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Opening of the Tethys in southwest China and its significance to the breakup of East Gondwanaland in late Paleozoic: Evidence from SHRIMP U-Pb zircon analyses for the Garzê ophiolite block

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Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon analyses for a gabbro sample from the Garzê ophiolite block yielded a mean206Pb/238U age of 292 ±4 Ma, which indicated that the spreading time of the Garzê-Litang Tethys was most likely at the earliest Permian. Combined with previous studies, we suggest that the opening of the Tethys in southwest China was derived from breakup of the East Gondwanaland in the late Paleozoic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 100037, Beijing, China

    Quanren Yan, Zongqi Wang, Hongyuan Zhang & Tao Wang

  2. Beijing SHRIMP Center, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 100037, Beijing, China

    Quanren Yan, Dunyi Liu, Yuruo Shi & Ping Jian

  3. School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China

    Shuwen Liu & Qiugen Li

  4. School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, 100029, Beijing, China

    Jianguo Wang & Dehui Zhang

  5. Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 100081, Beijing, China

    Jian Zhao

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  1. Quanren Yan
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Yan, Q., Wang, Z., Liu, S. et al. Opening of the Tethys in southwest China and its significance to the breakup of East Gondwanaland in late Paleozoic: Evidence from SHRIMP U-Pb zircon analyses for the Garzê ophiolite block. Chin.Sci.Bull. 50, 256–264 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02897536

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