Petrogenesis and tectonomagmatic environment of Naranag granites from Northwestern Kashmir Himalaya, India

• Naranag granites are two-mica granites exhibiting peraluminous characteristics. • Partial melting of metasedimentary sources in a syn-collisional tectonic environment. • These granites are analogous to the Pan-African thermal event. Granites represent a fundamental component of the continental crust and provide valuable insights into crustal growth, recycling, and tectono-magmatic evolution through Earth’s history. The Early Paleozoic granitoids in the Himalaya are of particular significance as they record the influence of the Pan-African event (ca. 600–500 Ma), a major tectono-thermal event related with the assembly of Gondwana. Despite the occurance of numerous Pan-African granitoids across the Himalaya, several intrusions remain poorly characterized. One such body is the Naranag granites (NG) of the northwestern Himalaya, exposed over ∼15 km² in Ganderbal District, Kashmir. This study integrates detailed field relationships, petrographic observations, and whole-rock geochemistry to investigate the petrogenesis, source characteristics, and tectonic setting of the Naranag pluton. Field observations reveal that the Naranag granites are medium to coarse grained, whitish grey, and largely undeformed, with quartz, k-feldspar, plagioclase, and biotite ± muscovite minerals present. Pegmatitic and aplitic veins with tourmaline reflect late-stage magmatic evolution. Petrographic features, including graphic textures, perthitic intergrowths, and the presence of garnet and tourmaline, confirm a peraluminous, two-mica (S-type) affinity. Geochemical analyses show high SiO₂ (68.7–70.5 wt.%), elevated alkalis (Na₂O + K₂O = 8.3–9.1 wt.%), high alumina saturation indices (ASI =1.65–1.77), and enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb, Ba, K, Pb) with depletion in high-field-strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti). These features, along with negative Ba–Sr anomalies and decreasing MgO, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, and CaO with increasing SiO₂, reflect partial melting of metagraywacke-dominated lower crust under water-undersaturated conditions, followed by fractional crystallization of feldspars and biotite. Tectonic setting plots (Rb–Y–Nb; Rb vs. Y + Nb) and calc-alkaline affinity indicate emplacement in a syn-collisional to volcanic arc setting, consistent with other Early Paleozoic granitoids of the Himalaya, such as the Hant and Dalhousie granites, and comparable Pan-African intrusions globally. The Naranag granites thus represent a crust-derived melt generated during crustal thickening and orogenic heating associated with the Pan-African tectono-thermal regime. Their geochemical affinity and mineralogical signatures provide evidence for widespread Early Paleozoic granitic magmatism across the Himalaya linked to the assembly of Gondwana. This study highlights the significance of the Naranag granites as a key but previously underexplored record of Pan-African magmatism in the northwestern Himalaya. Future isotopic and geochronological investigations are recommended to refine their emplacement age and further constrain the relative contributions of crustal versus mantle sources in their genesis.