Reply to Comment by Zhao et al. on “Paleomagnetism of the Late Cretaceous Red Beds From the Far Western Lhasa Terrane: Inclination Discrepancy and Tectonic Implications”

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AbstractIn this manuscript, we checked all the pieces of evidence separately and conclude that the evidence Zhao et al. (2021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020TC006520) provided cannot be regarded as arguments supporting their points. Our observations show that (i) sampling units and depositional environment support that the Jingzhushan Formation red beds could be affected by the syntectonic sedimentation, (ii) characteristic remanent magnetization directions observed from the Jingzhushan Formation red beds represent primary magnetization acquired during the syntectonic sedimentation, not secondary remagnetization due to strain reorientation of remanence, and (iii) inclination discrepancy of the Jingzhushan Formation red beds could be attributed to syntectonic sedimentation. Therefore, the paleomagnetic results obtained from the Jingzhushan Formation red beds are reliable for paleogeographic reconstructions.