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Tectonic setting and provenance of Early Cretaceous strata in the footwall of Main Central Thrust, Eastern Nepal: Implications for the archipelago palaeogeography of the Neo‐Tethys
Author(s) -
Li Rui,
Ao Songjian,
Xiao Wenjiao,
Windley Brian F.,
Zhan Mingguo,
Huang Peng,
Bhandari Saunak
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geological journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.721
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1099-1034
pISSN - 0072-1050
DOI - 10.1002/gj.4035
Subject(s) - geology , schist , terrane , protolith , palaeogeography , cretaceous , provenance , paleontology , zircon , archipelago , craton , geochemistry , thrust fault , tectonics , metamorphic rock , oceanography , volcanism
The Early Cretaceous palaeogeography prior to the India‐Asia collision is still controversial. There are two end‐member models – an integrated passive margin versus an archipelago. Here, we report zircon U–Pb ages, Hf, and whole‐rock Nd isotopes of newly defined Cretaceous mica schists from the Main Central Thrust to constrain the Early Cretaceous palaeogeography of the Himalaya. The mica schists have Early Cretaceous zircons with ε Hf ( t ) values of −21.1 to −9.2. The mica schists are characterized by T DM C values of 1.8–2.5 Ga and whole‐rock ε Nd (0) value of −24.0. These features imply that these zircons generated from partial melting of lower crust as a result of an extension in some older continental crust, which were transported and deposted to form the protolith of the Cretaceous mica schists. Age pattern comparisons indicate that the age populations of the Cretaceous mica schists are significantly distinct from those of other Cretaceous strata in the Himalaya. It is obvious that the protolith of the Cretaceous mica schists were formed in an independent terrane (Arun) in the Neo‐Tethys with significant tectonic separations proventing any inputs from the Tibetan Himalaya, Greater Himalaya, or Indian Craton since 120 Ma. Combined with published U–Pb ages and other geological data, our data supports the archipelago palaeogeography with rifted terranes in the Neo‐Tethys Ocean, shedding light on the multiple amalgamation events along the India‐Asia collision zone.