Formation and tectonic evolution of the Cretaceous-Jurassic Muslim Bagh ophiolitic complex, Pakistan: Implications for the composite tectonic setting of ophiolites

Khan, Mehrab, Kerr, Andrew Craig ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5569-4730 and Mahmood, Khalid 2007. Formation and tectonic evolution of the Cretaceous-Jurassic Muslim Bagh ophiolitic complex, Pakistan: Implications for the composite tectonic setting of ophiolites. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 31 (2) , pp. 112-127. 10.1016/j.jseaes.2007.04.006

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

The Muslim Bagh ophiolitic complex Balochistan, Pakistan is comprised of an upper and lower nappe and represents one of a number of ophiolites in this region which mark the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates. These ophiolites were obducted onto the Indian continental margin around the Late Cretaceous, prior to the main collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The upper nappe contains mantle sequence rocks with numerous isolated gabbro plutons which we show are fed by dolerite dykes. Each pluton has a transitional dunite-rich zone at its base, and new geochemical data suggest a similar mantle source region for both the plutons and dykes. In contrast, the lower nappe consists of pillow basalts, deep-marine sediments and a me´lange of ophiolitic rocks. The rocks of the upper nappe have a geochemical signature consistent with formation in an island arc environment whereas the basalts of the lower nappe contain no subduction component and are most likely to have formed at a mid-ocean ridge. The basalts and sediments of the lower nappe have been intruded by oceanic alkaline igneous rocks during the northward drift of the Indian plate. The two nappes of the Muslim Bagh ophiolitic complex are thus distinctively different in terms of their age, lithology and tectonic setting. The recognition of composite ophiolites such as this has an important bearing on the identification and interpretation of ophiolites where the plate tectonic setting is less well resolved.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QE Geology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Ophiolite; Pakistan; Muslim Bagh
Publisher:	Elsevier
Last Modified:	17 Oct 2022 09:42
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/5298

Citation Data

Cited 40 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item