Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
    • Journal home
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Geological Society home
  • Content
    • Online First
    • Issue in progress
    • All issues
    • Thematic Collections
    • Supplementary publications
    • Open Access
  • Subscribe
    • GSL fellows
    • Institutions
    • Corporate
    • Other member types
  • Info
    • Authors
    • Librarians
    • Readers
    • GSL Fellows access
    • Other member type access
    • Press office
    • Accessibility
    • Help
    • Metrics
  • Alert sign up
    • eTOC alerts
    • Online First alerts
    • RSS feeds
    • Newsletters
    • GSL blog
  • Submit
  • Geological Society of London Publications
    • Engineering Geology Special Publications
    • Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
    • Journal of Micropalaeontology
    • Journal of the Geological Society
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Memoirs
    • Petroleum Geology Conference Series
    • Petroleum Geoscience
    • Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
    • Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
    • Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society
    • Scottish Journal of Geology
    • Special Publications
    • Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of London

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of the Geological Society
  • Geological Society of London Publications
    • Engineering Geology Special Publications
    • Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
    • Journal of Micropalaeontology
    • Journal of the Geological Society
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Memoirs
    • Petroleum Geology Conference Series
    • Petroleum Geoscience
    • Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
    • Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
    • Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society
    • Scottish Journal of Geology
    • Special Publications
    • Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of London
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Follow gsl on Twitter
  • Visit gsl on Facebook
  • Visit gsl on Youtube
  • Visit gsl on Linkedin
Journal of the Geological Society

Advanced search

  • Home
    • Journal home
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Geological Society home
  • Content
    • Online First
    • Issue in progress
    • All issues
    • Thematic Collections
    • Supplementary publications
    • Open Access
  • Subscribe
    • GSL fellows
    • Institutions
    • Corporate
    • Other member types
  • Info
    • Authors
    • Librarians
    • Readers
    • GSL Fellows access
    • Other member type access
    • Press office
    • Accessibility
    • Help
    • Metrics
  • Alert sign up
    • eTOC alerts
    • Online First alerts
    • RSS feeds
    • Newsletters
    • GSL blog
  • Submit

Unroofing the Ladakh Batholith: constraints from autochthonous molasse of the Indus Basin, NW Himalaya

View ORCID ProfileRenjie Zhou, View ORCID ProfileJonathan C. Aitchison, Kapesa Lokho, View ORCID ProfileEdward R. Sobel, Yuexing Feng and Jian-xin Zhao
Journal of the Geological Society, 177, 818-825, 7 April 2020, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2019-188
Renjie Zhou
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
Roles: [Conceptualization (Equal)], [Formal analysis (Lead)], [Investigation (Lead)], [Methodology (Lead)], [Project administration (Supporting)], [Writing - Original Draft (Lead)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Lead)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Renjie Zhou
  • For correspondence: renjie.zhou@uq.edu.au
Jonathan C. Aitchison
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
Roles: [Conceptualization (Lead)], [Funding acquisition (Lead)], [Investigation (Equal)], [Project administration (Lead)], [Supervision (Lead)], [Writing - Original Draft (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Equal)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Jonathan C. Aitchison
Kapesa Lokho
2Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, 248001, India
Roles: [Conceptualization (Supporting)], [Project administration (Supporting)], [Writing - Original Draft (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
Edward R. Sobel
3Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
Roles: [Formal analysis (Supporting)], [Methodology (Supporting)], [Writing - Original Draft (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Edward R. Sobel
Yuexing Feng
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
Roles: [Formal analysis (Equal)], [Methodology (Equal)], [Writing - Original Draft (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
Jian-xin Zhao
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
Roles: [Formal analysis (Supporting)], [Methodology (Supporting)], [Writing - Original Draft (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
PreviousNext
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

The Indus Molasse records orogenic sedimentation associated with uplift and erosion of the southern margin of Asia in the course of ongoing India–Eurasia collision. Detailed field investigation clarifies the nature and extent of the depositional contact between this molasse and the underlying basement units. We report the first dataset on detrital zircon U–Pb ages, Hf isotopes and apatite U–Pb ages for the autochthonous molasse in the Indus Suture Zone. A latest Oligocene depositional age is proposed on the basis of the youngest detrital zircon U–Pb age peak and is consistent with published biostratigraphic data. Multiple provenance indicators suggest exclusively northerly derivation with no input from India in the lowermost parts of the section. The results provide constraints on the uplift and erosion history of the Ladakh Range following the initial India–Asia collision.

Supplementary material: Method description, Sample locations, Figures S1 and S2 and Tables S1 to S3 are available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4858848

The uplift of the Earth's highest mountain range, the Himalaya, has been a central topic in geology because of the critical role these mountains play in the evolution of regional and global climate and oceanography (e.g. Raymo and Ruddiman 1992; Richter et al. 1992). Many methods have been suggested for inferring topographic growth, including stable-isotope-based palaeoaltimetry (e.g. Huntington and Lechler 2015), fossil leaf morphology (e.g. McElwain 2004), geomorphic features (e.g. Whipple and Tucker 1999), and low-temperature thermochronology (e.g. Reiners and Brandon 2006). Geological constraints including the exhumation of deep-seated lithological units and the deposition of intermontane sediments also serve to record the growth of high topography. In the Himalaya, continental deposits along the Indus–Yarlung–Tsangpo suture zone (IYTS) chronicle a history of collision between India and Eurasia and the attendant rise of the Himalaya–Tibetan Plateau (e.g. Searle 1983; Garzanti and Van Haver 1988; Jaeger et al. 1989; Aitchison et al. 2007; van Hinsbergen et al. 2012). Depositional ages and source-to-sink relationships constrain aspects of past ocean closure and provide information on the uplift of source terrains, yet there are challenges and complications in studying related rock units. First, these coarse-grained deposits do not always contain suitable fossils or volcanic ash layers that may provide true depositional ages. One common approach is to employ detrital zircon U–Pb or mica 40Ar/39Ar dating to constrain the maximum depositional age. However, the utility of results obtained using this methodology could be strongly influenced by the size of the dataset. The common practice of dating c. 100–200 mineral grains from a given lithological unit might not be sufficient. Second, commonly used provenance indicators, including detrital mineral ages and radiogenic isotopic compositions, geochemistry, analysis of clast compositions and sandstone petrography, do not always provide unique criteria with which to discriminate amongst potential sources, some of which may not have been adequately characterized.

This study focuses on the northern edge of the Indus Basin, where continental deposits (the Indus Molasse) lie in direct contact with the Ladakh Batholith. Because it provides important information with which to constrain uplift history, we investigate the nature of contact between the batholith and preserved basin sediments. We also provide the first U–Pb age constraints for these deposits. Using multiple lines of evidence, we further identify source regions for sediments within the basin and constrain the timing of uplift of the Ladakh Range (NW Himalaya).

Background

Ladakh Range and Ladakh Batholith

The Ladakh Range in the western Himalaya extends ∼NW–SE for over 250 km with peak elevations of c. 6100 m (Fig. 1). It is dominated by the Ladakh Batholith, which is part of the Trans-Himalayan magmatic belt that extends for over 2500 km along the southern margin of the Eurasian continent. The range lies between the predominantly intra-oceanic arc rocks of the Kohistan arc to the west and continental margin arc rocks of the Gangdese arc to the east. Thus it bridges an important transition along-trend from intra-oceanic to continental margin subduction systems (e.g. Hébert et al. 2012). The Ladakh Batholith incorporates Cretaceous to early Cenozoic plutonic rocks intruded by dykes that are as young as c. 45 Ma (Weinberg and Dunlap 2000; White et al. 2011; Heri et al. 2015). The Khardung Volcanics are remnants of a volcanic carapace for parts of the batholith and crop out along the northern flanks of the range (e.g. Dunlap et al. 1998; Lakhan et al. 2019). Their original extent is less well known.

Fig. 1.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 1.

Overview of geology, NW Himalaya (a) Digital elevation model of India and the southern Tibetan Plateau–Himalayan system. The map was generated from SRTM 90 m DEM data. (b) Regional geological map of the NW Himalaya adapted after the compilation by St-Onge et al. (2010). (c) Swath topographic profile across the Ladakh Range. The profile was generated along the black line shown in Figure 1b with a box width of 20 km. The black line represents the average elevation along the swath line, while the grey line represents the maximum and minimum elevation within the swath box. (d) Generalized stratigraphic column of studied autochthonous molasse of the Indus Basin, based on sections logged (Fig. 3).

Driven by India–Eurasia collision, the Ladakh Range is thought to have been uplifted as early as late Eocene time. Low-temperature thermochronologic data record differences between unroofing histories along the northern and southern margins (Kirstein et al. 2006, 2009). In general, apatite fission-track ages are older (c. 35–25 Ma) towards the southern margin of the range and younger (c. 10–5 Ma) to the north, implying later exhumation or uplift for the Ladakh Range along its northern margin (Kirstein 2011).

IYTS and Indus Basin

The Indus -Yarlung -Tsangpo suture zone (IYTS) lies at the contact between two colliding continental landmasses: India and Eurasia (Fig. 1). In NW India, the suture follows the Indus River, immediately south of the Ladakh Range (Fig. 1). The term ‘Indus Basin’ collectively refers to sedimentary rocks preserved along this suture. Historically, this name has generally been applied to several lithological units, many of which are in faulted contact with one another (Searle 1983; Sinclair and Jaffey 2001; Clift et al. 2002; Henderson et al. 2010, 2011) and are not necessarily genetically related. Eocene-age nummulitic limestones within the basin are regarded as the last products of marine deposition within the Tethyan Ocean (Green et al. 2008) (Fig. 1). Although most units have not been directly dated, limited biostratigraphic data are available (e.g. Bajpai et al. 2004; Green et al. 2008). The majority of age constraints are provided by detrital zircon U–Pb or mica 40Ar/39Ar dates, which only give maximum depositional ages (Clift et al. 2002; Tripathy-Lang et al. 2013; Wu et al. 2007; Henderson et al. 2010, 2011). Many studies have attempted to propose a stratigraphic scheme for the Indus Basin (e.g. Brookfield and Andrews-Speed 1984; Garzanti and Van Haver 1988; Searle et al. 1990; Sinclair and Jaffrey 2001; Clift et al. 2002; Henderson et al. 2010; Tripathy-Lang et al. 2013; Baxter et al. 2016).

The term ‘Indus Molasse’ was first applied to coarse-grained clastic deposits that crop out within and flanking the IYTS (e.g. Fuchs 1979). This early work acknowledges the existence of several different units to which the descriptive term molasse could apply and Fuchs (1979) suggested that two main types could be recognized on the basis of their structural relationships with the Ladakh Batholith. Fuchs (1979) referred to one type as an ‘autochthonous molasse’, which is deposited upon an exhumed Ladakh Batholith surface. This relationship has been recognized at several locations along the southern margin of the Ladakh Range (e.g. Fuchs 1979; Brookfield and Andrews-Speed 1984; Garzanti and Van Haver 1988). Here the molasse commonly involves bright purple, red or green, and beige banded rocks that were likely derived from, and deposited on, a sloping landscape eroded on the Ladakh Range (Fuchs 1979). Another type of molasse occurs in fault-bounded units and is regarded as ‘parautochthonous’. Several units of this nature are recognized (Hemis Conglomerate, Choksti Conglomerate and Chogdo Formation, e.g. Fuchs 1979; Clift et al. 2002; Henderson et al. 2010). The unit on which this study focuses exhibits an unambiguously depositional relationship upon an eroded surface of Ladakh Batholith rocks.

Methods and results

Field mapping and sedimentary logging

Field mapping was undertaken from the Basgo to Tia areas (Fig. 2), with a focus on determining the nature of the contact between the Ladakh Batholith and sediments of the Indus Molasse. We were able to trace a nonconformable contact along strike for c. 25 km. Granitic clasts ranging from pebble to boulder sizes crop out immediately above an eroded Ladakh Batholith surface with localized palaeosol development (Supplementary material). Our observations are consistent with earlier reports by Fuchs (1979), Brookfield and Andrews-Speed (1984) and Garzanti and Van Haver (1988) suggesting that any faulted contacts (Tripathy-Lang et al. 2013) are of restricted local extent. Higher stratigraphic levels in the section (up to several hundreds of metres thick) are truncated at a regionally extensive north-directed thrust fault.

Fig. 2.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 2.

Geological map showing the distribution of lithological units and locations of the studied sections. Topographic contours were extracted using SRTM 90-m DEM data. Red lines denote the locations of logged sections in the field. The yellow circle marks the sample location shown in Tripathy-Lang et al. (2013).

Six sections were measured along the strike of the autochthonous molasse basin, from the depositional contact (nonconformity) upon the Ladakh Batholith to the footwall of the thrust fault at which the section terminates (Fig. 1d). Four semi-continuous members could be discriminated within the preserved Indus Molasse sections (Figs 3 and 4). M1 is a crudely stratified, poorly sorted, clast-supported conglomerate with clasts ranging from boulder (c. 1 m) to pebble (several centimetres) sizes (Fig. 4). Clasts are dominantly felsic and andesitic with subordinate granitic clasts. M2 is dominated by red to grey mudstone. M3 and M4 are laterally continuous conglomeratic units. M3 is a poorly sorted, clast-supported monomictic conglomerate dominated by angular to sub-angular andesitic clasts ranging in size from c. 3–4 cm to 10 cm. M4 is polymictic, horizontally stratified and cross-bedded and incorporates trough cross-bedded sandstone together with well-sorted pebble layers. Field counts indicate 87% felsic and andesitic volcanic clasts in M1 (total n = 384) and 80% in M4 (total n = 181) with the remainder comprising granitic lithologies. Clasts in unit M3 are entirely of volcanic origin.

Fig. 3.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 3.

Stratigraphic logs of measured sections. Section locations are labelled in Figure 2 and located at the following coordinates. Section 1: 34° 16′ 54.60″ N, 77° 10′ 25.36″ E; Section 2: 34°16′ 57.50″ N, 77° 10′ 12.60″ E; Section 3: 34° 17′ 20.95″ N, 77° 9′ 22.78″ E; Section 4: 34° 17′ 54.50″ N, 77° 7′ 27.83″ E; Section 5: 34° 18′ 50.66″ N, 77° 4′ 44.88″ E; Section 6: 34° 20′ 9.69″ N, 77° 1′ 35.48″ E.

Fig. 4.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 4.

Field photographs. (a and b) Depositional contact between the exhumed Ladakh Batholith and M1 unit. Locations: 34° 18′ 1.72″ N, 77° 8′ 20.67″ E (a) and 34° 18′ 56.80″ N, 77° 5′ 33.78″ E (b). (c) Photograph of M1 unit. Large boulders (c. 1 m) are made of granite and granodiorite, material eroded off the Ladakh Batholith. The photo was taken at 34° 16′ 56.09″ N, 77° 10′ 20.61″ E with the camera facing approximately south. (d) Contact between M1 (conglomerate) and M2 (mudstone). M2 unit is the same unit documented near Basgo (e.g. Bajpai et al. 2004). The photo was taken at 34° 18′ 43.59″ N, 77° 6′ 7.33″ E with the camera facing approximately east. (e) Field photograph of M3, a conglomerate that is entirely made of felsic to intermediate volcanic clasts. The photo was taken at 34° 18′ 49.10″ N, 77° 5′ 24.33″ E. (f) Field photograph of M4. Conglomerate layers contain felsic to intermediate volcanic and granitic clasts. The photo was taken at 34° 18′ 53.36″ N, 77° 4′ 50.44″ E.

U–Pb geochronology

Detrital zircon from medium- to coarse-grained sandstones of units M1, M3 and M4 were dated by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland. Zircon grains were extracted by heavy-liquid and magnetic separation, before being hand-picked under a binocular microscope for mounting in epoxy resin. Zircon grains range from c. 50 to 100 µm in width. Most grains are euhedral and few are rounded, implying a short transportation distance. Analyses of a total of 1885 detrital zircon grains with −5 to 10% discordance are reported (Fig. 5). Detailed methods are provided in the Supplementary material. All units yield ages that are dominantly <90 Ma, with peaks around 23–24, 50, 57, 62 and 78 Ma (Fig. 5). The youngest peak from a single grain in M3 and 12 grains in M4 cluster around a latest Oligocene (late Chattian), with a mean age of 23.58 ± 0.11 Ma.

Fig. 5.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 5.

Results of detrital zircon U–Pb dating and Hf isotopic analysis. (a) Kernel density estimates of all detrital samples, plotted by unit. (b) Weighted mean age of the youngest age cluster (top) and Concordia plot of M4 (bottom). (c) Zircon εHf(t) values (red circles) of analysed grains based on 206Pb–238U ages. The black line is the kernel density estimate of ages that have accompanying Hf isotope measurements. (d) Comparison of detrital zircon U–Pb ages reported by Tripathy-Lang et al. (2013) and this study. Note that the sample location of Tripathy-Lang et al. (2013) is located in the hanging wall of a north-directed thrust fault and is structurally separated from the units in this study.

Detrital apatite from M1 were also dated by laser ablation ICP-MS. Grains define an isochron on the Tera–Wasserburg plot that provides a value for (207Pb/206Pb)o of 0.8501 ± 0.0030. This initial common lead value was used to correct all ages (Fig. 6) with the IsoplotR program (Vermeesch 2018). Detrital apatite U–Pb ages range from c. 100 to 30 Ma, consistent with major peaks observed in detrital zircon U–Pb ages.

Fig. 6.
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint
Fig. 6.

Results of detrital apatite U–Pb dating. (a and b) Plots and calculation were completed using IsoplotR (Vermeesch 2018) assuming all apatite grains have a similar common lead composition. The calculated common lead composition (0.8501 ± 0.0030) was then applied to correct all analyses to generate common-Pb-corrected ages (b). All errors are shown at the 2σ level.

Zircon Hf isotopic analysis

Hafnium isotopic data for 329 zircons (231 from M1, 41 from M3 and 57 from M4) were obtained using a Nu Plasma II multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) with laser ablation (Fig. 5) at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland. (Analytical details are provided in the data repository). εHf(t) values were calculated with 206Pb/238U ages and range from −10 to 17. Grains older than 45 Ma are characterized by dominantly positive εHf(t) values, clustering around 5–15. All εHf(t) values for grains within the youngest peak of c. 24–23 Ma are negative: −2.4 to −9.4 (Fig. 5c).

Discussion

Our study indicates a latest Oligocene age for initial sedimentation along the northern margin of the Indus Molasse. Detrital zircon U–Pb ages reveal a younger c. 24–23 Ma age peak for M4 and provide a maximum depositional age for this unit. This radiometric age is consistent with palaeontological (ostracod) data reported by Bajpai et al. (2004) from correlative sediments near Basgo (Fig. 2). Sediments in the studied area were entirely sourced from the north with no evidence for any southerly provenance, from the Indian Plate, for example, which contains older zircon with ages >500 Ma (e.g. Gehrels et al. 2011). Granitic clasts and sandstone with detrital zircon ages of c. 85–45 Ma are consistent with uplift and erosion of the Ladakh Batholith, which served as an important source (Brookfield and Andrews-Speed 1984; Searle 1986; Garzanti and Van Haver 1988). Abundant andesitic and felsic volcanic clasts (comprising 100% of clasts in M3 and c. 85% of clasts in M1 and M4) strongly suggest a volcanic source, which we consider most likely to be a local equivalent of the Khardung Volcanics. Such rocks must first have been eroded to expose the Ladakh Batholith above and upon which they were erupted. Documented ages for these volcanics include 51.95 ± 0.4 and 56.4 ± 0.4 Ma (whole-rock 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages, Bhutani et al. 2009), and 60.5 ± 1.3 and 67.4 ± 1.1 Ma (zircon U–Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe ages, Dunlap and Wysoczanski 2002) and are consistent with the dominant peaks identified in our zircon age data (Fig. 5). The source of the youngest age peak (c. 24–23 Ma) remains less definitive. The Karakorum Batholith potentially represents a source of younger zircon grains c. 40–20 Ma (e.g. White et al. 2012; Borneman et al. 2015) and is characterized by negative zircon εHf(t) values as low as −10.5 (Ravikant et al. 2009), consistent with our results. Dykes that intrude the Oligocene Saltoro Molasse have been reported from the Shyok suture to the north (Rai 1983). Oligocene–Miocene dykes have also been reported from within the Ladakh Batholith with a Rb–Sr isochron age of c. 24 Ma obtained by Ravikant (2006). However, we note that no existing studies from the Ladakh Batholith report zircon U–Pb ages younger than c. 45 Ma (Weinberg and Dunlap 2000; White et al. 2011; Heri et al. 2015).

Our work refines and builds upon earlier investigations. Garzanti and van Haver (1998) reported a Maastrichtian age for the Basgo Formation based on identifications of an ostracod fauna. However, in a more recent investigation, Bajpai et al. (2004) also reported ostracods that suggest an Oligocene age, which is consistent with our findings. Cenozoic detrital zircon ages further refine this age to the latest Oligocene. Tripathy-Lang et al. (2013) reported somewhat different detrital zircon results from sites close to the Ladakh Batholith (Figs 2 and 5d), which the authors considered to be representative of the Indus Molasse (Basgo Formation). However, our mapping suggests that the samples in question were collected from the hanging wall of a north-directed thrust fault and as such may not be related to the Basgo Formation. Moreover, the samples reported by Tripathy-Lang et al. (2013) did not contain any grains younger than 90 Ma, seemingly excluding the Ladakh Batholith as a potential source (e.g. Gehrels et al. 2011).

As sediments documented here overlie a surface eroded into the Ladakh Batholith, they place a minimum constraint on the time needed to erode the former southern margin of Eurasia. The removal of a thick crustal section (several kilometres or more) must have preceded deposition of the molasse, earlier than c. 24–23 Ma. This is consistent with thermochronological modelling from nearby locations where cooling c. 30–20 Ma is documented (Kirstein et al. 2006, 2009).

The ages we obtained from initial sediments of the Indus Molasse are consistent with those from elsewhere along the length of the IYTS (Gangrinboche facies across Tibet; Aitchison et al. 2002). In southern Tibet, Lower Miocene Gangrinboche conglomerates (including the Kailas, Qiuwu, Dazhuqu and Luobusa formations) crop out along the Yarlung Tsangpo suture zone and lie in depositional contact upon rocks of the Lhasa terrane, mostly the Gangdese Batholith (Atichison et al. 2002). This observation calls for the exhumation of the Gangdese Batholith around the same time as, or prior to, the early Miocene, consistent with previous investigations that infer Late Oligocene regional uplift of the Lhasa terrane (Harrison et al. 1992). Although the deposition of such a molasse has traditionally been regarded as a key constraint on the timing of the India–Eurasia collision, our data—which indicate that sedimentation began in the latest Oligocene—require an alternative explanation, as this event significantly post-dates even the youngest estimates for the initiation of continental collision (Klootwijk 1984; Garzanti and Van Haver 1988; Najman et al. 2001; Clift et al. 2002; Aitchison et al. 2007). The timing of the exhumation of the Ladakh Batholith and deposition of the Indus Molasse may be explained by the slab break-off event proposed c. 25 Ma (Maheo et al. 2002). In the Karakoram Batholith, igneous and metamorphic rocks associated with a high thermal gradient, enrichment of large-ion lithophile elements and depletion of high-field-strength elements have been documented and interpreted as products associated with the melting of metasomatized Asian lithospheric mantle (Maheo et al. 2002). Late Oligocene exhumation of the batholiths observed in southern Tibet (Gangdese batholith) and NW India (Ladakh Batholith) is broadly consistent with alternative mechanisms to the onset of continent–continent collision that have been proposed to explain exhumation along the IYTS. These include slab break-off (Maheo et al. 2002; Aitchison et al. 2009) or foundering of a continental root (Chung et al. 2009; Lee et al. 2009).

Conclusions

Initial continental sediments deposited directly upon an uplifted and eroded surface that developed on the Ladakh Batholith on the southern margin of the Eurasian continent are no older than latest Oligocene, with a possible depositional age of c. 24–23 Ma. Deposits were derived entirely from the north, with the Ladakh arc and Karakoram terrane being the most likely sources. The deposition of the autochthonous molasse of the Indus Basin is analogous to the formation of the Gangrinboche facies in southern Tibet (Aitchison et al. 2002, 2009).

Acknowledgments

Critical input from L. Kirstein, A. Collins, A. Tripathy-Lang, L. White and anonymous reviewers has greatly improved this work. D. Chew has graciously provided apatite reference material to us. The assistance of Mr. Jigmet Punchok in the field is gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

This work is supported by the University of Queensland and the Australia-Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme (#2016001932 to Zhou).

Author contributions

RZ: conceptualization (equal), formal analysis (lead), investigation (lead), methodology (lead), project administration (supporting), writing - original draft (lead), writing - review & editing (lead); JCA: conceptualization (lead), funding acquisition (lead), investigation (equal), project administration (lead), supervision (lead), writing - original draft (equal), writing - review & editing (equal); KL: conceptualization (supporting), project administration (supporting), writing - original draft (supporting), writing - review & editing (supporting); ERS: formal analysis (supporting), methodology (supporting), writing - original draft (supporting), writing - review & editing (supporting); YF: formal analysis (equal), methodology (equal), writing - original draft (supporting), writing - review & editing (supporting); JZ: formal analysis (supporting), methodology (supporting), writing - original draft (supporting), writing - review & editing (supporting)

Scientific editing by Linda Kirstein

Correction notice: Figure 1 has been updated.

  • © 2020 The Author(s). Published by The Geological Society of London
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

References

  1. ↵
    1. Aitchison, J.C.,
    2. Davis, A.M.,
    3. Badengzhu and
    4. Luo, H.
    2002. New constraints on the India-Asia collision: the Lower Miocene Gangrinboche conglomerates, Yarlung Tsangpo suture zone, SE Tibet. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 21, 251–263, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1367-9120(02)00037-8
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  2. ↵
    1. Aitchison, J.C.,
    2. Ali, J.R.
    and Davis, A.M. 2007. When and where did India and Asia collide? Journal of Geophysical Research, Solid Earth, 112, B05423, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JB004706
    OpenUrl
  3. ↵
    1. Aitchison, J.C.,
    2. Ali, J.R.,
    3. Chan, A.,
    4. Davis, A.M.
    and Lo, C.-H. 2009. Tectonic implications of felsic tuffs within the Lower Miocene Gangrinboche conglomerates, southern Tibet. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 34, 287–297, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2008.05.008
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  4. ↵
    1. Bajpai, S.,
    2. Whatley, R.C.,
    3. Prasad, G.V.R.
    and Whittaker, J.E. 2004. An Oligocene non-marine ostracod fauna from the Basgo Formation (Ladakh Molasse), NW Himalaya, India. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 23, 3–9, https://doi.org/10.1144/jm.23.1.3
    OpenUrl
  5. ↵
    1. Baxter, A.T.,
    2. Aitchison, J.C.,
    3. Ali, J.R.,
    4. Chan, J.S.-L.
    and Chan, G.H.N. 2016. Detrital chrome spinel evidence for a Neotethyan intra-oceanic island arc collision with India in the Paleocene. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 128, 90–104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2016.06.023
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  6. ↵
    1. Bhutani, R.,
    2. Pande, K.
    and Venkatesan, T.R. 2009. 40Ar–39Ar dating of volcanic rocks of the Shyok suture zone in north–west trans-Himalaya: Implications for the post-collision evolution of the Shyok suture zone. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 34, 168–177, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2008.03.013
    OpenUrl
  7. ↵
    1. Borneman, N.L.,
    2. Hodges, K.V.,
    3. van Soest, M.C.,
    4. Bohon, W.,
    5. Wartho, J.-A.,
    6. Cronk, S.S.
    and Ahmad, T. 2015. Age and structure of the Shyok suture in the Ladakh region of northwestern India: Implications for slip on the Karakoram fault system. Tectonics, 34, 2011–2033, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015TC003933
    OpenUrl
  8. ↵
    1. Brookfield, M.
    and Andrews-Speed, C. 1984. Sedimentology, petrography and tectonic significance of the shelf, flysch and molasse clastic deposits across the Indus suture zone, Ladakh, NW India. Sedimentary Geology, 40, 249–286, https://doi.org/10.1016/0037-0738(84)90011-3
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  9. ↵
    1. Chung, S.-L.,
    2. Chu, M.-F. et al.
    2009. The nature and timing of crustal thickening in Southern Tibet: geochemical and zircon Hf isotopic constraints from postcollisional adakites. Tectonophysics, 477, 36–48, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2009.08.008
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  10. ↵
    1. Clift, P.D.,
    2. Carter, A.,
    3. Krol, M.A.
    and Kirby, E. 2002. Constraints on India-Eurasia Collision in the Arabian Sea Region taken from the Indus Group, Ladakh Himalaya, India. In: Clift, P.D., Kroon, D., Gaedicke, C., Craig, J. (eds) The Tectonic and Climatic Evolution of the Arabian Sea Region Geological Society, London, Special Publication, 195, 97–116, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2002.195.01.07
    OpenUrl
  11. ↵
    1. Dunlap, W.J.
    and Wysoczanski, R. 2002. Thermal evidence for Early Cretaceous metamorphism in the Shyok suture zone and age of the Khardung volcanic rocks, Ladakh India. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 20, 481–490, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1367-9120(01)00042-6
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  12. ↵
    1. Dunlap, W.J.,
    2. Weinberg, R.F.
    and Searle, M.P. 1998. Karakoram fault zone rocks cool in two phases. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 155, 903–912, https://doi.org/10.1144/gsjgs.155.6.0903
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  13. ↵
    1. Fuchs, G.
    1979. On the geology of western Ladakh. Jahrbuch der Geologischen Bundesanstalt A, 122, 513–540.
    OpenUrl
  14. ↵
    1. Garzanti, E.
    and Van Haver, T. 1988. The indus clastics forearc basin sedimentation in the Ladakh Himalaya (India). Sedimentary Geology, 59, 237–249, https://doi.org/10.1016/0037-0738(88)90078-4
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  15. ↵
    1. Gehrels, G.,
    2. Kapp, P. et al.
    2011. Detrital zircon geochronology of pre-Tertiary strata in the Tibetan-Himalayan orogen. Tectonics, 30, TC5016, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011TC002868
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  16. ↵
    1. Green, O.R.,
    2. Searle, M.P.,
    3. Corfield, R.I.
    and Corfield, R.M. 2008. Cretaceous-Tertiary carbonate platform evolution and the age of the India-Asia collision along the Ladakh Himalaya (northwest India). The Journal of Geology, 116, 331–353, https://doi.org/10.1086/588831
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  17. ↵
    1. Harrison, T.M.,
    2. Copeland, P.,
    3. Kidd, W.S.F.
    and Yin, A. 1992. Raising Tibet. Science, 255, 1663–1670, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.255.5052.1663
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  18. ↵
    1. Hébert, R.,
    2. Bezard, R.,
    3. Guilmette, C.,
    4. Dostal, J.,
    5. Wang, C.S.
    and Liu, Z.F. 2012. The Indus–Yarlung Zangbo ophiolites from Nanga Parbat to Namche Barwa syntaxes, southern Tibet: First synthesis of petrology, geochemistry, and geochronology with incidences on geodynamic reconstructions of Neo-Tethys. Gondwana Research, 22, 377–397, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2011.10.013
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  19. ↵
    1. Henderson, A.L.,
    2. Najman, Y.,
    3. Parrish, R.,
    4. BouDagher-Fadel, M.,
    5. Barford, D.,
    6. Garzanti, E.
    and Andò, S. 2010. Geology of the Cenozoic Indus Basin sedimentary rocks: Paleoenvironmental interpretation of sedimentation from the western Himalaya during the early phases of India-Eurasia collision. Tectonics, 29, TC6015, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009TC002651
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  20. ↵
    1. Henderson, A.L.,
    2. Najman, Y.,
    3. Parrish, R.,
    4. Mark, D.F.
    and Foster, G.L. 2011. Constraints to the timing of India–Eurasia collision; a re-evaluation of evidence from the Indus Basin sedimentary rocks of the Indus–Tsangpo Suture Zone, Ladakh, India. Earth-Science Reviews, 106, 265–292, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.02.006
    OpenUrl
  21. ↵
    1. Heri, A.R.,
    2. Aitchison, J.C.,
    3. King, J.A.
    and Villa, I.M. 2015. Geochronology and isotope geochemistry of Eocene dykes intruding the Ladakh Batholith. Lithos, 212–215, 111–121, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2014.11.001
    OpenUrl
  22. ↵
    1. Huntington, K.W.
    and Lechler, A.R. 2015. Carbonate clumped isotope thermometry in continental tectonics. Tectonophysics, 647–648, 1–20, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2015.02.019
    OpenUrl
  23. ↵
    1. Jaeger, J.,
    2. Courtillot, V.
    and Tapponnier, P. 1989. Paleontological view of the ages of the Deccan Traps, the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary, and the India-Asia collision. Geology, 17, 316–319, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0316:PVOTAO>2.3.CO;2
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  24. ↵
    1. Kirstein, L.A.
    2011. Thermal evolution and exhumation of the Ladakh Batholith, northwest Himalaya, India. Tectonophysics, 503, 222–233, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2011.03.005
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  25. ↵
    1. Kirstein, L.A.,
    2. Sinclair, H.,
    3. Stuart, F.M.
    and Dobson, K. 2006. Rapid early Miocene exhumation of the Ladakh batholith, western Himalaya. Geology, 34, 1049–1052, https://doi.org/10.1130/G22857A.1
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  26. ↵
    1. Kirstein, L.A.,
    2. Foeken, J.P.T.,
    3. van der Beek, P.,
    4. Stuart, F.M.
    and Phillips, R.J. 2009. Cenozoic unroofing history of the Ladakh Batholith, western Himalaya, constrained by thermochronology and numerical modelling. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 166, 667–678, https://doi.org/10.1144/0016-76492008-107
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  27. ↵
    1. Klootwijk, C.
    1984. A review of Indian Phanerozoic palaeomagnetism implications for the India-Asia collision. Tectonophysics, 105, 331–353, https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(84)90212-9
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  28. ↵
    1. Lakhan, N.,
    2. Singh, A.K. et al.
    2019. Zircon U–Pb geochronology, mineral and whole-rock geochemistry of the Khardung volcanics, Ladakh Himalaya, India: Implications for Late Cretaceous to Palaeogene continental arc magmatism. Geological Journal, 1–24, https://doi.org/10.1002/gj.3594
  29. ↵
    1. Lee, H.-Y.,
    2. Chung, S.-L.,
    3. Lo, C.-H.,
    4. Ji, J.,
    5. Lee, T.-Y.,
    6. Qian, Q.
    and Zhang, Q. 2009. Eocene Neotethyan slab breakoff in southern Tibet inferred from the Linzizong volcanic record. Tectonophysics, 477, 20–35, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2009.02.031
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  30. ↵
    1. Maheo, G.,
    2. Guillot, S.,
    3. Blichert-Toft, J.,
    4. Rolland, Y.
    and Pecher, A. 2002. A slab breakoff model for the Neogene thermal evolution of South Karakorum and South Tibet. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 195, 45–58, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(01)00578-7
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  31. ↵
    1. McElwain, J.C.
    2004. Climate-independent paleoaltimetry using stomatal density in fossil leaves as a proxy for CO2 partial pressure. Geology, 32, 1017–1020, https://doi.org/10.1130/G20915.1
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  32. ↵
    1. Najman, Y.,
    2. Pringle, M.,
    3. Godin, L.
    and Oliver, G. 2001. Dating of the oldest continental sediments from the Himalayan foreland basin. Nature, 410, 194–197, https://doi.org/10.1038/35065577
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  33. ↵
    1. Rai, H.
    1983. Geology of the Nubra valley and its significance on the evolution of the Ladakh Himalaya. In: Thakur, V.C. and Sharma, K.K. (eds) Geology of Indus Suture Zone of Ladakh. Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehra Dun, 79–98.
  34. ↵
    1. Ravikant, V.
    2006. Utility of Rb–Sr geochronology in constraining Miocene and Cretaceous events in the eastern Karakoram, Ladakh, India. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 27, 534–543, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2005.05.007
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  35. ↵
    1. Ravikant, V.,
    2. Wu, F.-Y.
    and Ji, W.-Q. 2009. Zircon U–Pb and Hf isotopic constraints on petrogenesis of the Cretaceous–Tertiary granites in eastern Karakoram and Ladakh, India. Lithos, 110, 153–166, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2008.12.013
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  36. ↵
    1. Raymo, M.E.
    and Ruddiman, W.F. 1992. Tectonic forcing of late Cenozoic climate. Nature, 359, 117–122, https://doi.org/10.1038/359117a0
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  37. ↵
    1. Reiners, P.W.
    and Brandon, M.T. 2006. Using thermochronology to understand orogenic erosion. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 34, 419–466, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.34.031405.125202
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  38. ↵
    1. Richter, F.,
    2. Rowley, D.B.
    and DePaolo, D.J. 1992. Sr isotope evolution of seawater the role of tectonics. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 109, 11–23, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(92)90070-C
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  39. ↵
    1. Searle, M.P.
    1983. Stratigraphy, structure and evolution of the Tibetan–Tethys zone in Zanskar and the Indus suture zone in the Ladakh Himalaya. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences, 73, 205–219, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0263593300009688
    OpenUrl
  40. ↵
    1. Searle, M.P.
    1986. Structural evolution and sequence of thrusting in the High Himalayan, Tibetan-Tethys and Indus suture zones of Zanskar and Ladakh, Western Himalaya. Journal of Structural Geology, 8, 923–936, https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8141(86)90037-4
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  41. ↵
    1. Searle, M.,
    2. Pickering, K.
    and Cooper, D.J.W. 1990. Restoration and evolution of the intermontane lndus molasse basin, Ladakh Himalaya, India. Tectonophysics, 174, 301–314, https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(90)90327-5
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  42. ↵
    1. Sinclair, H.D.
    and Jaffey, N. 2001. Sedimentology of the Indus Group, Ladakh, northern India implications for the timing of initiation of the palaeo-Indus River. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 158, 151–162, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs.158.1.151
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  43. ↵
    1. St-Onge, M.R.,
    2. Rayner, N.
    and Searle, M.P. 2010. Zircon age determinations for the Ladakh batholith at Chumathang (Northwest India): Implications for the age of the India–Asia collision in the Ladakh Himalaya. Tectonophysics, 495, 171–183, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2010.09.010
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  44. ↵
    1. Tripathy-Lang, A.,
    2. Hodges, K.V.,
    3. van Soest, M.C.
    and Ahmad, T. 2013. Evidence of pre-Oligocene emergence of the Indian passive margin and the timing of collision initiation between India and Eurasia. Lithosphere, 5, 501–506, https://doi.org/10.1130/L273.1
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  45. ↵
    1. van Hinsbergen, D.J.,
    2. Lippert, P.C.,
    3. Dupont-Nivet, G.,
    4. McQuarrie, N.,
    5. Doubrovine, P.V.,
    6. Spakman, W.
    and Torsvik, T.H. 2012. Greater India Basin hypothesis and a two-stage Cenozoic collision between India and Asia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 109, 7659–7664, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1117262109
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  46. ↵
    1. Vermeesch, P.
    2018. IsoplotR: A free and open toolbox for geochronology. Geoscience Frontiers, 9, 1479–1493, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2018.04.001
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  47. ↵
    1. Weinberg, R.F.
    and Dunlap, W.J. 2000. Growth and deformation of the Ladakh Batholith, northwest Himalayas implications for timing of continental collision and origin of calc-alkaline batholiths. The Journal of Geology, 108, 303–320, https://doi.org/10.1086/314405
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  48. ↵
    1. Whipple, K.X.
    and Tucker, G.E. 1999. Dynamics of the stream-power river incision model: implications for height limits of mountain ranges, landscape response timescales, and research needs. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 104, 17661–17674, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JB900120
    OpenUrl
  49. ↵
    1. White, L.T.,
    2. Ahmad, T.,
    3. Ireland, T.R.,
    4. Lister, G.S.
    and Forster, M.A. 2011. Deconvolving episodic age spectra from zircons of the Ladakh Batholith, northwest Indian Himalaya. Chemical Geology, 289, 179–196, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2011.07.024
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  50. ↵
    1. White, L.T.,
    2. Ahmad, T.,
    3. Lister, G.S.,
    4. Ireland, T.R.
    and Forster, M.A. 2012. Is the switch from I- to S-type magmatism in the Himalayan Orogen indicative of the collision of India and Eurasia? Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 59, 321–340, https://doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2012.652670
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  51. ↵
    1. Wu, F.-Y.,
    2. Clift, P.D.
    and Yang, J.-H. 2007. Zircon Hf isotopic constraints on the sources of the Indus Molasse, Ladakh Himalaya, India. Tectonics, 26, TC2014, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006TC002051
    OpenUrlCrossRef
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of the Geological Society: 177 (4)
Journal of the Geological Society
Volume 177, Issue 4
July 2020
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation tools

Unroofing the Ladakh Batholith: constraints from autochthonous molasse of the Indus Basin, NW Himalaya

Renjie Zhou, Jonathan C. Aitchison, Kapesa Lokho, Edward R. Sobel, Yuexing Feng and Jian-xin Zhao
Journal of the Geological Society, 177, 818-825, 7 April 2020, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2019-188
Renjie Zhou
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
Roles: [Conceptualization (Equal)], [Formal analysis (Lead)], [Investigation (Lead)], [Methodology (Lead)], [Project administration (Supporting)], [Writing - Original Draft (Lead)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Lead)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Renjie Zhou
  • For correspondence: renjie.zhou@uq.edu.au
Jonathan C. Aitchison
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
Roles: [Conceptualization (Lead)], [Funding acquisition (Lead)], [Investigation (Equal)], [Project administration (Lead)], [Supervision (Lead)], [Writing - Original Draft (Equal)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Equal)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Jonathan C. Aitchison
Kapesa Lokho
2Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, 248001, India
Roles: [Conceptualization (Supporting)], [Project administration (Supporting)], [Writing - Original Draft (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Edward R. Sobel
3Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
Roles: [Formal analysis (Supporting)], [Methodology (Supporting)], [Writing - Original Draft (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Edward R. Sobel
Yuexing Feng
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
Roles: [Formal analysis (Equal)], [Methodology (Equal)], [Writing - Original Draft (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jian-xin Zhao
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Australia
Roles: [Formal analysis (Supporting)], [Methodology (Supporting)], [Writing - Original Draft (Supporting)], [Writing - Review & Editing (Supporting)]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Permissions
View PDF
Share

Unroofing the Ladakh Batholith: constraints from autochthonous molasse of the Indus Basin, NW Himalaya

Renjie Zhou, Jonathan C. Aitchison, Kapesa Lokho, Edward R. Sobel, Yuexing Feng and Jian-xin Zhao
Journal of the Geological Society, 177, 818-825, 7 April 2020, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2019-188
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Email to

Thank you for sharing this Journal of the Geological Society article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Unroofing the Ladakh Batholith: constraints from autochthonous molasse of the Indus Basin, NW Himalaya
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Journal of the Geological Society
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Journal of the Geological Society.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Print
Download PPT
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Background
    • Methods and results
    • Discussion
    • Conclusions
    • Acknowledgments
    • Funding
    • Author contributions
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

Similar Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Tectonic significance of a supra-ophiolitic sedimentary cover succession, Unst, Shetland, Scottish Caledonides: insights from the U-Pb-Hf detrital zircon record
  • Insights on the controls on floodplain-dominated fluvial successions: a perspective from the early-middle Miocene Santa Cruz Formation in Río Chalía (Patagonia, Argentina)
  • Mafic rocks from the southern Alxa block of Northwest China and its geodynamic evolution in the Paleozoic
Show more: Research article
  • Most read
  • Most cited
Loading
  • Geological Society of London Scientific Statement: what the geological record tells us about our present and future climate
  • Terrestrial stratigraphical division in the Quaternary and its correlation
  • The nature and origins of decametre-scale porosity in Ordovician carbonate rocks, Halahatang oilfield, Tarim Basin, China
  • A revised age, structural model and origin for the North Pennine Orefield in the Alston Block, N. England: Intrusion (Whin Sill)-related base metal (Cu-Pb-Zn-F) mineralization
  • Segmentation of the Caledonian orogenic infrastructure and exhumation of the Western Gneiss Region during transtensional collapse
More...

Journal of the Geological Society

  • About the journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Submit a manuscript
  • Author information
  • Supplementary Publications
  • Subscribe
  • Pay per view
  • Alerts & RSS
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Activate Online Subscription
  • Feedback
  • Help

Lyell Collection

  • About the Lyell Collection
  • Lyell Collection homepage
  • Collections
  • Open Access Collection
  • Open Access Policy
  • Lyell Collection access help
  • Recommend to your Library
  • Lyell Collection Sponsors
  • MARC records
  • Digital preservation
  • Developing countries
  • Geofacets
  • Manage your account
  • Cookies

The Geological Society

  • About the Society
  • Join the Society
  • Benefits for Members
  • Online Bookshop
  • Publishing policies
  • Awards, Grants & Bursaries
  • Education & Careers
  • Events
  • Geoscientist Online
  • Library & Information Services
  • Policy & Media
  • Society blog
  • Contact the Society

Published by The Geological Society of London, registered charity number 210161

Print ISSN 
0016-7649
Online ISSN 
2041-479X

Copyright © 2021 Geological Society of London