The Early Paleocene Ranikot Formation, Sulaiman Fold-Thrust Belt, Pakistan: Detrital Zircon Provenance and Tectonic Implications

This study reports on the detrital zircon provenance of the sandstones of Early Paleocene Ranikot Formation exposed in the Fort Munro section, Sulaiman fold-thrust belt, Pakistan. This marks the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sequence. The detrital zircon U-Pb ages reported are mainly clustered around...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMinerals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 3; p. 413
Main Authors Qasim, Muhammad, Ashraf, Junaid, Ding, Lin, Tanoli, Javed Iqbal, Khan, Imran, Rehman, Mohib Ur, Awais, Muhammad, Ahmad, Jalil, Tayyab, Owais, Jadoon, Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2023
Subjects
Ablation
Age
Belts
Cratons
Cretaceous
Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary
detrital zircon
Geochronometry
Geology
Isotopes
Ophiolites
Palaeocene
Paleocene
Petrography
Petrology
provenance
Quartz
Radiometric dating
Ranikot Formation
Sandstone
Sedimentary rocks
Stone
Stratigraphy
Sulaiman fold-thrust belt
Tectonics
Tectonics (Geology)
Tertiary
U-Pb geochronology
Volcanic ash, tuff, etc
Volcanic rocks
western Indian margin
Zircon
Pakistan
Asia
China
India
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Summary:This study reports on the detrital zircon provenance of the sandstones of Early Paleocene Ranikot Formation exposed in the Fort Munro section, Sulaiman fold-thrust belt, Pakistan. This marks the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sequence. The detrital zircon U-Pb ages reported are mainly clustered around ~460–1100 Ma, ~1600–1900 Ma and ~2300–2600 Ma. The age cluster ~460–1100 Ma is mainly matched well with the Tethyan Himalaya. However, the age clusters ~1600–1900 Ma and ~2300–2600 Ma matched fairly with the lesser Himalayas and Higher Himalayas. In addition, the sandstone petrography suggests the craton interior provenance. The two younger Cretaceous zircon ages may be derived from the Tethyan Himalaya volcanic rocks as supported by a high (>0.3) Th/U ratio. Furthermore, the absence of the ophiolitic component ~115–178 Ma suggests that the western ophiolite may be emplaced at the same time as Ranikot Formation deposited or later. Moreover, the absence of the Eurasian (zircon with ages <100 Ma) in the Ranikot Formation excludes the possibility of the early collision along the western margin, as reported in earlier studies.
ISSN:2075-163X
2075-163X
DOI:10.3390/min13030413