Abstract:

The classification of the Ocean Plate Strata (OPS) in China has been proposed and the palaeogeographic distribution of the OPS and NeoproterozoicCenozoic tectonic evolutions in China have been summarized, based on the idea of tectonic facies analysis and numerous materials used in the editing of the “Sedimentary Tectonic Map of China (1∶2500000)”. The tectonic evolutions of the six major belts in China have been outlined in this paper. The oceancontinent converting of the PaleoAsian Ocean in northern China presented diachronous phenomenon from west to east, namely, the converting taking place in the EarlyLate Carboniferous in the west, and in the MiddleLate Permian in the east. The KuanpingFoziling ophiolitic mélange zone is considered as a product of the demise of the ocean between North China and Yangtze. The oceancontinent converting of the Central Orogenic Belt of China happened during the late Late Ordovician along the QilianAltun area in the north and took place in the late Early Triassic along the KunlunQinling area in the south. The LongmucuoShuanghu, ChangningMenglian, BangonghuNujiang mélange zone in Tibet is regarded as the suture zone between Laurasia and Gondwanaland continents and was formed during the Cambrian to the Early Cretaceous, marking the evolution from the ProtoTethys to PaleoTethys. The JiangshaoChenzhouQinfang mélange zone is considered as another suture zone, marking the demise of Huanan Ocean between Yangtze Block and Cathay AccretedBlock, and the main collision of them happened in the Late Ordovician to the Early Silurian.