The Himalayan Arc: large-scale continental subduction, oroclinal bending and back-arc spreading

Klootwijk, Chris; Conaghan, Patrick J.; Powell, C. McA.

doi:10.1016/0012-821x(85)90099-8

Cited by 221 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Northward convergence, anticlockwise rotation against Eurasia and oblique convergence against the Southeast Asia (DEWEY and BIRD, 1970;FITCH, 1970;SEEBER et al, 1981;LE DAIN et al, 1984;KLOOTWIJK et al, 1985;MAUNG, 1987;KHAN, 2005b) characterise the journey of the Indian plate since the Cretaceous period, and have led to the development of complicated tectonics in the northeast part of India. According to CURRAY (1989), the situation became even more complex near the syntaxis where the three plates viz., Indian, Eurasian and the Burma platelet, joined together and, accordingly, the deformational style changed from dextral shear, between India and Southeast Asia in the east, to a frontal collision at the eastern Himalayas.…”

Section: Tectonic Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismic b-Value and the Assessment of Ambient Stress in Northeast India

Khan

Ghosh

Chakraborty

et al. 2010

Pure Appl. Geophys.

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Abstract-Seismicity data of northeast India, recorded between 1986 and 1999 by a local network, are analysed for estimation of bvalues. Based on the obtained values, viz. low (b B 0.5), moderate (0.5 \ b B 0.7) and high (b [ 0.7), the study area is classified into different seismic-domains. An assessment of stress level is also carried out in identifying seismic-domains. Seismic activities, though mostly confined in some sectors, are presumably triggered by mutual interaction of the Shillong Plateau, Mikir Hills, IndoBurman Ranges and the easternmost part of the Himalayas, and the contributions from deep-seated fractures cannot be ignored. The results resemble the seismic character of a foreland setting adjacent to a convergent margin. The b-values estimated for 240 square grids of dimension 0.6°9 0.6°over five seismic domains indicate wide variation. An analysis of cumulative seismic moment release (M O ) in different layers also indicates an anomaly in reference to the total seismic-energy budget of the five zones. The lower b-value and higher M O recorded at relatively lower depth (*30 km) towards the southwest of the study area might be associated with upward bulging of a strong lithosphere. The bulging is perhaps regionally compensated by the downward flexing of the descending Indian lithosphere beneath the Upper Assam area; features unequivocally observed in any foreland setup. Towards the north and east of the study area, random variations of in both b-value and M O along the converging zone suggest a varied tectonic environment with active interaction between the tectonic elements in these areas.

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Section: Tectonic Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismic b-Value and the Assessment of Ambient Stress in Northeast India

Khan

Ghosh

Chakraborty

et al. 2010

Pure Appl. Geophys.

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“…Alternative models now place the continental collision as late as 34 Ma [Aitchison et al, 2007]. Such models link the first slowdown in India-Eurasia convergence after 60 Ma to an initial collision with a NeoTethyan intraoceanic island arc, followed by continentcontinent collision closer to $40 Ma [Aitchison et al, 2007;Davis et al, 2002;Hafkenscheid et al, 2006;Klootwijk et al, 1985;Van der Voo et al, 1999b]. We test two end-member plate kinematic scenarios of the India-Eurasia collision to identify whether long-lived Andean style subduction at the Eurasian margin implied by conventional models can account for the subducted slabs observed in seismic tomography of the mantle, or whether a Meso-and Neo-Tethyan back-arc basin, proposed in alternative models, is necessary to reproduce the presentday mantle structure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights on the kinematics of the India‐Eurasia collision from global geodynamic models

Zahirovic

Müller

Seton

et al. 2012

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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[1] The Eocene India-Eurasia collision is a first order tectonic event whose nature and chronology remains controversial. We test two end-member collision scenarios using coupled global plate motion-subduction models. The first, conventional model, invokes a continental collision soon after $60 Ma between a maximum extent Greater India and an Andean-style Eurasian margin. The alternative scenario involves a collision between a minimum extent Greater India and a NeoTethyan back-arc at $60 Ma that is subsequently subducted along southern Lhasa at an Andean-style margin, culminating with continent-continent contact at $40 Ma. Our numerical models suggest the conventional scenario does not adequately reproduce mantle structure related to Tethyan convergence. The alternative scenario better reproduces the discrete slab volumes and their lateral and vertical distribution in the mantle, and is also supported by the distribution of ophiolites indicative of Tethyan intraoceanic subduction, magmatic gaps along southern Lhasa and a two-stage slowdown of India. Our models show a strong component of southward mantle return flow for the Tethyan region, suggesting that the common assumption of near-vertical slab sinking is an oversimplification with significant consequences for interpretations of seismic tomography in the context of subduction reference frames.

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“…Either result implies that India's deceleration took place several million years later than collision. Klootwijk et al (1985) synthesized the preceding observations into a model suggesting that suturing migrated eastward during the Paleocene and was completed by the early Eocene. Further convergence was accommodated by lateral extrusion of continental blocks in a manner similar to the analog clay models of Tapponnier et al (1986), followed by oroclinal bending and continental underthrusting since the late Miocene.…”

Section: Results From Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%