A view from the roof the Earth on processes in its deep crust: the India-Asia suture zone, southwestern Tibet
Final Report Abstract
The information from core projects 1 and 2 demonstrated: 1) when suturing occurred, 2) how this caused metamorphism of the Indian and Asian margin, 3) how the timing and style of metamorphism differed between the two margins and how it evolved with time, 4) when and why the deep Asian crust became partially molten, and 5) how lithosphere-scale feedbacks could have resulted in the extension and exhumation that occurred in the Miocene. From this, it can be concluded that research in the two core projects has addressed some of the major questions. The research, however, has given rise to many, more specific research questions, some of which have already been addressed so far. As a follow-up to this research, I am currently analyzing rare deep-crustal xenoliths from the Pamir, which erupted from great depth (~80 km) at ~10 Ma and could thus help to unravel more recent processes in deep Asia. The project is an international collaborative effort between researchers based in the USA, Germany, Sweden, and Tajikistan. Beyond regional implication, the results are expected to forward the general knowledge of how root zones - the ‘floatation devices’ of orogenic belts - form, develop, and diminish.
