Cathaysia
Cathaysia was a microcontinent or a group of terranes that rifted off Gondwana during the Late Paleozoic. They mostly correspond to modern territory of China, which were split into the North China and South China blocks. Terminology The terms "Cathaysia", "Cathaysialand" and "Cathaysia Terrane" have been used by various authors for different continental blocks or terranes and assemblages thereof. During the Devonian, the South China and Indochina continents had separated from Gondwana and they collided during the Carboniferous to finally form a superterrane in the Permian. "Cathaysia" has been used for some or all of the constellations involved in this tectonic journey. For example, in South China formed from the amalgamation of the "Yangtse and Cathaysia Blocks", whilst groups North China, South China, and Indochina into the "Cathaysian terranes". Cathaysia, ''sensu'' Scotese, are a few of the almost 70 microcontinents that are involved in the formation of Asia. Furthermore, ...
[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  

South China (continent)
The South China Craton or South China Block is one of the Precambrian continental blocks in China. It is traditionally divided into the Yangtze Plate, Yangtze Block in the NW and the Cathaysia, Cathaysia Block in the SE. The Jiangshan–Shaoxing Fault represents the Suture (geology), suture boundary between the two sub-blocks. Recent study suggests that the South China Block possibly has one more sub-block which is named the Tolo Terrane. The oldest rocks in the South China Block occur within the Huangling Complex, Kongling Complex, which yields Uranium–lead dating, zircon U–Pb ages of 3.3–2.9 Ga. There are three important reasons to study the South China Block. First, South China hosts a great deal of Rare-earth element, rare-earth element (REE) ores. Second, the South China Block is a key component of the Rodinia, Rodinia supercontinent. Therefore, such study helps us understand more about the supercontinent cycle. Third, almost all major known clades of Triassic marine rep ...
[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]