Tectonics of the Himalaya and southern Tibet from two perspectives

Abstract

Research Article| March 01, 2000 Tectonics of the Himalaya and southern Tibet from two perspectives K. V. Hodges K. V. Hodges 1Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information K. V. Hodges 1Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 15 Dec 1999 Accepted: 20 Dec 1999 First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2000) 112 (3): 324–350. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(2000)112<324:TOTHAS>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 15 Dec 1999 Accepted: 20 Dec 1999 First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation K. V. Hodges; Tectonics of the Himalaya and southern Tibet from two perspectives. GSA Bulletin 2000;; 112 (3): 324–350. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(2000)112<324:TOTHAS>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The Himalaya and Tibet provide an unparalleled opportunity to examine the complex ways in which continents respond to collisional orogenesis. This paper is an attempt to synthesize the known geology of this orogenic system, with special attention paid to the tectonic evolution of the Himalaya and southernmost Tibet since India-Eurasia collision at ca. 50 Ma. Two alternative perspectives are developed. The first is largely historical. It includes brief (and necessarily subjective) reviews of the tectonic stratigraphy, the structural geology, and metamorphic geology of the Himalaya. The second focuses on the processes that dictate the behavior of the orogenic system today. It is argued that these processes have not changed substantially over the Miocene–Holocene interval, which suggests that the orogen has achieved a quasi–steady state. This condition implies a rough balance between plate-tectonic processes that lead to the accumulation of energy in the orogen and many other processes (e.g., erosion of the Himalayan front and the lateral flow of the middle and lower crust of Tibet) that lead to the dissipation of energy. The tectonics of the Himalaya and Tibet are thus intimately related; the Himalaya might have evolved very differently had the Tibetan Plateau never have formed. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.