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following 26 genera and 35 species have Chhongtash Formation of Karakoram of Asselian to Artinskian age (ca. 299–276
been identified from the Tirit Bridge locality (Upadhyay et al., 1999b), Salt Range in Ma, early Permian) and record this age for
(Fig. 3A): Barakarites densicorpus Tiwari, Pakistan (Balme, 1970), Tethys Himalaya the first time, from the entire length and
1965; Crescentipollenites korbaensis (Tiwari) (Gothan and Sahni, 1937), Arunanchal width of Indus-Shyok sutures across the tec-
Bharadwaj, Tiwari and Kar, 1974; Distriatites Pradesh (Srivastava and Bhattacharyya, tonic collage of India-Asia continental colli-
bilateris Bharadwaj, 1962; Faunipollenites 1996), Antarctica (Barrett and Kyle, 1975), sion. It is remarkable to note that the palyno-
varius Bharadwaj emend. Tiwari et al., 1989; Australia (Kemp et al., 1977), South Africa flora assemblages have a strong affinity to
Ibisporites diplosaccus Tiwari, 1968; (Manum and Tien, 1973), and South America those that were recorded from the Lower
Lacinitriletes badamensis Venkatachala and (Souza, 2006). Gondwana stratigraphic units of peninsular
Kar, 1965; Lahirites parvus Bharadwaj and The assemblage at the Skuru locality India and in other Gondwanic domains
Salujha, 1964; Lunatisporites sp., Parasaccites (Fig. 3B) is dominated by a non-striate (Upadhyay et al., 1999b; Gothan and Sahni,
korbaensis Bharadwaj and Tiwari, 1964; bisaccate pollen grain and is represented 1937; Potonié and Lele, 1961; Balme, 1970;
Platysaccus brevizonatus Tiwari, 1968; by: Faunipollenites varius Bharadwaj and Manum and Tien, 1973; Barrett and Kyle,
Plicatipollenites trigonalis Lele, 1964; Salujha emend. Tiwari et al., 1989; F. perex- 1975; Kemp et al., 1977; Kyle, 1977;
Potonieisporites mutabilis Lele and Chandra, iguus Bharadwaj and Salujha emend. Tiwari Backhouse, 1991; Tiwari and Tripathi, 1992;
1971; Primuspollenites, Rhizomaspora indica, et al., 1989; F. magnus (Bose and Kar) Srivastava and Bhattacharyya, 1996; Souza
Scheuringipollenites tentulus Tiwari, 1973; Tiwari and Vijaya, 1989; F. goraiensis and Marques-Toigo, 2003; Souza, 2006, and
Striatites subtilis Bharadwaj and Salujha, Potonie and Lele, 1961; F. congoensis (Bose references therein).
1964; Striasulcites ovatus Venkatachala and and Kar) Tiwari et al., 1989; Ibisporites dip- Keeping in mind the global significance
Kar, 1968; Striatopodocarpites gondwanen- losaccus Tiwari, 1968; Parasaccites obscures of the Permian period of Gondwana super-
sis Lakhanpal, Sah and Dube, 1960; and Tiwari, 1965; Platysaccus hingirensis continent with regard to the palaeogeo-
Verticipollenites secretus Bharadwaj, 1962. Tiwari, 1968; Rhizomaspora indica Tiwari, graphic evolution of the Asian margin dur-
The genera found within the count (Fig. 3C) 1965; Scheuringipollenites barakarensis ing the late Palaeozoic to Palaeogene, it is
are Callumispora (3%–8%); Parasaccites Tiwari, 1973; S. minutes (Sinha) Bharadwaj prudent to denote that the existence of
(10%–15%); Plicatipollenites (8%–12%); and Dwivedi, 1981; S. maximus (Hart) Permian rocks, together with Palaeozoic
Potonieisporites (5%–10%); Rhizomaspora Tiwari, 1973; and Striomonosaccites ova- biogeographic data, firmly establishes a
(2%–3%); Primuspollenites (1%–2%); tus Bharadwaj, 1962, besides the occurrence Gondwanan origin for most of the peri-
Faunipollenites (2%–5%); Striatopodocarpites of Platysaccus Naumova emend. Potonie and Gondwanian (Cimmerian) microcontinents.
(3%–5%); Striatites (2%–3%); Scheuring- Klaus, 1954; Rhizomaspora Wilson, 1962; In particular, the identification of extensive
ipollenites (3%–4%); Vesicaspora (2%–4%); Striasulcites Venkatachala and Kar, 1968 and Early Permian pebbly mudstones in the
Striasulcites (1%–3%); Crescentipollenites Striatopodocarpites Soritscheva and Sedova region and the subsequent interpretation of
(2%–3%); Hamiapollenites (1%–2%); emend. Bharadwaj, 1962. The palynofloral these pebbly mudstones as glacial-marine
Distriatites (2%–3%); and the sporadic taxa assemblage is dominated by nonstriate bisac- deposits (Stauffer and Lee, 1986; Metcalfe,
(0%–1%) includes Lacinitriletes, Vertici- cate pollen Scheuringipollenites (40%) and 2006, and references therein). Therefore,
pollenites, Barakarites, Leiotriletes, Verru- striate bisaccate pollen Faunipollenites based on the assumption mentioned above,
cosisporites, Ibisporites, Lunatisporites, (35%), Ibisporites (3%), monosaccates pollen we suggest that the early Permian palyno-
Sahnites, Caheniasaccites, Corisaccites, Parasaccites (8%–10%), whereas the forms morphs bearing tectonic sliver of deformed
Ginkgocycadophytus, and Tetraporina (Figs. Platysaccus, Rhizomaspora, Striasulcites and pebbly mudstone, which is entrapped in the
3A and 3C). Striatopodocarpites are sporadic (1%–2%) Ophiolitic Mélange of the Shyok Suture,
The dominance of Parasaccites and sub- (Fig. 3B). have a close affinity to those of peri-
dominance of Plicatipollenites in Tirit The dominance of nonstriate bisaccate Gondwanian (Cimmerian) origin.
Bridge samples point to an Asselian age pollen Scheuringipollenites (40%) and stri- It is well known that the peri-Gondwanan
(early Permian; 299–297 Ma); however, ate bisaccate pollen Faunipollenites (35%) (Cimmerian) tectonic elements and early
the presence of monosaccates (Parasaccites, in the Skuru samples favors an Artinskian Permian exposures are well distributed in
Plicatipollenites) in association with (late Cisuralian, ca. 284–276 Ma) age. the Shyok Suture vicinity; i.e., the Karakoram
Callpumispora spp. Faunipollenites spp., These palynofloral assemblages are similar terrane to the north and the Qiangtang-Lhasa
Straitopodocarpites spp., Crescentipollenites to those established from the Barakar blocks to the ENE and ESE, respectively. It is
spp., and the First Appearance Datum Formation of Gondwana assemblage of quite evident that a thin flake of active
(FADs) species of Barakarites gondwanen- India (Tiwari and Tripathi, 1992); Antarctica continental margin of these peri-Gondwanic
sis Maithy, 1965, and Scheuringipollenites (Kyle, 1977); Collie Basin Australia (Kemp microcontinents/Kshiroda plate (Jagoutz et
barakarensis Tiwari, 1973, points to a et al., 1977); Ketawaka and Songwe-Kiwira al., 2015) were sliced off during the course of
Sakmarian age (early Permian; 297–284 Coalfield in Tanzania, Africa (Manum and the subduction/collision process, between
Ma). The aforementioned palynofloral Tien, 1973); and South America (Souza and Ladakh and Karakoram–Qiangtang-Lhasa
assemblage is similar to those observed Marques-Toigo, 2003). blocks, and amalgamated with obducted
from the Parasaccites korbaensis zone remnants of accretionary prism of the
(Tiwari and Tripathi, 1992) of Upper Talchir TECTONIC IMPLICATION nascent Shyok Suture. The Shyok Suture
(Asselian) and the Karharbari Formation The palynoflora assemblages from the closed during the mid- to Late Cretaceous
(Sakmarian) of Gondwana assemblage of pebbly mudstone unit of the Shyok Suture period. Subsequent syn- and post-collision
peninsular India (Potonié and Lele, 1961), Zone (Figs. 1–3) dates these metasediments synkinematic episodes were responsible for

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