CRAGAI MAGMATIC ARC

North of the Kharan depression, the Chagai arc is an east-west-trending, arcuate,

south-yergingmagmatic belt comprised of Cretaceous to Tertiary sediments and
volcanics. It is intruded by Tertiarygranites, diorites and mafic dykes and sills. Small
tectonised blocks of ultramafic rocks occur in thesouthern part (Ras Koh Range).
Quaternary volcanoes dot the landscape in the northwestern section of the arc (Fig.
4.45). This magmatic arc forms a part of the Makran trench arc system on the
southernmargin of the Afghan and Lut blocks (Jacob et a1. 1979). It comprises three
main tectoniccomponents. From north to south these are: (i) the North Chagai .calcalkaline. and magmatic belt, (ii)Mirjawa-Dalbandin trough and (iii) the Ras Koh uplift
block (Kazmi and Rana 1982). Eastward theChagai arc is abruptly truncated by the
Chaman Fault (Photo. 15,Fig. 4.47.The Chagai magmatic arc has been discussed in
detail in Chapters 5, 6 and 7. Its generalstratigraphy and geochronology has been
summarised in Table 4.9. From the fore-going account it isclear that the
Kakarkhorasan, Makran and Chagai regions are all parts of Makran-Chagai trencharcsystem which developed in response to northward movement of the Indian and
Arabian plates andsubduction of the Neotethys under the southern margin of the
Afghan block (see Chapter 3).Cretaceous submarine volcanism associated with
periodic uplift eventually led to the formation of Chagai andesitic volcanic arc. It
appears that the Ras Koh tectonic block formed at about the sametime south of the
Mirjawa-Dalbandin trough. The origin of this block is not clear though variousmodels
have been proposed (see Chapter 6). There is evidence of ophiolite obduction,
metamorphism,magmatism and deformation between Late Cretaceous and Early
Paleocene. This was followed bydeposition of turbidites with syndepositional
deformation and Paleocene volcanism. Northwardsubduction of the oceanic
lithosphere and development of the Makran trench started between LateEocene and
Early Oligocene and apparently