North and South China collision along the eastern and southern North China margins

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Lithofacies distribution and petrography and intracontinental deformation in the North China block (NCB) and the South China block (SCB) show an active continental margin flanked by the eastern NCB, and a passive continental margin was present along the west side of the SCB, both margins initially trending N-NE. The Tanlu fault possibly initiated as part of the subduction zone during Paleozoic time along the eastern margin on the NCB. The NCB and the SCB were divided along the eastern–southern North China margin by the Qinling–Dabie–Tanlu–Sulu–Imjingang–Yanji zone from southwest to northeast. These two continental blocks made contact first in the northeast during late Early Permian time, finally in the southeast at Late Triassic time, and the clockwise collision probably lasted to Middle Jurassic time. The eastern suture, the Yanji–Imjingang–Sulu–Tanlu zone, was dominated by contractional deformation. The southern suture, the Qinling–Dabie zone, was a transpression belt dominated by right-lateral strike-slip.