Structure and Metamorphism of a Tectonically Thickened Continental Crust: The Yalu Tsangpo Suture Zone (Tibet)

Three tectonic units (the active palaeomargin, the palaeo-oceanic domain and the passive palaeomargin) are now juxtaposed and constitute the Yalu Tsangpo suture zone between India and Eurasia in southern Tibet. We examine the deformation, metamorphic and uplift histories of each of these units. Our observations are accounted for in terms of the processes whereby the crust was thickened to about 70 km. We finally discuss the implications for ancient continental collision orogens.