Paleo-Asian and Tethyan tectonic systems with docking the Tarim block
塔里木地块与古亚洲/特提斯构造体系的对接

The Tarim basin is surrounded by the curved Tianshan Mountain of the Paleo-Asian system to the north and curved West Kunlun-Altun Mountains of the Tethys system to the south. Since the Late Neoproterozoic, the surrounding areas of the Tarim block have experienced opening, subduction and closure of the Tethys ocean basin to the south and the Paleo-Asian oceanic basin to the north, as well as multi-collision orogenies between different microterrains. In particular, the long-distance and short-distance effects of the India/Asia collision (since 60~50Ma) caused a strong uplift, shortening and strike-slip deformation in the surrounding areas of the Tarim basin, forming a ring orogenic system, and finally resulting in docking of the Tarim block to the Pale-Asian system and the Tethys system. The welding of the Pale-Asian system and the Tethys system to the Tarim block began in the Early Paleozoic. The Tarim block has been linked with the West Kunlun-Altun Tethyan orogenic system at the end of Early Paleozoic. During the Late Paleozoic, the eastern Tarim block was collided with the central Tianshan arc terrane to the north, while the western Tarim block was collided with the central Tianshan arc terrane in the Late Paleozoic. Two orogenic events, i.e. Early-Middle Paleozoic and Late Paleozoic events are recognized around the Tarim basin, which resulting in two tectonic unconformities in the Tarim basin during the Early Paleozoic time: One is between Late Ordovician/Silurian and another is between Late Devonian and Early Paleozoic. The palaeogeographic, palaeoenvironmental and palaeotectonic data indicate that the Tarim platform lied in the central and western parts in the Early Paleozoic, continental margin slope and deep or semi-deep sea facies sedimentary basin in the eastern part, which was linked with the Early Paleozoic passive continental margin in the south Tianshan. The India/Asia collision led to formation of the West Himalayan Syntaxis in the southwestern margin of the Tarim basin, and docking of the Tarim block to Tethyan and Paleo-Asian systems.