Tectonic interplay between the South Tibetan Detachment System and the North Himalayan genesis dome

Abstract

Abstract. The formation and evolution of the Himalayas are intimately linked to the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) in the northern Himalayas. Despite ongoing controversies about the deep structural style of the STDS, understanding the emplacement mechanism of the leucogranite in the North Himalayan gneiss domes (NHGDs) remains challenging due to insufficient information about deep structures. In this study, we characterized the subsurface structure of the STDS on the eastern side of the Tethys Himalayas and analyze the relationship between STDS tectonic activity and the formation of the NHGD. We conducted a deep seismic reflection survey with a line length of over 135 km and performed geological field investigations in the eastern Tethys Himalayas (92° E) from 2017 to 2018. Our findings indicate that the STDS presents as a roof thrust fault of duplex structures in the eastern Tethys Himalayas and displays characteristics of two-phase denudation (STDS-1 and STDS-2) from the Miocene, corresponding to the two-phase Tethys tectonic uplift. The first phase of denudation (STDS-1) led to the exposure of its structure around the Yarlhashampo dome. Both STDS-1 and STDS-2 denudation activities play crucial roles in promoting the partial melting of middle crust metasediments, which subsequently migrated upward to form leucogranite through diapirism in the core of the Yarlhashampo dome.