The continental tectonics of China

Early Cambrian palaeobiogeography of the Zhenba–Fangxian Block (South China): Independent terrane or part of the Yangtze Platform?

“…Though no significant proof of an orogeny or ultramafic rocks were reported between the Zhenba-Fangxian and the Yangtze blocks, or the Zhenba-Fangxian Block and the South Qinling Terrane, the ZhenbaFangxian and adjacent regions may have expericened "soft collisions" (Ren, 1996;Ren et al, 1999;Kröner et al, 2014). The "soft collisions" may have led to the assembly of the various terranes at the northern margin of Yangtze Craton, and resemble the collisional history during the Cambrian/Ordovician in the Central Asian Orogeny Belt (Kröner et al, 2014) where some terrane fragments (e.g.…”

Nd and Sr isotopic characteristics of Chinese deserts: Implications for the provenances of Asian dust

“…The Chinese continent consists of more than 20 blocks/cratons by multiple colliding and aggregating (e.g., Ren, 1994). These small and micro cratons were inserted within orogenic belts and most of the present mountain ranges in North China are located on the boundaries of these blocks (Fig.…”

Structural and geochronological constraints on the tectonic evolution of the Dulong-Song Chay tectonic dome in Yunnan province, SW China

“…The South China Block consists of the Yangtze Block to the northwest, the Jiangnan orogenic belt in the middle and the Cathaysian Block to the southeast (Ren, 1990(Ren, , 1996Yan et al, 2003a) (Fig. 1).…”

“…Rifting in Sinian to Cambrian time produced the Paleotethyan Ocean along the southwestern section of this belt. The ocean basin was partially closed at the end of the early Paleozoic but a remnant was preserved until the early Mesozoic (Guo et al, 1985Ren, 1990Ren, , 1996Charvet et al, 1996;Chen et al, 1991;Ma, 1999;Yin et al, 1999;Zhong et al, 1999;Dong and Zhu, 2000;Dong et al, 2002;Yan et al, 2003a). To the south, the Indochina Block was amalgamated with the South China Block (including the Yangtze and Cathaysia Blocks) along the Jinshajiang-Ailao Shan and Song Ma suture zones at (Findlay and Trinh, 1997) and Ailaoshan-Red River fault (ASRR) and the location of the Dulong area.…”