The high-pressure Karla tectonic unit: A remnant shear zone associated with the ultra-high pressure Tso Morari Dome, eastern Ladakh (India), NW Himalaya

A new mappable tectonostratigraphic unit, the Karla tectonic unit (KTU) was recognized in eastern Ladakh, Himalaya (India). The KTU rocks of garnet bearing blueschist constitute one of two blueschist zones. The rocks of this newly recognized zone record a low temperature prograde path to peak conditions estimated at 565+/-15°C and 13+/-2 kbar while their retrograde path mimics the prograde path.;Field observations of the strongly deformed KTU schists suggest that the KTU represents a remnant of a shear zone of ophiolitic melange. The KTU is in tectonic contact with the ultra-high pressure (UHP) Tso Morari Dome (TMD) along the Karla fault, a major fault which aided in the subduction and exhumation of the TMD. Late excision by normal faulting has removed the KTU and the Karla fault from surrounding areas.