OPHIOLITES OF PAKISTAN

OPHIOLITE
The characteristic assemblage of rocks which form at sprea i!g ri ges is calle a! ophiolites sequence. which laterall" emplace o! co!ti!e!tal lithosphere. The t"pical rock t"pes are ocea! se ime!ts# mafic e$tr%si&e a! i!tr%si&e ig!eo%s rocks# a! %ltramafic rocks' These se(%e!ces are commo!l" re&elale i! areas characteri)e b" accretio!ar" tecto!ics# s%ch as the wester! margi! of North America'

OPHIOLITES OF PAKISTAN
*' +,SLI+ -A.H OPHIOLITES' /' 0HO- OPHIOLITES' 1' 2A0I3ISTAN4KHOST OPHIOITES5' 6' 3ASKOH OPHIOLITES' 7' IN8,S S,T,3E OPHIOLITES' 9' +ALAKAN8 OPHIOITE' :' S2AT OPHIOLITE ;' -ELA OPHIOLITES'

TE<TONI< SETTIN.S AN8 EN=I3O+ENTS'

*' Alo!g <hama! Tra!sform fa%lt 4-ela# 0hob#-agh > 2a)irista!5 /' Alo!g <hagai magmatic arc forme b" the s%b %ctio! of I! ia! plate 43askoh ophiolites5 1' Alo!g I! %s s%t%re )o!e' I! !orth of Pakista! e&elope alo!g thr%st fa%lts alo!g with s%b %ctio! of I! ia! plate' 4Swat a! +alaka! 5

+,SLI+ -A.H OPHIOLITES'

Locate i! 0hob &alle" i! Northeast of ?%etta' <o!sisti!g of two mai! blocks' *' @ha!g Tor .har42est5' /' Saplai Tor .har4East5' Smaller massifs i! )a)ghai a! kha!o)oi are fo%! ' <o!sists se ime!tar" a! ig!eo%s rocks of NeoATeth"s ocea!'

SBNONA+B AN8 <ONTA<TS'

Abbas a! 3ossma!4*C:D5' +oores4*C;D5' +ahmoo 4*CC65' <ONTA<TSE
,! erl"i!g masstrichtia! limesto!e t%rbi ities' O&erl"i!g lower Eoce!e tra!sgressio!'

Ophiolitic <omple$ se(%e!ce'

-a! e %!ites a! har)b%rgites' .ree! schist to gra!%latic facies' assemblage fo%! ' Tra!sitio! from ma!tle to cr%stal se(%e!ce is o!l" e$pose i! saplai Tor .har a! Ka!o)ai area4+ark b" %!ite rich )o!e5' .abbros are la"ere # foliate or isotropic' Sheete "ke comple$ forms the core of 6km wi e s"!form i! saplai tor .har massifs'

0HO- OPHIOLITES'
Locate i! !orth east of the m%slim bagh ophiolites' Locate bFt <hama! tra!sform fa%lt > I! ia! shiel ' Large sectio! of it is co&ere b" pillow la&as' It forms the core of fo%r s"!cli!es' -est e$pos%res are fo%! at +%slim -aghANasai area as Sapli Tor .har GNasai +assif > @a!g Tor .har +assif'

SBNONA+B AN8 <ONTA<T

SBNONA+BE *' H%!ti!g s%r&e" of Pakista!4*C9D5' /' Assrar%llah4*C:C5' <ONTA<TSE *' O&er lai! b" the se ime!ts of %!k!ow! age' /' ,! er lai! b" mari!e se ime!ts of %pper cretaceo%s'

3ocks of 0hob ophiolite

,ltrmafic tecto!ites co!tai! of Lher)olite #H%r)brgite a! 8%!ite4@a!g Tor .har +assif5a! 8%!ite e!rich tecto!ites are associate with Sapli Tor .harANasai +assif' ,ltramafic to mafic c%m%lates co!sist of Oli&i!e at base a! 2ehrlite p"ro$i!ite at top# +aficAtroH hHemitic "ke comple$ co!tai! 8olerite gabbro#plagiogra!ite 4.ree!schist to Amphibolite facies5'

<O+PLEI SE?,EN<E'
The har)b%rgite gabbro sectio! were thr%st %po! pillow la&as formi!g the ce!tral part of s"!cli!es with %!ite &ei!s' <o!tai! oleritic ikes a! gra!itoi i!tr%sio!s' +ost of %pper sectio! is co&ere b" pillow la&as'

2A0I3ISTAN OPHIOLITES
*' /' 1' SYNONMAY: Kha!4*C;/5' @a!4*C;75' -eck4*CC95' CONTACTS: O&erlai! b" re to .re"ish ra iolaria! cherts' ,! erlai! b" the se ime!ts of %pper masstrichtia! limesto!e a! shales'

2a)irista! ophiolites'
Thir largest ophiolites se(%e!ce i! Pakista!' Emplace %ri!g Tertiar" perio ' Also !ame as Khost Ophiolites' Abo%t 7DJ of o%tcrop is pillow basalts a! sheete ikes'

OPHIOLITI< SE?,EN<E
<omplete b%t stro!gl" ismembere se(%e!ce' +a!tle sectio! co!sist of har)b%rgites a! %!ite4co!tai! chromite eposits5' +assi&e ore of chromites with p%ll a part te$t%re fo%! .abbros occ%r alo!g with a!arthosite i! cr%stal se(%e!ce' -l%e schist facie also fo%! i! some parts of se(%e!ce' +ost of se(%e!ce is omi!ate b" pillow basalts a! sheete ikes' Some parts of se(%e!ce are more tha! CDma "ears ol er'

3ocks of 2a)irista! ophiolites

,ltramafic rocks co!tai! H%r)b%rgite#8%!ite#P"ro$i!ite ' Sheete "kes co!tai!s labra orite#a%gite#pleochroic hor!ble! e#ilmi!ite#acti!olite#chlorite#albite #epi ote#(%art) a! carbo!ates' =olca!ic rocks co!tai!s pillow la&a#t%ff#agglomerate#breccia# olerite# iorit e#actio!olite#epi ote#calcite#iro!o$i e'

8%!ite4co!tai! chromite eposits5'

%!title 11'l!k

3askoh ophiolite
Locate i! betwee! chagai mamatic arc a! chama! tra!sform fa%lt' Prese!t i! raskoh ra!ge -alo%chista!' Height of abo%t 1DDDm' Two mai! areas ca! be isti!g%ishe i! 3as koh ra!ge' 3as Koh a! <hagai regio! is seprate b" 8alba! i!' Se(%e!ce isappears i! Ham%! * m%sakhel ipressio! i! its west'

3ocks i! 3as Koh'

,ltramafic co!tai!s serpe!ti!i!i)e %!ite#peri otite a! p"ro$i!ite' 8olerit "kes i!tr% e i! the gra!itoi s a! rh"olitic flow =olca!ic rocks co!sist of iorite#gabbro#!orite#mo!)o!ite > aplite

<omple$ se(%e!ce'
Serpe!ti)e har)b%rgite o%tcrops are wi el" sprea i! the -%!ap area' 3e co!glomerates co!tai!i!g basalts a! chert pebbles occ%r with serpe!ti!ites' +etamorphic soles co!tai! hor!ble! es which forme i! i!itial stage' Alkai!e pillow la&as are fo%! e$pose i! some places'

I! %s s%t%re ophiolites
I! %s s%t%re )o!e is tecto!ic mela!ge betwee! Kohista! isla! arc a! I! ia! plate'
*' /' +alaka! mohmma! ophiolite Swat ophiolite

+alaka! mohmma! ophiolite

.ree!schist to amphiobolite facies %ri!g earl" Tertiar" perio ' %ltramafic rocks co!tai! 4talc tremolite#talc carbo!atewith gree! ber"l > emeral 5 +afic rocks co!sist of sa%ss%rite#chlorite#%ralite > ro i!gite' =olca!ic rocks co!sist of chlorite#epi ote#(%art)#albite#amphibolites# mica a! pelites'

Swat ophiolites
,ltramafic rocks co!sist of h%r)b%rgite# %!ite #lher)olite #websterite# iopsi ite' +afic rocks co!sist of gabbro with albite #cli!o)oisite#amphibolite#with a%gite' Plagiogra!ite#(%art)#acti!oite#pargasiteepi ote'

-ELA OPHIOLITES
Largest > most complete se(%e!ce Appear as large !appe o&er meso)oic se(%e!ce of lo&er i! %s basi!' Forms *DA9D km wi e a! 1DD km lo!g belt betwee! karachi a! Kh%) ar' Norther! part offset alo!g a si!istral fa%lt a! co!ti!%es i! so%th to Arabia! sea'

SBNONA+B
=re! e!b%rg4*CDC5' H%!ti!g <orpertio!4*C9D5' Ahsa!4*C:C5' Sarwar4*CC/5'

-ELA OPHIOLITES

T2O +AIN ,NITS'

,pper ,!itE The tr%e ophiolite se(%e!ce fo%! i! the s%!aro regio! i! !orth' Lower ,!itE +ai!l" so%ther! area of tecto!icall" lower accretio!ar" we ge '

,pper ,!it
*' /' 1' 6' 7' +ai!l" most of rema!e!ts fo%! are locate i! !orther! part of belt' +ost complete se(%e!ce is fo%! betwee! &illages of wa a! S%!aro' Section Exposed containsE A metamorphic Sole K/Km of serpe!ti!i)e har)b%rgite ma!tle se(%e!ce *'7 to /km of la"ere peri otitesFgabbros#la"ere #foliate a! isotropic gabbros' D'7 to * km of sheete ikes' K*DDm of a! e$tr%si&e se(%e!c'

LO2E3 ,NIT
*' /' 1' 6' It co!sists of imbricate sheets that ip 67A7D egree west to !orth west' Imbricatio! is co!sist of partial or complete se(%e!ce of ocea!ic lithosphere' The micro gabbroic i!tr%sio!s a! sills co&er larger se(%e!ce of abo%t 1DJ' 3e gra!itoi es a! acites are also obser&e ' Three se ime!tar" %!its fo%! here43e se ime!ts# blackish se ime!ts a! "ellow se ime!ts5' LOWER UN T MA NLY CONTA NSE Pillow la&as' Se ime!tar" rocks Serpe!ti!ites' 8olerits'