Résumé
This chapter aims to review the general geological, petrological and geochemical characteristics of the Kohistan–Ladakh rocks and discusses the implications for the Himalayan Orogeny, as well as for the production of continental crust through arc magmatism. The Kohistan–Ladakh arc forms a coherent tectonic block within the Himalayan belt, although the Kohistan and Ladakh sections are separated by the Nanga Parbat syntaxis. The Shyok Suture Zone separates the Kohistan–Ladakh block from the Karakoram margin of Eurasia. The Indus Suture Zone in NW Ladakh is composed of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary units. The Kohistan–Ladakh paleo‐arc is composed of several major plutonic‐volcanic sections. According to their texture and geochemistry, plutonic rocks can be divided into two broad types; plutonic rocks with near melt chemical compositions and cumulates formed by the accumulation of mineral with some remaining melt.