STRAIN PARTITIONING ALONG THE HIMALAYAN ARC AND THE NANGA-PARBAT ANTIFORM

Shortening along the Himalayan are of continental convergence is appro ximately in the radial direction. If the underthrusting foot-wall bloc k (India) is not deformed, the hanging-wall block (Tibet) needs to str etch along the are, as suggested by radial grabens in southern Tibet. In contrast, the Nanga Parbat-Haramosh massif and the western Himalaya n syntaxis are part of a 250-km-long antiform that strikes in the radi al direction (northeast) and verges northwest. The Nanga Parbat antifo rm is the structural and topographic expression of are-parallel shorte ning that compensates for are-parallel extension in southern Tibet. Th is shortening is predicted to be as high as 12 mm/yr.