Structural characteristics of middle and southern Xainza-Dinggye Normal Fault System and its relationship to Southern Tibetan Detachment System

The Xainza-Dinggye Normal Fault System (XDNFS) is a large-scale nearly-north-south trending extensional structure across central and southern Tibet. Its middle segment developed in Tethys Himalaya with features of earlier magmatic core complex and later normal faults dipping moderately to northwest-west. The magmatic core complex is made up by mylonitic leucogrante with a low-angle detachment fault on the top of it and overlain by lower-grade meta-sedimentary rocks. The structural pattern of the southern segment of XDNFS take the shape of a detachment fault dipping to southeast-east with the High-Himalayan rock series as the lower plate. The Southern Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) is expressed as a ductile shear zone composed of mylonitic leucogranite in the studied area of this note. STDS was cut by the later XDNFS, which presents that nearly-east-west striking STDS is not the controlling or adjusting structure of the nearly-north-south trending extensional structures. The origin of nearly-north-south trending extensional structures in Tibet may be the result of deform ational partition of north-south compression.