Building the Pamirs: The view from the underside

Research Article| October 01, 2003 Building the Pamirs: The view from the underside Mihai N. Ducea; Mihai N. Ducea 1Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Valery Lutkov; Valery Lutkov 2Geological Institute of the Tajik Academy of Science, 734063, Dushanbe, Tajikistan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Vladislav T. Minaev; Vladislav T. Minaev 2Geological Institute of the Tajik Academy of Science, 734063, Dushanbe, Tajikistan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Bradley Hacker; Bradley Hacker 3Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9630, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lothar Ratschbacher; Lothar Ratschbacher 4Institut für Geowissenschaften, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter Luffi; Peter Luffi 5Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest, Bucharest 70139, Romania Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Martina Schwab; Martina Schwab 6Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar George E. Gehrels; George E. Gehrels 7Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael McWilliams; Michael McWilliams 8Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jeffrey Vervoort; Jeffrey Vervoort 9Department of Geology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar James Metcalf James Metcalf 10Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Mihai N. Ducea 1Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA Valery Lutkov 2Geological Institute of the Tajik Academy of Science, 734063, Dushanbe, Tajikistan Vladislav T. Minaev 2Geological Institute of the Tajik Academy of Science, 734063, Dushanbe, Tajikistan Bradley Hacker 3Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9630, USA Lothar Ratschbacher 4Institut für Geowissenschaften, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany Peter Luffi 5Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest, Bucharest 70139, Romania Martina Schwab 6Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany George E. Gehrels 7Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA Michael McWilliams 8Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Jeffrey Vervoort 9Department of Geology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA James Metcalf 10Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 04 Apr 2003 Revision Received: 12 Jun 2003 Accepted: 16 Jun 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2003) 31 (10): 849–852. https://doi.org/10.1130/G19707.1 Article history Received: 04 Apr 2003 Revision Received: 12 Jun 2003 Accepted: 16 Jun 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Mihai N. Ducea, Valery Lutkov, Vladislav T. Minaev, Bradley Hacker, Lothar Ratschbacher, Peter Luffi, Martina Schwab, George E. Gehrels, Michael McWilliams, Jeffrey Vervoort, James Metcalf; Building the Pamirs: The view from the underside. Geology 2003;; 31 (10): 849–852. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G19707.1 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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The Pamir mountains are an outstanding example of extreme crustal shortening during continental collision that may have been accommodated by formation of a thick crust—much thicker than is currently thought—and/or by continental subduction. We present new petrologic data and radiometric ages from xenoliths in Miocene volcanic rocks in the southeastern Pamir mountains that suggest that Gondwanan igneous and sedimentary assemblages were underthrust northward, buried to >50–80 km during the early stage of the India-Asia collision, and then heated and partly melted during subsequent thermal relaxation before finally being blasted to the surface. These xenoliths, the deepest crustal samples recovered from under any active collisional belt, provide direct evidence for early Cenozoic thickening of the Pamirs and lower-crustal melting during collision; the xenoliths also suggest that the present mountain range was a steady-state elevated plateau for most of the Cenozoic. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.