Language: Chinese with English abstract
ISBN/ISSN: 7116045112
Published on: 2005-01
Paperback
Situated in the southern part of Asian continent, the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau constitutes the main body of famous global W-E giant structural realm: the Himalaya-Tethys System. The collision of Indian with Asian plates is perhaps the most profound tectonic event that had occurred since the end of Mesozoic Era. It is responsible for the uplist of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau and has been argued to be responsible for geological, oceanographic, geochemical, and climatological consequences of global extent. The age of initiation of this collision, particularly the age of the latest marine deposits, remains poorly constrained. The current estimates of the age range from 65 to 38 Ma before present. Much of this discrepancy resulted from the different and general approaches have been used to date the initiation of the collision.
Studies on the late evolution history and final closing age of the Tibet-Tethys can provide direct and basic data for the explanation on the process of collision between India and Asia plates. The uppermost marine strata exposed in southern Tibet, where was a remnant marine basin during the late evolution of Tibet-Tethys. The studies on this area may provide good information about the late evolutional history and closing age of the Tibet-Tethys remnant sea.
The stratigraphic evidence provided by the evolution of the southern Tibet foreland basin support the conclusion that the India –Asian initiative contact should be occurred at Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary time. The development and evolution of southern Tibet foreland basin was under the control of stress field resulted from the subduct-collising between India and Asian, as well as the structural pattern of the basement. The disappearance of Neo-Tethys might occur after early Eocene in Gyangtze basin and should be after Priabonian of late Eocene in southern Tibet.
