Relationships Between the North China Plate and the Tarim Plate1

Abstract The relationships and boundary between the North China and Tarim plates have been unclear for a long time; however, the two plates occupy a prominent position in the formation and evolution of the continental lithosphere of China. It is proposed that the Engger Us ophiolitic mélange zone discovered recently north of Alaxa is a typical suture between the two plates. The ophiolitic mélange zone is composed mainly of a mixture of fragments of ancient oceanic crust and sedimentary rocks of active and passive continental margins. The mélange may be divided into tectonic inclusions and matrix. The suture extends northeastwards into the Republic of Mongolia and probably westwards to meet the Altun fault. With the Engger Us ophiolitic mélange zone as the boundary the Alaxa area may be divided into two parts: the northern part (AN) belongs to the Tarim plate, while the southern part (AS) the North China plate. Geological evidence shows that the two plates were amalgamated in the Late Permian or a bit later.