 3.5 Ma, δDg values decrease by ∼17‰; this is associated with surface uplift in the catchment area. After 3.5 Ma, δDg values show abrupt deuterium enrichment, which we associate with (1) the attainment of threshold elevations for blocking moisture transport in the basin-bounding ranges to the east, and (2) the onset of semiarid conditions in the basin. Such orographic barriers throughout the eastern flanks of the Central Andes have impeded moisture transport into the orogen interior; this has likely helped maintain aridity and internal drainage conditions on the adjacent Andean Plateau. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Formation of elongated granite–migmatite domes as isostatic accommodation structures in collisional orogens

The mid-Carboniferous Pelhřimov core complex, Bohemian Massif, is a crustal-scale elongated granite–migmatite dome interpreted to have formed by gravity-driven diapiric upwelling of the metapelitic middle crust. The vertical diapiric flow is evidenced by outward-dipping foliation and lineation patterns, deformation coeval with the widespread presence of melt, rapid exhumation of the dome center from depths corresponding to pressure of about 0.6GPa to shallow levels (pressure less than 0.2GPa) within 2M.y., and kinematic indicators of downward return flow of the mantling rocks. As compared to common diapirs, however, the Pelhřimov complex exhibits a more complicated inferred strain pattern with two perpendicular, irregularly alternating directions of horizontal extension in what is interpreted as the diapir head. Comparison of structural data from migmatites with anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data in granites also reveals that only final increments of strain are recorded in the granites. The map dimensions and gravity image of the complex suggest that the diapiric upwelling affected a large portion of the orogen's interior between two microplates brought together during continental collision. The northwesterly microplate (the upper-crustal Teplá–Barrandian unit) collapsed vertically as an ‘elevator’ at around 346–337Ma whereas the easterly microplate (Brunia) was underthrust beneath the Moldanubian rocks during ∼346–330Ma (the indentor). It is suggested that these microplates then acted as cold and rigid margins localizing mid-crustal diapirism and associated voluminous S-type granite plutons inbetween, parallel to the edge of the Brunia indentor.We conclude that bringing together soft metapelitic middle crust with two rigid lithospheric blocks during collision resulted in significant lateral temperature and strength variations across the orogen's interior. A general conclusion from these inferences is that granite–migmatite domes delineating margins of collided microplates may form as crustal-scale structures accommodating late-orogenic isostatic reequilibration.

Spatiotemporal trends in erosion rates across a pronounced rainfall gradient: Examples from the southern Central Andes

The tectonic and climatic boundary conditions of the broken foreland and the orogen interior of the southern Central Andes of northwestern Argentina cause strong contrasts in elevation, rainfall, and surface-process regimes. The climatic gradient in this region ranges from the wet, windward eastern flanks (~2m/yr rainfall) to progressively drier western basins and ranges (~0.1m/yr) bordering the arid Altiplano–Puna Plateau. In this study, we analyze the impact of spatiotemporal climatic gradients on surface erosion: First, we present 41 new catchment-mean erosion rates derived from cosmogenic nuclide inventories to document spatial erosion patterns. Second, we re-evaluate paleoclimatic records from the Calchaquíes basin (66°W, 26°S), a large intermontane basin bordered by high (>4.5km) mountain ranges, to demonstrate temporal variations in erosion rates associated with changing climatic boundary conditions during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Three key observations in this region emphasize the importance of climatic parameters on the efficiency of surface processes in space and time: (1) First-order spatial patterns of erosion rates can be explained by a simple specific stream power (SSP) approach. We explicitly account for discharge by routing high-resolution, satellite derived rainfall. This is important as the steep climatic gradient results in a highly nonlinear relation between drainage area and discharge. This relation indicates that erosion rates (ER) scale with ER~SSP1.4 on cosmogenic-nuclide time scales. (2) We identify an intrinsic channel-slope behavior in different climatic compartments. Channel slopes in dry areas (<0.25m/yr rainfall) are slightly steeper than in wet areas (>0.75m/yr) with equal drainage areas, thus compensating lower amounts of discharge with steeper slopes. (3) Erosion rates can vary by an order of magnitude between presently dry (~0.05mm/yr) and well-defined late Pleistocene humid (~0.5mm/yr) conditions within an intermontane basin. Overall, we document a strong climatic impact on erosion rates and channel slopes. We suggest that rainfall reaching areas with steeper channel slopes in the orogen interior during wetter climate periods results in intensified sediment mass transport, which is primarily responsible for maintaining the balance between surface uplift, erosion, sediment routing and transient storage in the orogen.

Exhumational variability within the Himalaya of northwest India

In the Himalaya of Chamba, NW India, a major orographic barrier in front of the Greater Himalayan Range extracts a high proportion of the monsoonal rainfall along its southern slopes and effectively shields the orogen interior from moisture-bearing winds. Along a ~ 100-km-long orogen perpendicular transect, 28 new apatite fission track (AFT) and 30 new zircon (U–Th)/He (ZHe) cooling ages reveal marked variations in age distributions and long-term exhumation rates between the humid frontal range and the semi-arid orogen interior. On the southern topographic front, very young, elevation-invariant AFT ages of < 4 Ma have been obtained that are concentrated in a ~ 30-km-wide zone; 1-D-thermal modeling suggests a Plio–Pleistocene mean erosion rate of 0.8–1.9 mm yr − 1 . In contrast, AFT and ZHe ages within the orogen interior are older (4–9 and 7–18 Ma, respectively), are positively correlated with sample elevation, and yield lower mean erosion rates (0.3–0.9 mm yr − 1 ). Protracted low exhumation rates within the orogen interior over the last ~ 15 Myr prevailed contemporaneously with overall humid conditions and an effective erosional regime within the southern Himalaya. This suggests that the frontal Dhauladar Range was sufficiently high during this time to form an orographic barrier, focusing climatically enhanced erosional processes and tectonic deformation there. Thrusting along the two frontal range-bounding thrust, the Main Central Thrust and the Main Boundary Thrusts, was initiated at least ~ 15 Ma ago and has remained localized since then. The lack of evidence for localized uplift farther north indicates either a rather flat décollement with no ramp or the absence of active duplex systems beneath the interior of Chamba. Exhumational variability within Chamba is best explained as the result of continuous thrusting along a major basal décollement, with a flat beneath the slowly exhuming internal compartments and a steep frontal ramp at the rapidly exhuming frontal range. The pattern in Chamba contrasts with what is observed elsewhere along the Himalaya, where exhumation is focused in a zone ~ 150 km north of the orogenic front. In the NW Himalaya, preserved High Himalayan Crystalline nappes and Lesser Himalayan windows alternate on a relatively small scale of < 100 km; these alternations are closely correlated with the pattern of exhumation. Although the spatial distribution of high-exhumation zones varies considerably between individual Himalayan sectors, all of these zones are closely correlated with locally higher rock-uplift rates, sharp topographic discontinuities, and focused orographic precipitation, suggesting strong feedbacks between tectonically driven rock uplift, orographically enhanced precipitation, and erosional processes.

Neogene to Quaternary broken foreland formation and sedimentation dynamics in the Andes of NW Argentina (25°S)

The northwest Argentine Andes constitute a premier natural laboratory to assess the complex interactions between isolated uplifts, orographic precipitation gradients, and related erosion and sedimentation patterns. Here we present new stratigraphic observations and age information from intermontane basin sediments to elucidate the Neogene to Quaternary shortening history and associated sediment dynamics of the broken Salta foreland. This part of the Andean orogen, which comprises an array of basement‐cored range uplifts, is located at ∼25°S and lies to the east of the arid intraorogenic Altiplano/Puna plateau. In the Salta foreland, spatially and temporally disparate range uplift along steeply dipping inherited faults has resulted in foreland compartmentalization with steep basin‐to‐basin precipitation gradients. Sediment architecture and facies associations record a three‐phase (∼10, ∼5, and &lt;2 Ma), east directed, yet unsystematic evolution of shortening, foreland fragmentation, and ensuing changes in precipitation and sediment transport. The provenance signatures of these deposits reflect the trapping of sediments in the intermontane basins of the Andean hinterland, as well as the evolution of a severed fluvial network. Present‐day moisture supply to the hinterland is determined by range relief and basin elevation. The conspiring effects of range uplift and low rainfall help the entrapment and long‐term storage of sediments, ultimately raising basin elevation in the hinterland, which may amplify aridification in the orogen interior.