The Herat-Panjshir-Badakhshan—the Paleo-Tethys—suture zone of Afghanistan marks the vestige of the subducted Paleozoic-early Mesozoic Paleo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere. We investigate the evolution of rocks north of this suture in the Hindu Kush and Pamir of Afghanistan. Our study identifies Carboniferous and Middle-Late Triassic continental arc magmatism, Paleo-Tethys oceanic relicts, and a mostly Middle Triassic accretionary wedge that underwent Late Triassic amphibolite-facies metamorphism and migmatization.

The Supporting Information to the publication provides: data tables of the analytical results (Tables S1, S3, and S4); a summary of the U-Th-Pb petrochronology (Table S2); a stratigraphic column of the hanging wall (north side in present coordinates) of the Paleo-Tethys suture zone (Turan-Karakum block) (Figure S1); a graphical representation of the U-Th-Pb petrochronology and specific zircon, titanite, and allanite trace element relationships (Figure S2); 40Ar/39Ar spectra and inverse isochron plots (Figure S3); rock classification diagrams with a petrographic thin-section documentation (Figure S4); and supplementary geochemistry plots (Figures S5 and S6).

U-Th-Pb petrochronology, Ar/Ar thermochronology, major-, trace-element- and isotope geochemisty