Triple-stage India-Asia collision involving arc-continent collision and subsequent two-stage continent-continent collision

The enigmatic geodynamic processes involved in the India-Asia collision shape our understanding of uplift and deformation Tibetan Plateau subsequent changes land-sea distribution pattern, monsoon-arid environments biotic evolution Central-Eastern Asia. However, current models dealing with history exhibit significant discrepancies how, when where exactly India Asia occurred. Recently, we proposed a new hypothesis that favored opening closure North Sea during late Cretaceous to Paleogene. Here present additional paleomagnetic data from red siliceous shales cherts Sangdanlin Formation, which were deposited on most distal continental margin Tethyan Himalaya terrane, i.e. southern Neo-Tethys Ocean, middle Paleocene. combination previously reported shows was at paleolatitude 14.1° ± 1.9°N interval 62.5–59.2 Ma refines maximum size about 2200 500 km. Combining model recently published Kohistan-Ladakh arc, conclude triple-stage process, an arc-continent followed by two-stage continent-continent collision. occurred ca. 64 between (Tethyan plus Greater Himalaya) Trans-Tethyan subduction zone ~8°N. initial took place 61 (plus accreted zone) Lhasa terranes ~14°N. final 53–47 Himalaya, diachronously suturing west east. scenario is agreement convergence rates, reflected presence three slab remnants below Tibet as documented seismic tomographic imaging. Our updated reconciles multidisciplinary evidence for provides better constraints resulting paleoclimatic paleoenvironmental