Geological Field Guide to the Himalaya in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet
Product code: GA076
Print publication date: 29/11/2022
Geologists' Association, Geologists' Association Guides, Regional Geology and General Interest, GeoGifts
Type: Book (Paperback)
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 9781999675738
Author/Edited by: by Dr Daniel Clark-Lowes
Weight: 0.51kg
Number of pages: 176
£17.00
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Product Code: GA076
by Dr Daniel Clark-Lowes
GA Guide 76
The text of this guide follows the route of a ‘megatransect’ from the Indian Plate across the Himalayan Mountain Range to the Tibetan Plateau on the Eurasian Plate. The transect takes the reader through the Siwaliks of southern Nepal and then on to a section up the Kali Gandaki River of west central Nepal, a tributary of the Ganges River that marks the western side of the Annapurna Circuit trekking route. Here the metamorphic and sedimentary rocks of the Lesser, Greater and Tethyan Himalayan Series can be studied in turn, going northwards. ‘Diversions’ are taken to Mount Manaslu, in Nepal, and to Bhutan to provide better understanding of the leucogranites of the Greater Himalayan Series.
Next, a dogleg in the megatransect takes the reader to Ladakh where volcanic and deep-water sedimentary rocks of the Indus Tsangpo Suture Zone can be seen together with evidence of deep burial down a subduction zone. Onward then to look at Tibetan terranes on the Eurasian Plate, where granitic batholiths are well exposed. Syn- and post-collisional molasse can be studied in Ladakh’s Indus Basin, lying over the Indus Tsangpo Suture Zone.
A ‘leap’ south-eastwards to study comparable Oligo-Miocene conglomerates goes along the suture to the sacred Mount Kailas, thereby completing the megatransect. There is also a diversion to examine Quaternary sediments in the Kali Gandaki valley and another to look at the evolution of the four holy rivers: the Indus, the Yarlung-Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, the Sutlej and the Ganges. At each stage of the megatransect there is a brief explanation of the processes involved (e.g. metamorphism, plate tectonics) for non-specialists.
Geological field guides hold vital importance in Earth science for education, mapping, and detailed field excursions. This field guide to the Himalayas by Clark Lowes follows a “megatransect”, where the tectonics, structure, and major geological features of the Himalayas are explored. The first of two legs takes us to west central Nepal to explore the Outer Himalayas (Siwaliks), Lesser Himalayas, Greater Himalayas, and Tethys Himalayas, while the second leg takes us to the Leh-Ladakh region to explore the Indus suture zone. Between these two legs, the Quaternary sediments from the Kali Gandaki River valley and its famous upside-down stratigraphy are discussed in detail. Mount Kailas has been given a separate chapter on the post-collisional, non-marine deposits of the Himalayas, with special emphasis on Professor Augusto Gansser’s legacy, the Great Counter Thrust of the Tibetan Plateau. After this, the author takes us to the four sacred rivers that have their sources near Mount Kailas, examining their geological, eomorphological, societal, and cultural significance. A brief account of the pioneering geologists who shaped the science of the Himalayas and beyond is given, including: Sir Richard Strachey, who made the first cross section of the Himalayas; Dr J. B. Auden, who first observed inverse metamorphism in the Himalayas; and Dr D. N. Wadia, India’s most celebrated geologist, and the first Indian-educated geologist to be employed by the Geological Survey of India in 1921. The book concludes by summarising the features of the entire transect. The guide offers detailed information of the megatransect and explains its geomorphology, tectonics, structure, and stratigraphy with the help of various cross sections, river profiles, and stunning photographs, which help the reader’s visualisation and understanding. The photographs are beautifully described and well organised throughout. At the end of the guide, the author provides a list of useful maps and resources to carry out your own field excursions and expand your understanding of Himalayan geology. This detailed guide is one-of-a-kind for the Himalayan collision zone, beneficial for both budding and experienced geologists working in the Himalayas and across the world who want to understand and explore more of this young collision zone.
Reviewed by R. Arun Prasath, Geoscientist, Summer 2025.
