India Indenting Eurasia: A Brief Review and New Data from the Yongping Basin on the SE Tibetan Plateau

Successive indentations of Eurasia by India have led to the Tibet-Himalaya E–W orthogonal collision belt and the SE Tibetan Plateau N–S oblique collision belt along the frontal and eastern edges of the indenter, respectively. The belts exhibit distinctive lithospheric structures and tectonic evolutions. A comprehensive compilation of available geological and geophysical data reveals two sudden tectonic transitions in the early Eocene and the earliest Miocene, respectively, of the tectonic evolution of the orthogonal belt. Synthesizing geological and geochronological data helps us to suggest a NEE–SWW trending, ~450 km-long, ~250 km-wide magmatic zone in SE Tibet, which separates the oblique collision belt (eastern and SE Tibet) into three segments of distinctive seismic structures including the mantle and crust anisotropies. The newly identified Yongping basin is located in the central part of the magmatic zone. Geochronological and thermochronological data demonstrate that (1) this basin and the magmatic zone started to form at ~48 Ma likely due to NNW–SSE lithosphere stretching according to the spatial coincidence of the concentrated mantle-sourced igneous rocks on the surface with the seismic anomalies at depth; and (2) its fills was shortened in the E–W direction since ~23 Ma. These two dates correspond to the onset of the first and second tectonic transitions of the orthogonal collision belt. As such, both the orthogonal and oblique belts share a single time framework of their tectonic evolution. By synthesizing geological and geophysical data of both collision belts, the indenting process can be divided into three stages separated by two tectonic transitions. Continent–continent collision as a piston took place exclusively during the second stage. During the other two stages, the India lithosphere underthrust beneath Eurasia.

Evolution of Neoproterozoic Shillong Basin, Meghalaya, NE India: implications of supercontinent break-up and amalgamation

Fragmentation and amalgamation of supercontinents play an important role in shaping our planet. The break-up of such a widely studied supercontinent, Rodinia, has been well documented from several parts of India, especially the northwestern and eastern sector. Interestingly, being located very close to the Proterozoic tectonic margin, northeastern India is expected to have had a significant role in Neoproterozoic geodynamics, but this aspect has still not been thoroughly studied. We therefore investigate a poorly studied NE–SW-trending Shillong Basin of Meghalaya from NE India, which preserves the stratigraphic record and structural evolution spanning the Neoproterozoic Era. The low-grade metasedimentary rocks of Shillong Basin unconformably overlie the high-grade Archean–Proterozoic basement and comprise a c. 4000-m-thick platform sedimentary rock succession. In this study, we divide this succession into three formations: lower Tarso, middle Ingsaw and upper Umlapher. A NW–SE-aligned compression event later caused the thrusting of these sedimentary rocks over the basement with a tectonic contact in the western margin, resulting in NE–SW-trending fold belts. The rift-controlled Shillong Basin shows a comparable Neoproterozoic evolution with the equivalent basins of peninsular India and eastern Gondwana. The recorded Neoproterozoic rift tectonics are likely associated with Rodinia’s break-up and continent dispersion, which finally ended with the oblique collision of India with Australia and the intrusion of Cambrian granitoids during the Pan-African Orogeny, contributing to the assembly of Gondwana. This contribution is the first to present a complete litho-structural evolution of the Shillong Basin in relation to regional and global geodynamic settings.

Lithospheric Deformation at the South Island Oblique Collision, New Zealand

<p>Lithospheric deformation is investigated within the Southern Alps oblique collision zone of the Australian and Pacific plate boundary. Seismological methods and gravity modelling are used to estimate seismic anisotropy, wave-speed anomalies and mass anomalies in the uppermost mantle. While seismic anisotropy is generally interpreted to result from Cenozoic mantle shear, wave-speed and mass anomalies can be explained solely by thermal contraction of mantle rocks that results from the downward deflection of isotherms during mantle shortening. Along the eastern Southern Alps foothills and approximately 15' clockwise from their axis, earthquake Pn waves propagate at 8.54 +/- 0.20 km/s. This high wave speed is attributed to a high average Pn speed (8.3 +/- 0.3 km/s) and Pn anisotropy (7 - 13 %) in the mantle lid beneath central South Island. Two-dimensional ray-tracing suggests that the crustal thickness is 48 +/- 4 km beneath the Southern Alps' southern extent near Wanaka (western Otago). Such a thickness represents an 18 +/- 4 km thick crustal root that is thicker than necessary to isostatically sustain the approximately 1000 m topographic load of this region. A mass excess is proposed in the mantle below the region of over-thickened crust to compensate for the crustal root mass deficit. Assuming that the crustal root represents a -300 kg/m3 density contrast with the mantle lid, this mantle mass excess requires a minimum density contrast of 35 +/- 5 kg/m3, 110 +/-20 km width and 70 +/- 20 km thickness that will impart a downward pull on the overlying crust.</p>

Lithospheric Deformation at the South Island Oblique Collision, New Zealand

<p>Lithospheric deformation is investigated within the Southern Alps oblique collision zone of the Australian and Pacific plate boundary. Seismological methods and gravity modelling are used to estimate seismic anisotropy, wave-speed anomalies and mass anomalies in the uppermost mantle. While seismic anisotropy is generally interpreted to result from Cenozoic mantle shear, wave-speed and mass anomalies can be explained solely by thermal contraction of mantle rocks that results from the downward deflection of isotherms during mantle shortening. Along the eastern Southern Alps foothills and approximately 15' clockwise from their axis, earthquake Pn waves propagate at 8.54 +/- 0.20 km/s. This high wave speed is attributed to a high average Pn speed (8.3 +/- 0.3 km/s) and Pn anisotropy (7 - 13 %) in the mantle lid beneath central South Island. Two-dimensional ray-tracing suggests that the crustal thickness is 48 +/- 4 km beneath the Southern Alps' southern extent near Wanaka (western Otago). Such a thickness represents an 18 +/- 4 km thick crustal root that is thicker than necessary to isostatically sustain the approximately 1000 m topographic load of this region. A mass excess is proposed in the mantle below the region of over-thickened crust to compensate for the crustal root mass deficit. Assuming that the crustal root represents a -300 kg/m3 density contrast with the mantle lid, this mantle mass excess requires a minimum density contrast of 35 +/- 5 kg/m3, 110 +/-20 km width and 70 +/- 20 km thickness that will impart a downward pull on the overlying crust.</p>

Late Cenozoic Erosion in New Zealand

<p>Uplift and erosion are roughly equal in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and the following rates have been determined: tectonic uplift 620 +/- 20 Mt y^-1, river load 700 +/- 200 Mt y^-1, offshore deposition 580 +/- 110 Mt y^-1. The tectonic uplift is the result of oblique collision between the Indian and Pacific plates, with the edge of the Pacific plate being upturned and uplifted as the Southern Alps, crustal narrowing of 22 mm y^-1 being converted to uplift along a curved fault plane. Almost all rock eroded from the Southern Alps is carried as suspended load by rivers. River bedload is of minor importance, and its abrasion adds to the suspended load. The estimated suspended load amounts to 265 Mt y^-1, but with a single exception only normal load have been sampled, and the additional abnormal load from earthquake-caused landslips is estimated to double the normal load. The river load estimate is confirmed in part by spot checks from sediment accumulated in onshore traps. A model proposed for the growth of the Southern Alps from a peneplain shows that the range attained steady state about 1.5 My after uplift started. With uplift initial non steady state, flat topped mountains like those that remain in Otago, become steady state spiky mountains. The range as a whole is in steady state, though the individual mountains change. The offshore deposition rates agree with the river load and tectonic uplift estimates and thus provide substantial confirmation for the steady state model.</p>

Late Cenozoic Erosion in New Zealand

<p>Uplift and erosion are roughly equal in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and the following rates have been determined: tectonic uplift 620 +/- 20 Mt y^-1, river load 700 +/- 200 Mt y^-1, offshore deposition 580 +/- 110 Mt y^-1. The tectonic uplift is the result of oblique collision between the Indian and Pacific plates, with the edge of the Pacific plate being upturned and uplifted as the Southern Alps, crustal narrowing of 22 mm y^-1 being converted to uplift along a curved fault plane. Almost all rock eroded from the Southern Alps is carried as suspended load by rivers. River bedload is of minor importance, and its abrasion adds to the suspended load. The estimated suspended load amounts to 265 Mt y^-1, but with a single exception only normal load have been sampled, and the additional abnormal load from earthquake-caused landslips is estimated to double the normal load. The river load estimate is confirmed in part by spot checks from sediment accumulated in onshore traps. A model proposed for the growth of the Southern Alps from a peneplain shows that the range attained steady state about 1.5 My after uplift started. With uplift initial non steady state, flat topped mountains like those that remain in Otago, become steady state spiky mountains. The range as a whole is in steady state, though the individual mountains change. The offshore deposition rates agree with the river load and tectonic uplift estimates and thus provide substantial confirmation for the steady state model.</p>

RELAÇÕES ENTRE CISALHAMENTO, MAGMATISMO E ANATEXIA: EXEMPLO DA ZONA DE CISALHAMENTO CRUZEIRO DO NORDESTE, PROVÍNCIA BORBOREMA, BRASIL

The Borborema Province, northeastern Brazil, exhibit an extensive framework of shear zones in spatial proximity with syn-tectonic magmatism that makes it a perfect place to understand their relationship. In the eastern portion of this province an important dextral shear zone, that divides into two terranes, was originated during an escape tectonics after an oblique collision after a tectonic transport to NW. The recrystallization of quartz and feldspar shows a remarkable increase towards the shear zone, interpreted as a temperature increase during deformation. Thermodynamic modelling coupled with field relationship shows that high strain migmatitic textures such as stromatic structure was formed at ~650 °C and ~0.9 GPa prior to the shear development. Whereas low strain migmatites with schollen texture was formed at ~750 °C and ~0.7 GPa. We propose that the presence of melt during an oblique collision facilitated the emplacement of shear structures due to a thermal anomaly during the emplacement of syn-tectonic plutons.

Detecting a Sinistral Transpressional Deformation Belt in the Zagros

The oblique collision between the northeastern margin of the Arabian platform and the Iranian microcontinent has led to transpressional deformation in the Zagros orogenic belt in the central part of the Alpine–Himalayan orogenic belt. Although previous articles have emphasized the dextral sense of shear in the Zagros orogenic belt, in this paper, using several indicators of kinematic shear sense upon field checking and microscopic thin-section studies, evidence of the development of a sinistral top-to-the NW deformation belt is presented. The mean attitudes of the foliations and lineations in this belt are 318°/55°NE and 19°/113°, respectively.