An overview of the stratigraphy and tectonics of the Nepal Himalaya

Nepal can be divided into the following five east–west trending major tectonic zones. (i) The Terai Tectonic Zone which consists of over one km of Recent alluvium concealing the Churia Group (Siwalik equivalents) and underlying rocks of northern Peninsular India. Recently active southward-propagating thrusts and folds beneath the Terai have affected both the underlying Churia and the younger sediments. (ii) The Churia Zone, which consists of Neogene to Quaternary foreland basin deposits and forms the Himalayan mountain front. The Churia Zone represents the most tectonically active part of the Himalaya. Recent sedimentologic, geochronologic and paleomagnetic studies have yielded a much better understanding of the provenance, paleoenvironment of deposition and the ages of these sediments. The Churia Group was deposited between ∼14 Ma and ∼1 Ma. Sedimentary rocks of the Churia Group form an archive of the final drama of Himalayan uplift. Involvement of the underlying northern Peninsular Indian rocks in the active tectonics of the Churia Zone has also been recognised. Unmetamorphosed Phanerozoic rocks of Peninsular India underlying the Churia Zone that are involved in the Himalayan orogeny may represent a transitional environment between the Peninsula and the Tethyan margin of the continent. (iii) The Lesser Himalayan Zone, in which mainly Precambrian rocks are involved, consists of sedimentary rocks that were deposited on the Indian continental margin and represent the southernmost facies of the Tethyan sea. Panafrican diastrophism interrupted the sedimentation in the Lesser Himalayan Zone during terminal Precambrian time causing a widespread unconformity. That unconformity separates over 12 km of unfossiliferous sedimentary rocks in the Lesser Himalaya from overlying fossiliferous rocks which are >3 km thick and range in age from Permo-Carboniferous to Lower to Middle Eocene. The deposition of the Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene fluvial Dumri Formation records the emergence of the Himalayan mountains from under the sea. The Dumri represents the earliest foreland basin deposit of the Himalayan orogen in Nepal. Lesser Himalayan rocks are less metamorphosed than the rocks of the overlying Bhimphedis nappes and the crystalline rocks of the Higher Himalayan Zone. A broad anticline in the north and a corresponding syncline in the south along the Mahabharat range, as well as a number of thrusts and faults are the major structures of the Lesser Himalayan Zone which is thrust over the Churia Group along the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT). (iv) The crystalline high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Higher Himalayan Zone form the backbone of the Himalaya and give rise to its formidable high ranges. The Main Central Thrust (MCT) marks the base of this zone. Understanding the origin, timing of movement and associated metamorphism along the MCT holds the key to many questions about the evolution of the Himalaya. For example: the question of whether there is only one or whether there are two MCTs has been a subject of prolonged discussion without any conclusion having been reached. The well-known inverted metamorphism of the Himalaya and the late orogenic magmatism are generally attributed to movement along the MCT that brought a hot slab of High Himalayan Zone rocks over the cold Lesser Himalayan sequence. Harrison and his co-workers, as described in a paper in this volume, have lately proposed a detailed model of how this process operated. The rocks of the Higher Himalayan Zone are generally considered to be Middle Cambrian to Late Proterozoic in age. (v) The Tibetan Tethys Zone is represented by Cambrian to Cretaceous-Eocene fossiliferous sedimentary rocks overlying the crystalline rocks of the Higher Himalaya along the Southern Tibetan Detachment Fault System (STDFS) which is a north dipping normal fault system. The fault has dragged down to the north a huge pile of the Tethyan sedimentary rocks forming some of the largest folds on the Earth. Those sediments are generally considered to have been deposited in a more distal part of the Tethys than were the Lesser Himalayan sediments.The present tectonic architecture of the Himalaya is dominated by three master thrusts: the Main Central Thrust (MCT), the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT). The age of initiation of these thrusts becomes younger from north to south, with the MCT as the oldest and the MFT as the youngest. All these thrusts are considered to come together at depth in a flat-lying decollement called the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT). The Mahabharat Thrust (MT), an intermediate thrust between the MCT and the MBT is interpreted as having brought the Bhimphedi Group out over the Lesser Himalayan rocks giving rise to Lesser Himalayan nappes containing crystalline rocks. The position of roots of these nappes is still debated. The Southern Tibetan Detachment Fault System (STDFS) has played an important role in unroofing the higher Himalayan crystalline rocks.     

Relationship between the Ordovician and Carboniferous–Permian collisional events in the southeastern Tunka bald mountains, East Sayan (southwestern framing of the Siberian Platform)

Granites from the Tunka pluton of the Sarkhoi complex, located in the eastern Tunka bald mountains (East Sayan), have been dated at the Middle Ordovician (462.6 ± 7.8 Ma) by LA ICP MS. The granites of the Sarkhoi complex within the studied area cut a foldthrust structure consisting of deformed fragments of the Vendian (Ediacaran)–Early Cambrian cover of the Tuva–Mongolian microcontinent (Upper Shumak metaterrigenous formation, Gorlyk carbonate formation). The red-colored conglomerates and sandstones of the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous(?) Sagan-Sair Formation overlie the eroded surface of the Tunka pluton granites in the eastern Tunka bald mountains. The Sagan-Sair Formation, in turn, is overlain along a low-angle thrust by a group of tectonic sheets, which comprises the volcanic and carbonate sediments of the Tolta Formation, biotitic schists, and plagiogneisses with garnet amphibolite bodies. Two nappe generations have been revealed on the basis of the described geologic relationships, the Middle Ordovician age of the Tunka pluton granites, and numerous Late Paleozoic Ar–Ar dates of syntectonic minerals from the metamorphic rocks in the area. The first thrusting stage was pre-Middle Ordovician, and the second, Late Carboniferous–Permian. The Lower Paleozoic thrust structure resulted from the accretion of the Tuva–Mongolian microcontinent to the Siberian Platform. The Late Paleozoic nappes resulted from intracontinental orogeny and the reactivation of an Early Paleozoic accretionary belt under the effect of the Late Paleozoic collisional events.     

A new kinematic evolutionary model for the growth of a duplex — an example from the Rangit duplex, Sikkim Himalaya, India

The Lesser Himalayan duplex (LHD) is a prominent structure through much of the Lesser Himalayan fold–thrust belt. In the Darjeeling - Sikkim Himalaya a component of the LHD is exposed in the Rangit window as the Rangit duplex (RD). The RD consists of ten horses of the upper Lesser Himalayan Sequence (Gondwana, Buxa, Upper Daling). The duplex varies from hinterland-dipping in the north, through an antiformal stack in the middle to foreland-dipping in the south. The Ramgarh thrust (RT) is the roof thrust and, based on a balanced cross-section, the Main Himalayan Sole thrust is the floor thrust at a depth of ~ 10 km and with a dip of ~ 3.5° N.Retrodeformation suggests that the RD initiated as a foreland-dipping duplex with the Early Ramgarh thrust as the roof thrust and the RT as the floor thrust. The RT became the roof thrust during continued duplexing by a combination of footwall imbrication and concurrent RT reactivation. This kinematic history best explains the large translation of the overlying MCT sheets. The restoration suggests that RD shortening is ~ 125 km, and the original Gondwana basin extended ~ 142 km northward of its present northernmost exposures within the window.     

GEOLOGY OF THE NORTHERN ARUN TECTONIC WINDOW

GEOLOGY OF THE NORTHERN ARUN TECTONIC WINDOW1　BordetP .Recherchesg啨ｏｌｏｇｉｑｕｅｓｄａｎｓｌ’ＨｉｍａｌａｙａｄｕＮ啨ｐａｌ,r啨ｇｉｏｎｄｕＭａｋａｌｕ[R].EditionsduCNRS ,Paris ,196 12 75 . 2　BordetP .G啨ｏｌｏｇｉｅｄｅｌａｄａｌｌｅｄｕＴｉｂｅｔ (Himalayacentral) [J].M啨ｍｏｉｒｅｓｈｏｒｓｓ啨ｒｉｅｄｅｌａＳｏｃｉｅｔ啨ｇ啨ｏｌｏｇｉｑｕｅｄｅＦｒａｎｃｅ,1977,8:2 35～ 2 5 0 . 3　BurcfielBC ,ChenZ ,HodgesKV ,etal.TheSouthTibetanDetachmentSystem ,Hima…     

METAMORPHISM IN THE LESSER HIMALAYAN CRYSTALLINES AND MAIN CENTRAL THRUST ZONE IN THE ARUN VALLEY AND AMA DRIME RANGE (EASTERN HIMALAYA)

METAMORPHISM IN THE LESSER HIMALAYAN CRYSTALLINES AND MAIN CENTRAL THRUST ZONE IN THE ARUN VALLEY AND AMA DRIME RANGE (EASTERN HIMALAYA)1　BrunelM ,KienastJR . tudep啨ｔｒｏ structuraledeschevauchementsductileshimalayenssurlatrans versaledel’Everest Makalu (N啨ｐａｌｏｒｉｅｎｔａｌ) [J].CanadianJ .EarthSciences,1986 ,2 3:1117～ 1137. 2　LombardoB ,RolfoF .TwocontrastingeclogitetypesintheHimalayas :implicationsfortheHimalayanorogeny…     

RECENT ADVANCES IN GEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN PARTS OF LESSER AND TETHYS HIMALAYA OF INDIA, SOUTH OF TIBETAN PLATEAU (KUMAON, GARHWAL AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH)

RECENT ADVANCES IN GEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN PARTS OF LESSER AND TETHYS HIMALAYA OF INDIA, SOUTH OF TIBETAN PLATEAU (KUMAON, GARHWAL AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH)     

THRUST PACKAGES OF 1.68 Ga INDIAN SUPRA-CRUSTAL ROCKS IN THE MIOCENE SIWALIK BELT,CENTRAL NEPAL HIMALAYAS

THRUST PACKAGES OF 1.68 Ga INDIAN SUPRA-CRUSTAL ROCKS IN THE MIOCENE SIWALIK BELT,CENTRAL NEPAL HIMALAYAS     

A new kinematic evolutionary model for the growth of a duplex — an example from the Rangit duplex,Sikkim Himalaya,India

The Lesser Himalayan duplex (LHD) is a prominent structure through much of the Lesser Himalayan fold–thrust belt. In the Darjeeling - Sikkim Himalaya a component of the LHD is exposed in the Rangit window as the Rangit duplex (RD). The RD consists of ten horses of the upper Lesser Himalayan Sequence (Gondwana, Buxa, Upper Daling). The duplex varies from hinterland-dipping in the north, through an antiformal stack in the middle to foreland-dipping in the south. The Ramgarh thrust (RT) is the roof thrust and, based on a balanced cross-section, the Main Himalayan Sole thrust is the floor thrust at a depth of ~ 10 km and with a dip of ~ 3.5° N.Retrodeformation suggests that the RD initiated as a foreland-dipping duplex with the Early Ramgarh thrust as the roof thrust and the RT as the floor thrust. The RT became the roof thrust during continued duplexing by a combination of footwall imbrication and concurrent RT reactivation. This kinematic history best explains the large translation of the overlying MCT sheets. The restoration suggests that RD shortening is ~ 125 km, and the original Gondwana basin extended ~ 142 km northward of its present northernmost exposures within the window.     

Mesozoic neo-tethyan pre-orogenic deep marine sediments along the Indus–Yarlung Suture,Himalaya

Shelf, forereef and basin margin (slope) olistoliths (Exotic blocks of limestone) of Permian–Jurassic age are tectonically juxtaposed within the Triassic to Eocene age pre-orogenic, deep abyssal plain turbidites of the Lamayuru. The pre-collision tectonic setting and depositional environment of the limestone olistoliths can be reconstructed from within the neighbouring Zanskar range. The disorganized Ophiolitic Melange Zone, an association of different tectonic rock slivers of Jurassic–Eocene age, is tectonically underlain by the overthrusted Lamayuru Formation and tectonically overlain by the Nindam Formation. Tectonic slivers of Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous age red radiolarian cherts represent a characteristic lithotectonic unit of the Ophiolitic Melange Zone, those occurring near the contact zone with the Lamayuru Formation, were deposited within the neo-Tethyan deep-ocean floor of the Indian passive margin below the carbonate compensation depth. These tectonic slivers accumulated along the northern margin of the Indus–Yarlung Suture Zone of the Ladakh Indian Himalaya during subduction accretion associated with the initial convergence of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate.     

塔里木盆地断裂构造分期差异活动及其变形机理

本文的目的是探讨塔里木盆地断裂构造分期差异活动过程及其变形机理.在地震剖面解释、钻井资料和地质资料综合分析的基础上,通过编制塔里木盆地不同时期断裂系统图,提出控制塔里木盆地断裂构造形成和演化主要构造活动期次为:加里东早期、加里东中期、加里东晚期-海西早期、海西晚期、印支期、燕山期和喜马拉雅期.加里东早期断裂活动受伸展环境制约,沿先存基底断裂带形成张性正断层.加里东中期、加里东晚期-海西早期断裂活动以逆冲作用为主,在塔东、塔中、塘古巴斯、巴楚和麦盖提地区最为发育.海西晚期断裂活动也是以逆冲作用为特征,并从早期断裂强烈活动的塔中、塘古巴斯、玛东等地区,迁移到塔北隆起和东部地区.印支、燕山和喜马拉雅期,前陆地区断裂构造发育,形成叠瓦冲断带、褶皱-冲断带、双重构造、盐相关构造等;但在盆内稳定区,断裂构造不发育,活动性弱.古生代断裂构造发育分布的控制机理,主要与区域大地构造环境的变化和构造转换、先存基底断裂带、大型区域性不整合、滑脱带等要素密切相关.区域大地构造环境的变化和构造转换主要受控于塔里木周缘洋盆的伸展裂解、俯冲消减和洋盆闭合的时限和强度.先存基底断裂带或基底构造软弱带往往控制着后期断裂的发育位置和展布方向.大型区域性不整合和滑脱带控制着断裂构造的发育和分布层位.中、新生代断裂构造发育分布的控制机理,与区域大地构造环境及其构造转换、区域构造位置有关.中、新生代塔里木断裂构造主要分为三种环境,即前陆构造环境、盆内稳定区构造环境和隆升剥蚀区构造环境.盆内稳定区断裂构造不发育,活动性较弱.中、新生代断裂构造主体发育在前陆构造环境中,主要受控于周缘造山带强烈隆升、挤压冲断、走滑-逆冲或逆冲-走滑作用,同时与喜马拉雅晚期盆-山耦合作用及滑脱层的发育有关.     

Structural analyses of the crystalline rocks between Dirang and Tawang,West Kameng district,Arunachal Himalaya

In Kameng Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, the crystalline rocks of Se La Group of Higher Himalaya are thrust over the Lesser Himalayan rocks of Dirang Formation, Bomdila Group along the Main Central Thrust and exhibit well preserved structures on macro- to microscopic scales. Detailed analysis of structures reveals that the rocks of the area have suffered four phases of deformation D₁, D₂, D₃ and D₄. These structures have been grouped into (i) early structures (ii) structures related to progressive ductile thrusting and (iii) late structures. The early structures which developed before thrusting formed during D₁ and D₂ phases of deformation, synchronous to F₁ and F₂ phases of folding respectively. The structures related to progressive ductile shearing developed during D₃ phase of deformation, when the emplacement of the crystalline rocks took place over the rocks of Dirang Formation along the Main Central Thrust. Different asymmetric structures/kinematic indicators developed during this ductile/brittle-ductile regime suggest top-to-SSW sense of movement of the crystalline rocks of the area. D₄ is attributed to brittle deformation. Based on satellite data two new thrusts, i.e. Tawang and Se La thrusts have been identified parallel to Main Central Thrust, which are suggestive of imbricate thrusting. Strain analysis from the quartz grains of the gneissic rocks reveals constriction type of strain ellipsoid where k value is higher near the MCT, gradually decreases towards the north. Further, the dynamic analysis carried out on the mesoscopic ductile and brittle-ductile shear zones suggest a NNE-SSW horizontal compression corresponding to the direction of northward movement of Indian Plate.     

MAIN CENTRAL THRUST ZONE IN THE KATHMANDU AREA, CENTRAL NEPAL, AND ITS TECTONIC SIGNIFICANCE

MAIN CENTRAL THRUST ZONE IN THE KATHMANDU AREA, CENTRAL NEPAL, AND ITS TECTONIC SIGNIFICANCE1　AritaK ,LallmeyerRD ,TakasuA .TectonothermalevolutionoftheLesserHimalaya ,Nepal:constraintsfrom 4 0 Ar/3 9AragesfromtheKathmandunappe[J].TheIslandArc ,1997,6 :372～ 384. 2　RaiSM ,GuillotS ,LeFortP ,etal.Pressure temperatureevolutionintheKathmanduandGosainkundregions ,CentralNepal[J].JourAsianEarthSci ,1998,16 :2 83～ 2 98. 3　SchellingD ,KArita .…     

The origin of Himalayan anatexis and inverted metamorphism: Models and constraints

The key to comprehending the tectonic evolution of the Himalaya is to understand the relationships between large-scale faulting, anatexis, and inverted metamorphism. The great number and variety of mechanisms that have been proposed to explain some or all of these features reflects the fact that fundamental constraints on such models have been slow in coming. Recent developments, most notably in geophysical imaging and geochronology, have been key to coalescing the results of varied Himalayan investigations into constraints with which to test proposed evolutionary models. These models fall into four general types: (1) the inverted metamorphic sequences within the footwall of the Himalayan thrust and adjacent hanging wall anatexis are spatially and temporally related by thrusting; (2) thrusting results from anatexis; (3) anatexis results from normal faulting; and (4) apparent inverted metamorphism in the footwall of the Himalayan thrust is produced by underplating of right-way-up metamorphic sequences. We review a number of models and find that many are inconsistent with available constraints, most notably the recognition that the exposed crustal melts and inverted metamorphic sequences not temporally related. The generalization that appears to best explain the observed distribution of crustal melts and inverted metamorphic sequences is that, due to specific petrological and tectonic controls, episodic magmatism and out-of-sequence thrusting developed during continuous convergence juxtaposing allochthonous igneous and metamorphic rocks. This coincidental juxtaposition has proven to be something of a red herring, unduly influencing attention toward finding a causal relationship between anatexis and inverted metamorphism.     

周口店黄院东山梁构造变形特征及其地质意义

针对周口店黄院东山梁一带青白口系和下古生界构造变形进行的详细解剖分析一直未见有文献报道。通过对东山梁构造变形现象进行反复多次的详细观察,发现东山梁中段寒武系张夏组鲕粒灰岩层位重复出现,但鲕粒未发生变形,经追索表明该层位存在逆冲断层重复和破坏;同时,东山梁南段采石场掌子面可见青白口系景儿峪组薄层大理岩和寒武系府君山组灰岩构成的小型斜歪倾伏褶皱,上覆寒武系馒毛组中发育由NNE向SSW推覆的逆冲褶断,使部分层位缺失,褶断带内岩石存在韧性变形等构造现象。这一观测成果修正了前人研究认为东山梁一带只存在大量折叠层、而断层发育欠佳的认识,也为北京西山地区区域地质演化研究提供了一定的科学佐证。     

Two-sided Variscan thrust tectonics in the Vosges Mountains,northeastern France

Abstract

Variscan convergence produced two-sided (bivergent) crustal-scale thrusting in the Vosges Mountains. In the northern Vosges the central polymetamorphic crystallines were thrust to the NW over Cambrian to Silurian low-grade and very low-grade metamorphic clastics. Synorogenic upper Devonian - lower Carboniferous turbidites and volcanics were folded into NW-vergent structures which display SE-dipping slaty cleavage. The entire sequence shows increasing metamorphism and deformation from NW to SE. Late right-lateral strike-slip faulting along the Lalaye-Lubine fault zone outlasted thrusting. In the southern Vosges a lower Carboniferous turbiditic basin that was fringed on the south by a volcanic arc was tectonically shortened by south-directed tectonic imbrication of slivers of varied rocks including ultramafics, gneissic basement, and synorogenic elastics. The increasing degree of deformation and metamorphism towards the north suggests a thrust contact with the polymetamorphic gneisses of the central Vosges. The final stages of Variscan convergence were accompanied by voluminous granitic plutonism and by faulting along NNE-SSW and E-W-trending strike-slip faults. The tectonic evolution reflects progressive Variscan closure of a previously extended basinal crust in a high-temperature regime.     

黔西北五指山地区叠加构造变形特征对铅锌矿成矿的控制

五指山铅锌矿区位于贵州省普定县与织金县交界区域,大地构造位于扬子板块中部、江南造山带西缘。野外构造研究表明,受早古生代加里东构造运动的控制与影响,矿区内震旦系—下古生界构造变形与上古生界—中生界的构造变形明显不同。震旦系—下古生界构造线近东西向,发育近东西向平缓褶皱、南倾或北倾劈理,显示近南北向的挤压收缩变形。震旦系—下古生界区内发育两组南北、北西向陡倾断层,断层明显受限制而不穿越晚古生代之后的地层。发育在震旦系—下古生界内的层间滑动与断层活动控制着铅锌矿的分布。晚古生代之后区域构造应力场发生转变,由早期近南北向的挤压收缩转为早燕山期SEE向NWW挤压逆冲,由此对震旦纪—早古生代变形进行叠加与改造,宏观上形成以NE走向为特征的区域构造格局。后期形成的褶皱轴面主要向SEE倾斜,断层向NWW逆冲,与早期变形呈斜跨式叠加。燕山期断层活动促进了铅锌矿的迁移与聚集。     

DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MIOCENE LEUCOGRANITE IN THE ARUN VALLEY—EVEREST—MAKALU AREA:FIELD RELATIONS, PETROLOGY AND ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY

DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MIOCENE LEUCOGRANITE IN THE ARUN VALLEY—EVEREST—MAKALU AREA:FIELD RELATIONS, PETROLOGY AND ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY1　AritaK .OriginoftheinvertedmetamorphismoftheLowerHimalayas,CentralNepal[J] .Tectonophysics,1983,93:4 3～6 0 . 　BarbarinB .Areviewoftherelationshipsbetweengranitoidtypes,theiroriginsandtheirgeodynamicenvironments[J] .Lithos,1999,4 6 :6 0 5～ 6 2 6 . 3　BurchfielBC ,ChenZ,HodgesKV ,etal.TheSou…     

江南断裂带(安徽段)的构造性质及地球物理特征研究

江南断裂带在安徽境内沿东至、石台、泾县到宣城一线呈NE向分布,野外主要表现为构造角砾岩破碎带和一系列逆冲推覆断裂;其布格重力异常显示断裂深处产状逐渐变缓,具有向SE向偏移的特征;从寒武纪到晚泥盆世时期控制了断裂两侧的岩性和沉积环境。通过对其野外构造现象、地球物理、岩相古地理的分析和研究,认为江南断裂带（安徽段）是一个多期活动的深大断裂：加里东期,断裂开始发育;该断裂从寒武纪到晚泥盆世时期控制了断裂两侧的岩性、沉积相、沉积环境的不同,表现为同沉积活动断层的性质;印支期断裂主要表现为由南向北的逆冲推覆及顺层剪切作用;燕山早期主要为一系列由SE向NW逆冲推覆构造及脆性断裂;燕山晚期,断裂主要表现正断层及平移断层的特征;喜山期,断裂以正断层活动为特征。     

River profiles along the Himalayan arc as indicators of active tectonics

Longitudinal profiles along sixteen major transverse Himalayan rivers add important constraints to models of active continental subduction and its evolution. These profiles are characterized by a zone of relatively high gradient that cannot be associated with differential resistence to erosion in all cases. The base of the zone of increased gradients correlates with (1) the topographic front between the Lesser and High Himalayas, (2) the narrow belt of intermediate-magnitude thrust earthquakes, (3) the Main Central Thrust zone (MCT). These features define a small circle in the central portion of the Himalayan arc. These correlations suggest that the discontinuity in the river profiles and the other features are controlled by a major tectonic boundary between the rising High Himalayas and the Lesser Himalayas. No sharp increases in gradient are observed near the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), except on a few rivers, such as the Jhelum or Kundar, where the MBT lies close to both the MCT and the seismic belt. Thus, it is unlikely that the MBT is a major tectonic boundary. The diversion of river courses along the MBT and around anticlines in the Sub Himalayas has probably been caused by aggradation near the rosion-deposition boundary, upstream of uplifts in the Mahabharat range and Sub Himalayas.A parallel is drawn between the Himalayas and New Guinea based on the hypothesis that continent-arc collision, of the type occurring in northern Australia, preceded continent-continent collision in the Himalayas. The present sedimentary/tectonic phase in New Guinea resembles the Subathu (Paleocene-Eocene) phase in the Himalayas. Incipient counterparts of the major Himalayan structures, including the MCT and the MBT, are recognized in New Guinea. The drainage patterns in the Himalayas and in New Guinea bear a similar relation to major structures. This suggests that (1) the tectonic evolution of the Himalayas has been rather uniform since early stages of collision, and (2) the Himalayan drainage was also formed at these early stages and is therefore antecedent to the rise of the High Himalayas.     

Younger hanging wall rocks along the Vaikrita thrust of the high Himalaya: A model based on inversion tectonics

In sharp contrast to the common observed characteristic of areas of thrust tectonics, where older rocks are thrust over younger, along the Vaikrita Thrust in the High Himalaya younger hanging wall rocks (i.e. Vaikrita Group—Late Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic) lie above the older footwall rocks (i.e. Munsiari Formation—Paleoproterozoic). The phenomenon is explained by an inversion tectonics-based model where normal faulting and metamorphism were followed by thrusting, in which the thrust displacement was less than the displacement during the earlier normal faulting. The present day hanging wall tilt towards north may have been caused by a later thrust, initiated as a piggy back sequence, accompanied by folding and Himalayan metamorphism.