Progress in researching into the transition of the Mesozoic tectonic systems in southeast China

Abstract This paper presents the latest progress made on the research of Mesozoic tectonic system transition from the E-W paleo-Tethyan tectonic into NE- NNE western Pacific domain in southeast China. Tectonism of the west Pacific domain began at middle Jurassic (J2) and formed a set of NE-trending structures, non-coaxially overprinting on E-trending tectonic belts which may be early and coevally produced by the paleo- Tethyan domain. Thus began the tectonic domain transition from the E-trending paleo- Tethyan to the NE-trending Pacific and fully finished at the early Cretaceous. The eastern Nanling area was a junction zone of the transition at middle Jurassic (J2), and ever since the junction zone might obliquely migrate to the coastal region, where is the east part of this study area. To the north of the Nanling area, the Ganjiang Fault Zone was the boundary between two tectonic domains. Corresponding to the transition of tectonic system, the geodynamics of SE China changed from a compressional system t...