Palaeomagnetism, North China and South China collision, and the Tan-Lu fault

Abstract

Refined Apparent Polar Wander (APW) paths for the North and South China Blocks (ncb and scb) are presented and the collision between the NCB and SCB discussed. We suggest that the amalgamation of the NCB and SCB was completed in the late Triassic-early Jurassic, during the Indosinian Orogeny. This proposed timing is based on an analysis of palaeomagnetic signatures relating to continental collisions, such as the convergence of palaeolatitude, deflections of declination, hairpin-like loops in and superposition of APW paths. Like the Cenozoic India—Eurasia collision, the Mesozoic NCB- SCB collision reactivated ancient faults in eastern China, converting some of them into transcurrent faults, of which the Tan-Lu fault is the most famous.