Greater South China extended to the Khanka block: Detrital zircon geochronology of middle-upper Paleozoic sandstones in Primorye, Far East Russia

A visage of early Paleozoic Japan: Geotectonic and paleobiogeographical significance of Greater South China

“…The mutual similarity in crustal nature among these three blocks in Far East Asia was emphasized by using terms like mega‐block or superterrane (Khanchuk, Kemkin, & Kruk, ). Extrapolating the above‐discussion, this continental block in Far East Russia/northeastern China as a whole belongs likely to GSC (Isozaki et al, ).…”

“…On the basis of these data, Isozaki et al () proposed a tectonic model for Greater South China (GSC), in which the pre‐Mesozoic South China block formed a much larger continental entity than the conterminous South China block on the mainland (South China sensu stricto), and was composed of more continental crust to the northeast (Figure a); e.g. most of East China Sea, Southwest/Northeast Japan, and the Khanka/Jiamsi/Bureya block in Primorye in Far East Russia (Isozaki et al, ) because these regions share the same crust affinity as Paleozoic South China sensu stricto.…”

“…The occurrence of such a unique mixed fauna likely reflected a peculiar oceanographic setting in mid‐latitudes with merging currents from the north and south, just like the case of modern Japan. (b) The collision of the two China blocks by the Middle Triassic along the Qinling‐Dabie‐Sulu suture (modified from Isozaki et al, , ). Note that GSC was much larger than previously reconstructed, and that its northern tip was likely located further to the north of North China.…”

“…The Pacific margin of GSC is fringed by the Phanerozoic subduction-related orogenic belts that features various AGs, ACs, BSs, and ophiolites, for nearly 3 000 km, all the way from the Philippines to Primorye via the Ryukyus, and Southwest/Northeast Japan (Ishiwatari, 1991;Isozaki et al, 1987Isozaki et al, , 2010Isozaki et al, , 2017Isozaki, 1997;Kemkin, Khanchuk, & Kemkina, 2016;Khanchuk et al, 2016;Kojima, Kemkin, Kametaka, & Ando, 2000;Takahashi, 1983; Figure 6). This Phanerozoic orogenic belt generated by oceanic subduction from the Pacific (or Paleo-Pacific or Panthalassan) side was called the Nipponides by Sengör and Natal'in (1996) with respect to the Altaids (named by Suess, 1901 nearly a century before) that corresponds precisely to CAOB.…”

“…Emphases are given to the timing of onset of oceanic subduction in the Cambrian along the Japan margin, and also to the Pacific‐side margin of the South China block that accommodated the development of the Paleozoic arc‐trench system. Summarizing all these, the significance of Greater South China (GSC; Isozaki, Aoki, Sakata, & Hirata, , Isozaki et al, , ) is discussed particularly with respect to paleogeographical implications to the relative positions of major continental blocks in East Asia and to the Paleozoic faunal provincialism.…”