Abstract
This article reports new palaeomagnetic results from precisely-dated late Palaeocene limestones from the former northern margin of the Indian subcontinent, now in Tibet, between the major Himalayan thrusts and the India–Tibet suture zone. Convergence in the suture and intracontinental thrusting can be estimated separately and are respectively found to be of the order of 550 km (±650 km) and 400 km (±400 km). Comparison with kinematic models derived from magnetic anomalies constrains the age of the collision at about 50 Myr.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Tapponnier, P., Peltzer, G. & Armijo, R. Proc. geol. Soc. Lond. (submitted).
Tapponnier, P., Peltzer, G., Le Dain, A. Y., Armijo, R. & Cobbold, P. Geology 10, 611–616 (1982).
Allègre, C. J. et al. Nature 307, 17–22 (1984).
Achache, J., Courtillot, V. & Zhou, Y. X. J. geophys. Res. (in the press).
Argand, E. C.r. Congr. Géol. Int. 13, 171–372 (1924).
Powell, C. & Conaghan, P. J. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 20, 1–12 (1973).
Lyon-Caen, H. & Molnar, P. J. geophys. Res. 88, 8171–8191 (1983).
Gansser, A. Geology of the Himalayas (Wiley–Interscience, London, 1964).
Ni, J. & Barazangi, M. J. geophys. Res. 89, 1147–1163 (1984).
Molnar, P. & Tapponnier, P. Science 189, 419–426 (1975).
Burg, J. P. thesis, Univ. Montpellier (1983).
Bassoulet, J. P. et al. in Résultats de la Coopération franco-chinoise au Tibet (mission 1980) (eds Mercier, J. L. & Guangquin, Li) (CNRS, in the press).
Tapponnier, P. et al. Nature 294, 405–410 (1981).
Lowrie, W. et al. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 33, 414–432 (1982).
Schlich, R. et al. Bull. Soc. Géol. Fr. 21, 57–63 (1979).
Cox, A. V. in A Geologic Time Scale (eds Harland, W. B. et al.) 63–84 (Cambridge University Press, 1982).
Kirshvink, J. L. Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 62, 699–718 (1980).
Hoffman, K. A. & Day, R. Earth planet Sci. Lett. 40, 433–438 (1978).
McElhinny, M. W. Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 8, 338–340 (1964).
Klootwijk, C. T. & Radhakrishnamurty, C. in Paleoreconstruction of the Continents (eds McElhinny, M. W. & Valencio, P. A.) (American Geophysical Union, 1981).
Patriat, P. thesis, Paris Univ. (1983).
Morgan, J. W. Tectonophysics 94, 123–139 (1983).
Patriat, P. & Achache, J. Nature 311, 615–621 (1984).
Stock, J. M. & Molnar, P. Geology 11, 697–701 (1983).
Harrison, C. G. A. & Lindh, T. Nature 300, 251–252 (1982).
Pozzi, J. P. et al. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. (in the press).
Molnar, P. & Gray, D. Geology 7, 58–62 (1979).
Brunel, M. thesis, Univ. Paris VII (1983).
Schärer, U., Xu, R. H. & Allègre, C. J. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. (in the press).
Armijo, R. et al. EOS 63, 1093 (1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Besse, J., Courtillot, V., Pozzi, J. et al. Palaeomagnetic estimates of crustal shortening in the Himalayan thrusts and Zangbo suture. Nature 311, 621–626 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/311621a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/311621a0
This article is cited by
-
Delineation of partial melts and crustal heterogeneities within the crust beneath Kumaon Himalaya, India from Lg wave attenuation
Scientific Reports (2023)
-
Geomorphic and paleoseismological evidence of active Kachchh Mainland Fault, Kachchh, India
Arabian Journal of Geosciences (2020)
-
Continental drift, plateau uplift, and the evolutions of monsoon and arid regions in Asia, Africa, and Australia during the Cenozoic
Science China Earth Sciences (2019)
-
Constraining quantitatively the timing and process of continent-continent collision using magmatic record: Method and examples
Science China Earth Sciences (2017)
-
Processes of initial collision and suturing between India and Asia
Science China Earth Sciences (2017)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.