(Received January 10, 1988; revised version accepted August 24, 1989)
Abstract
Nawaz Chaudry, M. and Ghazanfar, M., 1990. Position of the Main Central Thrust in the tectonic framework of
Western Himalaya. Tectonophysics, 174: 321-329.
Investigations in the western part of Northwest Himalaya have indicated a marked contrast in the stratigraphy,
metamorphism and tectonics of the rocks north and south of Batal in the Kaghan Valley and Luat in the Neelum
Valley. It is proposed that the Batal-Luat line represents the trace of the Main Central Thrust (MCT).
TABLE 1
Stratigraphic sequence in the Kaghan Valley (after Ghazanfar and Chaudhry, 1985a,b; Chaudhry and Ghazanfar. 19X7)
Kaghan Formation Kaghan pelites with subordinate graphitic schist, marble and gypsum
tectonic style. Lithostratigraphy across the Batal Fault in the Kaghan Valley
The Kaghan Group, occurring in the middle of Kaghan Group Quartz schists. quartzites, graphitic
the Kaghan Valley, is separated in the south from (south) schists, calcschists, marbles and
the younger Kashmir Sequence by the Jared Fault, metaconglomerates: the middle division
and in the north from the older Sharda Group by of the Kaghan Group also contains a thick
horizon of gypsum
the Batal Fault. We can sum up the stratigraphy
on both sides of the Batal Fault as shown in Table
2.
Sharda Group Calc-pelitic gneisses, pelitic gneisses
From Table 2, on the basis of stratigraphy, the (north) graphitic gneisses and marbles with
Sharda Group in the Kaghan Valley differs from sheet granites, migmatites. a few younger
the Kaghan Group in that it lacks quartzites, garnet tourmaline granites and amphibo-
metacoglomerates and gypsum. Then there is the lites
I---
I I
L
U-l-
*-
/ I,
A gcP
.15264 15046
14870
Sat01
15055'
/
9
f
LEGEND
km5T 5 km
Fig. 1. a. Index map of the Kaghan Valley. b. Geologic map of the Kaghan Valley showing the principal stratigraphic groups.
Malikseri
A f Pichla Rajwal J
LEGEND
Biari Quartzites, Metrconglomerrtcs,
,+*+-+. +
- a Bela b-p$g’
+ I(llGani Cluartz Mica Schist, Calc-schist h
L-4
Pcgmatitcs
Doga Schists, Qurrtzitcs h
1-1
Metrconglomerates
Kamalban Quartz Mica Schists,
MAHANDRI Quartrites, Calc_schists b Marbles E.Zl
FORMATION
Lohar Banda Marbles
Graphitic Schist
m 2000 1000
urn
Fig. lc. Map showing units of the Kaghan Group, central Kaghan Valley.
POSITION OF MCT IN TECTONIC FRAMEWORK OF W HIMALAYA 327
The Sharda Group slab thus has a dis- grade melange of sediments and ophiolites. The
tinguished tectonic style which is different from inversion of metamorphic grades in the Upper and
that of the Kaghan Group in the south and the Middle Kaghan Valley is obviously due to thrust-
Kohistan Sequence in the north. ing and overturning of this sequence.
The Batal Fault in Kaghan marks a significant The MCT as distinguished from eastern
break in the P-T continuum (Chaudhry et al., Kashmir eastwards has been placed at the base of
1986). The unit exposed immediately south of this the crystalline slab of the Higher Himalayas. This
fault belongs to the epidote amphibolite facies, 10 km thick crystalline slab is characterized by
lacking staurolite, kyanite and sillimanite, with high-grade pelitic psammitic gneisses, marbles,
amphibolites containing oligoclase or lower ande- quartzites and amphibolites. In places it shows
sine. Further south of Kaghan Village the rocks migmatization and extensive granitization, which
are in the greenschist facies. On the other hand, finally produced the widespread young intrusive
the Sharda Group rocks lying to the north of tourmaline granites cutting through the previous
Batal Fault represent a sudden jump in metamor- structures (Gansser, 1964).
phic grade to the upper amphibolite facies. Kyanite The MCT at the base of the Higher Himalaya
and sillimanite appear in metapelites. The slab is a low- to high-angle thrust plane, a crustal
amphibolites are invariably garnet-bearing with shear, a zone of strong mylonization marked by
plagioclase, very often a labradorite. The unit reverse metamorphism (Gansser, 1964; Le Fort,
contains a number of migmatite horizons and at 1975; Pecher, 1977; Valdiya. 1984). There is a
least a few small bodies of leucocatic garnet-tour- sudden jump in metamorphic grade from
maline granite. greenschist facies to upper amphibolite facies up-
In the Neelum Valley the Luat Fault similarly wards and northwards across the MCT. There is
marks a significant P-T break. The rocks lying even a change in the tectonic style. According to
immediately south of the Luat Fault are in the Gansser (1964) the crystalline slab north of the
greenschist facie% containing tiny almandine MCT has a rather simple tectonic structure while,
garnets with chlorite, a stable associate of musco- on the other hand, in the area of the Lower
vite. North of this fault the Sharda Group is Himalayas southwards the structure is more com-
strongly gneissic. Here chlorite does not occur in plicated, with normal and reversed sections.
stable association with muscovite. Kyanite and
sillimanite are present, and suitable horizons have Conclusions
undergone partial anatexis. The terrain belongs to
the almandine amphibolite facies. In conclusion we may say that the Luat and
There is an inversion of metamorphic grade Batal faults in the Neelum and Kaghan Valleys
across the MCT. The overlying Upper Kaghan are associated with a break between two different
tectonic slab shows a higher degree of metamor- lithostratigraphic regimes, a break between two
phism. However, this inversion agrees with that different tectonics styles, and a P-T break. In
observed elsewhere in Central and Eastern addition, this tectonic scar is associated with small
Himalaya. In the Kaghan Valley this inversion pegmatites, granites and a zone of mylonites which,
continues throughout the underlying tectonic slab in places, is more than 1 km wide. Therefore, these
of the Middle Kaghan Valley (Chaudhry et al., two faults together constitute the trace of the
1986), which is characterized by a stack of faulted Main Central Thrust in the western part of the
blocks. However, upwards and northwards in Northwest Himalaya. The MCT extends ESE-
Kohistan across the MMT, the metamorphism WNW from Luat in the Neelum Valley to Batal
decreases. The upper amphibolite facies rocks of (near Naran in the Kaghan Valley) over the great
the Sharda Group are at once overlain by low- Kaghan watershed. Further northwest, near Ch-
POSITION OF MCT IN TECTONIC FRAMEWORK OF W HIMALAYA 329
halayyan in Nili Nadi (Kaghan Valley), the MCT Ghazanfar, M., and Chaudhry, M.N., 1985a. A third suture in
Northwest Himalaya. Kashmir J. Geol., 3: 103-108.
comes close to the Main Mantle Thrust (the MMT,
Ghazanfar, M. and Chaudhry, M.N. 1985b. Geology of
the southern branch of the Indus-Tsangpo Suture
Bhunja-Battakundi area, Kaghan Valley, Distr. Mansehra,
Zone in Northwest Himalaya). Thus this wedge- Pakistan. Geol. Bull. Punjab Univ., 20: 76-105.
shaped tectonic slab of high-grade basement crys- Ghazanfar, M. and Chaudhry, M.N., 1986. Reporting MCT in
tallines (Sharda Group) appears to pinch near Northwest Himalaya, Pakistan. Geol. Bull. Punjab Univ.,