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Abstract


Pangea: Global Environments and Resources — Memoir 17, 1994
Pages 97-111
Regional Paleogeography and Tectonics

Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic Palaeogeography of Eastern Pangea and Tethys

Ian Metcalfe

Abstract

The evolution of eastern Pangea and Tethys during the late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic involved rifting of continental slivers/fragments from northeastern Gondwanaland, northwards drift and amalgamation/accretion to form proto East Asia. Three continental slivers or collages of terranes were rifted from the northeast margin of Gondwanaland in the Silurian-Early Devonian (North China, South China, Indochina/East Malaya, Qamdo-Simao and Tarim terranes), Early-Middle Permian (The Cimmerian continent, including the Sibumasu, Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes) and Late Jurassic (West Burma terrane, Woyla terranes). The northwards drift of these terranes was effected by the opening and closing of three successive Tethys oceans, the Palaeo-Tethys, Meso-Tethys and Ceno-Tethys.

Assembly of Gondwanaland-derived terranes to form a major part of Asia took place between the late Palaeozoic and Cenozoic, but the precise timings of amalgamation and accretion are still controversial. Amalgamation of South China and Indochina/East Malaya occurred during the Early Carboniferous along the Song Ma Suture to form “Cathaysialand”. Cathaysialand and North China formed large continental regions within the Palaeotethys during the Late Carboniferous and Permian. Palaeomagnetic data indicate that these continental regions were in equatorial to low northern palaeolatitudes, which is consistent with the tropical Cathaysian flora developed on these terranes. The Tarim terrane (together with the Kunlun, Qaidam and Ala Shan terranes) accreted to Kazakstan/Siberia in the Permian. Opening of the Meso-Tethys occurred as a result of the rifting and northward drifting of the Cimmerian continent from Northeast Gondwanaland. This was followed by the suturing of Sibumasu and Qiangtang to Cathaysialand in the Late Permian - Early Triassic, largely closing the Palaeo-Tethys. North and South China amalgamated in the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic and finally accreted to Laurasia around the same time. The Lhasa terrane accreted to the Sibumasu-Qiangtang terrane in the Late Jurassic and the Kurosegawa terrane of Japan, believed derived from Australian Gondwanaland, also accreted to Japanese Eurasia in the Late Jurassic. The West Burma and Woyla terranes drifted northwards during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous as the Ceno-Tethys opened and the Meso-Tethys was destroyed by subduction beneath Eurasia. They were accreted to proto-Southeast Asia in the Early to Late Cretaceous. The Southwest Borneo and Semitau terranes amalgamated to each other and accreted to Indochina/East Malaya in the Late Cretaceous. The nature and origin of the small Hainanese terranes is still debatable, but they must have reached their current position relative to South China sometime in the Jurassic-Cretaceous.

A series of palaeogeographic reconstructions of eastern Pangea and Tethys are presented which show postulated palaeo-positions of the various continental blocks and fragments and successive Tethys oceans during the late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic.


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