The document summarizes the tectonics of Pakistan in 5 sections: 1) Northern Collision Belt - Result of collision between Eurasian and Indian plates forming the Himalayas. 2) Subduction Complex Association of Balochistan - Subduction zone where Arabian plate subducts, including the Chagai volcanic arc and Makran margin. 3) Chaman Transform Zone - Strike-slip fault zone connecting the Makran subduction zone and Himalayan collision zone. 4) Zone of Ophiolites - Oceanic rocks obducted onto the Indian plate margin, such as at Zhob, Waziristan, and Bela. 5) Platform Areas -

1. Lecture-10 1

2. Tectonics of Pakistan
Prepared By Shahab Noor

3. Group Members
1. Shahab Noor
2. M.Danial Tahir
3. Sajid Khan
4. Ahmed Shah
5. Zakir Ullah

4. Table Of Contents
1. What is tectonics
2. What is Plate Tectonics
3. Tectonics Of Pakistan
A. Tectonic Segments of Pakistan
1- Northern Collision Belt
2- Subduction Complex Association of Balochistan
3- Chaman Transform Zone
4- Ophiolites & Ophiolitic Mélanges
5- Platform Areas

5. What is Tectonics
 It is the process that controls the structure and
properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution
through time.
 it describes the processes of mountain building, the
growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of
continents known as cratons.
 The ways in which the relatively rigid plates that
constitute the Earth's outer shell interact with each
other.

6. What is Plate Tectonics
 It is a scientific theory describing the large-scale motion of seven large plates
 the movements of a larger number of smaller plates of the earth's lithosphere
 Tectonic processes began on Earth between 3 to 3.5 billion years ago.
 There are seven major plates on the earth
1. Pacific Plate – 103,300,000 km2
2. North America Plate – 75,900,000 km2
3. Eurasian Plate – 67,800,000 km2
4. African Plate – 61,300,000 km2
5. Antarctic Plate – 60,900,000 km2
6. Indo-Australian Plate – 58,900,000 km2 often considered two plates:
a) Australian Plate – 47,000,000 km2
b) Indian Plate – 11,900,000 km2
7. South American Plate – 43,600,000 km2

7. Tectonics of Pakistan
 Pakistan geographically lies between 60°E to78°E & 24°N to
37°N.
 It has high density of active faults and is seismically one of
the most active area of the Asia.
 Tectonically it is located in the region of intersection of
three plates, Indian, Eurasian and Arabian sea plate.
 In the north there is convergent plate boundary between
Eurasian and Indian plate, resulting into great Himalaya.
 In the west the intersection between these two plates
became transform in nature
 In the south there is a Subduction zone known as Makran
Subduction Zone (MSZ) due to the Subduction of Arabian
sea plate under Eurasian plate.

8. Tectonic segments of Pakistan
 The Pakistan can be divided into various tectonic
segments which are as follows;
1- Northern Collision Belt
2- Subduction Complex Association of Balochistan
3- Chaman Transform Zone
4- Ophiolites & Ophiolitic Mélanges
5- Platform Areas

9. 1- Northern Collision Belt
 The Northern collision Belt of Pakistan is a part of the
Alpine-Himalayan orogeny produced by continental
collision
 This comprises areas representing the stratigraphy of
Upper Indus Basin

10.  The main features of the Northern Collision Belt from
north to south are the following:
a) Karakorum Block
b) Nanga Parbat Massif
c) Southern Kohistan
d) Plio-Pleistocene Basins
e) Hill Ranges
f) Potwar & Kohat Plateau
g) Salt Range
h) Indian Foreland

13. 2- Subduction Complex Association of
Balochistan
 A subduction-convergence zone with an unusually
wide & subaerially exposed arc-trench gap is satuated
west of Chaman-Ornach Nal faults (Fig 3.8).
 It consists of
1. Volcanic-Plutonic Arc of Chagai
2. Makran Margin

15. Volcanic-Plutonic Arc of Chagai
 The Chagai Volcanic arc (Fig 3.8) is the northern most
subduction associated feature exposed in Pakistan.
 It is convex towards south & extends for about 500 kms
in east-west direction & 150 kms in a north-south
direction.
 This andesitic volcanic arc is associated with
ultramafic rocks of Ras Koh Range.

16.  These two are divided by Mirjawa-Dalbandin Trough
formed through Paleogene.In the north, Ras Koh
Range is in tectonic contact with the gently folded
Mesozoic-Tertiary sequence of the Chagai Volcanic Arc
(Fig 3.8) & in the south it is separated by zone of
Quaternary deposits from the Makran Trench
accretionary deposits further south.

18.  Thus it can be said that the rocks of Chagai Range
were thrust southward, against & in part, over the
northern side of Ras Koh. The Ras Koh rocks in turn
were probably thrust to the south, against & in part,
over the northern portion of the Makran accretionary
wedge. The three belts terminate to the east against
the Chaman Transform boundary.

19. Makran Margin
 This is the accretionary wedge of sediments developed
b/w a buried offshore trench & Quaternary volcanoes
& regarded as arc-trench gap.
 Arabian Plate, which is subducting beneath the
Makran Margin, dip gently northwards.
 Pakistani Makran is bounded b/w two strike slip fault
systems (Fig 3.8), to the west the Neh faults of Hari
Rud Zone & to the east the Chaman Transform Zone.

20.  The trench-arc gap measures 400-600 kms across,
about twice the width of a typical gap.
 The Makran Margin is an active plate boundary with
ongoing subduction at a rate of about 5 cm/year.

21. 3.Chaman Transform Zone
 This zone is mainly characterized by strike slip faulting
with minor thrust components. It connects the Makran
Convergent Margin in the south with Himalayan
Convergence Zone in the north.
 The width of the transform zone varies from north to
south. It is 100 kms wide in the south, narrows to 30-40
kms b/w Khuzdar & Quetta; widens abruptly to over
200 kms in Zhob Thrust Belt & then narrows gradually
towards the Kabul Block in the north.

22. 4.Zone of Ophiolites & Ophiolitic Melanges
 The eastern edge of the transform zone is
associated with ophiolites which are
believed to have been obducted upon the
sediments of the margin of the Indo-
Pakistan subcontinent. These are Zhob,
Waziristan, Muslimbagh & Bela ophiolites
(Fig 3.3).

23.  Bela ophilites were emplaced as a result of
oblique convergence b/w the Indian Plate &
the Neo-Tethys giving rise to an emergent
zone of tectonically mixed continental &
oceanic rocks.

24. 5.Platform Areas
 Platform Areas are the eastern most features of
Pakistan. These are relatively much stable areas where
generally monoclinal strata rest atop crystalline
basement (Indian Shield). Cambrian to Siwaliks aged
rocks seem to onlap against this basement.
 There seems to be no activity related to the basement.
However, the overlying strata are affected by the plate
collision.
 Platform areas form south-eatern part of Lower Indus
Basin.