Recent Trips
Nepal 1999	The Main Central Thrust is the dominant tectonic structure of the Himalayan range. At most locations, the footwall of this thrust is characterized by an inverted metamorphic gradient (i.e., hot rocks atop cold rocks). The results of our research indicate that the inverted metamorphism is more apparent than real, upending the traditional view and requiring substantial changes to the way we understand the evolution of the Himalayas. This past spring we (Mark Harrison, Santa Man Rai, and Karen McBride and I) surveyed the Dudh Kosi, the drainage leading to Everest base camp in Nepal. Our previous work in central Nepal indicated that the Main Central Thrust had been active ~10-18 million years more recently than previously reported. To explore the lateral extent of this exciting result, we chose to sample further east along the Everest transect. Ages of minerals that cannot be seen with the naked eye yielded significant insight into the evolution of Himalayan mountain range and have implications for our understanding of how plates interact in collisional tectonic settings.   Along the Dudh Kosi, near Mt. Everest. (Mark Harrison on my left and Santa Man Rai on the right).
Karen's photos
China 1998: A summer on the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau near the Altyn Tagh Fault.
Nepal 1997 : Along the Marysandi River in central Nepal.
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