The age of the plan fossil assemblage in the Liuqu Conglomerate of southern Tibet and its tectonic significance*

Abstract

Abstract The Liuqu Conglomerate, situate to the south of Yarlung Tsangbo Suture Zone (YTSZ), is a suit of molasses formed in a foreland basin of the Himalayan orogenic belt after the collision between the two plates of the Indian and Eurasion. It is of great significance in constraining the younger limit time of the collision of the two plates and providing stratigraphic evidence to reveal the post.-collisional tectonic evolution and uplifting history of the Tibet plateau. However, the age of this molasses suit and its correlation to other synchronous strata distributed in southern Tibet have been in great disputes for a long time. Especially in recent years, argues on its ages are growing violently with the recognition of the great sedimentary tectonic significances of this molasses. During the field work carried out recently on this molasses suit, a lot of plan fossils were found preserved in fairly good conditions in the upper part of this strata, which is of great help in determining is its age. By id...