Abstract
This chapter outlines Plate tectonic interpretations of the geological data in Fujian showing that South East (SE) China is a collage of several different continental blocks. The dominant geological concept of Cathysia and its related controversies in the basement geology of SE China is therefore not as meaningful as it has been stressed. The west Fujian Mesozoic foreland basin resulted because of an early Mesozoic continental collision to the south between the South China block and the South China Sea block. The tectonic and stratigraphic evolution of the basin shows that the related orogeny in the region is a mild and continuous process. Two main unconformities within the molasse and separating the molasse from the underlying flysch necessitate a reevaluation of the “Indosinian” and “Yanshanian” movements in SE China. The Mesozoic tectonics along the East Fujian Tectonic Zone indicates a transition from a left-lateral shear regime to one of convergence involving subduction and collision. This transition typifies the east Eurasian margin and plays an important role in the accretion of continents in the region. The Mesozoic tectonics of Fujian shows that both Tethyan and Pacific plates are fundamental in the shaping of Meso-Cenozoic SE China.
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