Strain softening along the MCT zone from the Sikkim Himalaya: Relative roles of Quartz and Micas

In the Darjeeling – Sikkim Himalaya, two distinct faults form the Main Central thrust (MCT), the structurally higher MCT1 and the lower MCT2; each has accommodated translation greater than 100 km. The lower MCT2 places Greater Himalayan amphibolite grade Paro-Lingtse gneiss over Lesser Himalayan greenschist grade Daling metapelites. The MCT2 is folded by the underlying Lesser Himalayan duplex and is exposed at different structural positions of the fold. At Pelling, the MCT2 zone is exposed as a ∼373 m thick NW dipping fault zone that exposes ∼19 m of hanging wall mylonitized Lingtse gneiss.The Lingtse protolith shows evidence of amphibolite grade plastic deformation features in quartz and feldspar. Within the hanging wall mylonite zone (HWMZ), quartz and feldspar have undergone grain-size reduction by different deformation mechanisms and feldspars are sericitized suggesting the presence of fluids during deformation. We estimate a temperature of ∼300 °C within the fault zone during fluid-assisted retrogression and deformation. Reaction softening of feldspars produced a large proportion of intrinsically weak matrix. This, in combination with development of a strong foliation defined by parallel mica grains, resulted in strain softening along the MCT2 zone, and concentrated the deformation along a thin zone or zones.

► In the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, two distinct faults form the MCT.
► The structurally lower MCT2 is exposed as ∼19 m thick hanging wall mylonite zone.
► Reaction softening of feldspars led to strain softening along the MCT2 zone.
► This allowed translation of ≥100 km along a relatively thin fault zone.