Macroeconomics

Tectonics

Linguistics

Philosophy

Convergence (economics)

Economics

Subduction

Earth science

Geology

Paleontology

Structural basin

Paleogene

Forearc

Burmese

Geological Society of America Bulletin

Research Article| November 20, 2018 Paleogene evolution of the Burmese forearc basin and implications for the history of India-Asia convergence Alexis Licht; Alexis Licht † 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA †licht@uw.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Guillaume Dupont-Nivet; Guillaume Dupont-Nivet 2Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France3Potsdam University, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, 14476 Potsdam, Germany4Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Zaw Win; Zaw Win 5Geology Department, Shwe Bo University, Sagaing Region, Myanmar Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hnin Hnin Swe; Hnin Hnin Swe 6Geology Department, University of Yangon, Pyay Road, Yangon, Myanmar Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Myat Kaythi; Myat Kaythi 6Geology Department, University of Yangon, Pyay Road, Yangon, Myanmar Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Pierrick Roperch; Pierrick Roperch 2Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Tamas Ugrai; Tamas Ugrai 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Virginia Littell; Virginia Littell 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Diana Park; Diana Park 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jan Westerweel; Jan Westerweel 2Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Dominic Jones; Dominic Jones 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Fernando Poblete; Fernando Poblete 2Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France7Instituto de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad de O’Higgins, Rancagua, Chile Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Day Wa Aung; Day Wa Aung 6Geology Department, University of Yangon, Pyay Road, Yangon, Myanmar Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Huasheng Huang; Huasheng Huang 8Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Carina Hoorn; Carina Hoorn 8Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kyaing Sein Kyaing Sein 9Myanmar Geosciences Society, Yangon, Myanmar Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Alexis Licht † 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Guillaume Dupont-Nivet 2Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France3Potsdam University, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, 14476 Potsdam, Germany4Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China Zaw Win 5Geology Department, Shwe Bo University, Sagaing Region, Myanmar Hnin Hnin Swe 6Geology Department, University of Yangon, Pyay Road, Yangon, Myanmar Myat Kaythi 6Geology Department, University of Yangon, Pyay Road, Yangon, Myanmar Pierrick Roperch 2Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Tamas Ugrai 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Virginia Littell 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Diana Park 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Jan Westerweel 2Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Dominic Jones 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Fernando Poblete 2Géosciences Rennes, UMR CNRS 6118, Université de Rennes, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France7Instituto de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad de O’Higgins, Rancagua, Chile Day Wa Aung 6Geology Department, University of Yangon, Pyay Road, Yangon, Myanmar Huasheng Huang 8Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands Carina Hoorn 8Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands Kyaing Sein 9Myanmar Geosciences Society, Yangon, Myanmar †licht@uw.edu Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 05 Apr 2018 Revision Received: 18 Jul 2018 Accepted: 04 Sep 2018 First Online: 21 Nov 2018 Online Issn: 1943-2674 Print Issn: 0016-7606 © 2018 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2019) 131 (5-6): 730–748. https://doi.org/10.1130/B35002.1 Article history Received: 05 Apr 2018 Revision Received: 18 Jul 2018 Accepted: 04 Sep 2018 First Online: 21 Nov 2018 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Alexis Licht, Guillaume Dupont-Nivet, Zaw Win, Hnin Hnin Swe, Myat Kaythi, Pierrick Roperch, Tamas Ugrai, Virginia Littell, Diana Park, Jan Westerweel, Dominic Jones, Fernando Poblete, Day Wa Aung, Huasheng Huang, Carina Hoorn, Kyaing Sein; Paleogene evolution of the Burmese forearc basin and implications for the history of India-Asia convergence. GSA Bulletin 2018;; 131 (5-6): 730–748. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B35002.1 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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The geological history of the Burmese subduction margin, where India obliquely subducts below Indochina, remains poorly documented although it is key to deciphering geodynamic models for the evolution of the broader Tibetan-Himalayan orogen. Various scenarios for the evolution of the orogen have been proposed, including a collision of India with Myanmar in the Paleogene, a significant extrusion of Myanmar and Indochina from the India-Asia collision zone, or very little change in paleogeography and subduction regime since the India-Asia collision. This article examines the history of the Burmese forearc basin, with a particular focus on Eocene–Oligocene times to reconstruct the evolution of the Burmese margin during the early stages of the India-Asia collision. We report on sedimentological, geochemical, petrographical, and geochronological data from the Chindwin Basin—the northern part of the Burmese forearc—and integrate these results with previous data from other basins in central Myanmar.Our results show that the Burmese margin acted as a regular Andean-type subduction margin until the late middle Eocene, with a forearc basin that was open to the trench and fed by the denudation of the Andean volcanic arc to the east. We show that the modern tectonic configuration of central Myanmar formed 39–37 million years ago, when the Burmese margin shifted from an Andean-type margin to a hyper-oblique margin. The forearc basin was quickly partitioned into individual pull-apart basins, bounded to the west by a quickly emerged accretionary prism, and to the east by synchronously exhumed basement rocks, including coeval high-grade metamorphics. We interpret this shift as resulting from the onset of strike-slip deformation on the subduction margin leading to the formation of a paleo-sliver plate, with a paleo fault system in the accretionary prism, pull-apart basins in the forearc, and another paleo fault system in the backarc. This evolution implies that hyper-oblique convergence below the Burmese margin is at least twice older than previously thought. Our results reject any India-Asia convergence scenario involving an early Paleogene collision of India with Myanmar. In contrast, our results validate conservative geodynamic models arguing for a close-to-modern pre-collisional paleogeometry for the Indochina Peninsula, and indicate that any post-collisional rotation of Indochina, if it occurred at all, must have been achieved by the late middle Eocene. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Paleogene evolution of the Burmese forearc basin and implications for the history of India-Asia convergence