Late Miocene–Pliocene deceleration of dextral slip between Pamir and Tarim: Implications for Pamir orogenesis

The timing of the late Cenozoic collision between the Pamir salient and the Tien Shan as well as changes in the relative motion between the Pamir and Tarim are poorly constrained. The northern margin of the Pamir salient indented northward by ~ 300 km during the late Cenozoic, accommodated by south-dipping intracontinental subduction along the Main Pamir Thrust (MPT) coupled to strike-slip faults on the eastern flank of the orogen and both strike-slip and thrust faults on the western margin. The Kashgar–Yecheng transfer system (KYTS) is the main dextral slip shear zone separating Tarim from the Eastern Pamir, with an estimated cumulative offset of ~ 280 km at an average late Cenozoic dextral slip rate of 11–15 mm/a (Cowgill, 2010). In order to better constrain the slip history of the KYTS, we collected thermochronologic samples along the eastward-flowing, deeply incised, antecedent Tashkorgan–Yarkand River, which crosses the fault system on the eastern flank of the orogen. We present 29 new biotite 40Ar/39Ar ages, apatite and zircon (U–Th–Sm)/He ages, and apatite fission track (AFT) analysis, combined with published muscovite and biotite 40Ar/39Ar and AFT data, to create a unique thermochronologic dataset in this poorly studied and remote region. We constrain the timing of four major N-trending faults; the latter three are strands of the KYTS. The westernmost, the Kuke fault, experienced significant dip-slip, west-side-up displacement between > 12 and 6 Ma. To the east, within the KYTS, our new thermochronologic data and geomorphic observations suggest that the Kumtag and Kusilaf dextral slip faults have been inactive since at least 3–5 Ma. Long-term incision rates across the Aertashi dextral slip fault, the easternmost strand of the KYTS, are compatible with slow horizontal slip rates of 1.7–5.3 mm/a over the past 3 to 5 Ma. In summary, these data show that the slip rate of the KYTS decreased substantially during the late Miocene or Pliocene. Furthermore, Miocene–present regional kinematic reconstructions suggest that this deceleration reflects the substantial increase of northward motion of Tarim rather than a significant decrease of the northward velocity of the Pamir.

Research Highlights
► Dextral Kashgar–Yecheng transfer system (KYTS) separates Tarim from Pamir.
► Yarkand River gorge incision rate compatible with slow Pliocene KYTS offset.
► Thermochronology suggests KYTS almost inactive since at least 3–5 Ma.
► Deceleration of KYTS reflects increase of northward motion of Tarim.
► North Pamir northward velocity may not have changed significantly during Neogene.