In the Trans-Indus Ranges along the western part of the northwest Himalayan thrust front, unconformities, changes in paleocurrent directions, and locally derived conglomerates in synorogenic foreland basin deposits provide evidence for major local deformation at ≥3.5 Ma. The tectonic history of the Trans-Indus Ranges has previously been described in terms of a single episode of major thrusting at ≤1 Ma, thus our work implies that there were two distinct phases of deformation. In conjunction with published evidence in the Salt Range to the east for two phases of deformation (~6 to 5 Ma, and ~2.5 Ma to present), this study demonstrates that these two phases of deformation are regionally significant and probably correlative along the entire present-day NW Himalayan thrust front. Reconstruction of possible source areas for the locally derived conglomerates shows that the earlier deformation is probably related to normal faulting. These results suggest that the tectonic evolution of the area along the present-day thrust front is characterized by (1) latest Miocene to early Pliocene formation of north dipping normal fault zones (total throw ≥ 600 m) within the foreland basin, related to syn-orogenic flexure of the Indian plate, and (2) late Pliocene to early Pleistocene initiation of south directed thrusting along the present-day thrust front, related to outward growth of the NW Himalayan thrust wedge. The location of the present-day thrust front appears to be controlled by north dipping normal faults and monoclines that formed during the earlier deformation and subsequently localized structural ramps during later thrusting. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union