Palynological dating (Arenig) of the sedimentary sequence overlying the Ishkarwaz Granite (upper Yarkhun valley, Chitral, Pakistan)

A sedimentary sequence overlying a granite pluton near Ishkarwaz (upper Yarkhun valley, Chitral, Pakistan; Karakorum Microplate) contains abundant, but poorly preserved, acritarchs probably referable to the late early Arenig-early late Arenig interval. The palynological assemblages of Karakorum show a marked similarity to the cold water Peri-Gondwana assemblages; i.e. to those of Li Jun's Arbusculidium-Coryphidium-Striatotheca 'Mediterranean' Bioprovince. Biogeographical and geological comparisons suggest that, before the accretion of Cimmerian microplates to the Eurasian continent, the Karakorum Microplate was located along the northern margin of Gondwana in a latitude intermediate between the Mediterranean region and South China (Yangtze Platform).