The Emei Taphrogenesis of the upper Yangtze Platform in south China

The Yangtze Platform (Yangtze Palaeoplate) drifted into the area of southern China following late Silurian tectonism. In late Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic time the Yangtze Platform was subjected to strong extensional movements in its southeastern region within Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hunan provinces, and along its northwestern margin in the Songpan-Ganzi area. Taphrogenesis (intracontinental extension) began in Devonian times, climaxed with the late Permian eruption of the Emeishan basalts, and ended in mid Triassic times. Therefore, the senior author (LZL) has named this extension the ‘Emei Taphrogenesis’, a phenomenon that was constrained by the neighbouring tectonic units of the Yangtze Platform. The platform has been substantially affected by the early Palaeozoic south China fold zone along its eastern margin, and by the late Palaeozoic opening of the Tethys Ocean on the northwestern margin. This paper delineates the tectonic patterns associated with the Emei Taphrogenesis.