Paleozoic tectonic framework and evolution of the central and western Tethys

The Paleozoic tectonic domain in central and western Tethys is divided in this paper on the basis of the results of research and regional geological correlation at home and abroad,into the Iapetus tornquist Caledonian orogenic belt, the Rheic Variscan orogenic belt and the Ural Tianshan Central Asia orogenic belt.The results of research in this paper led us to the following conclusions. (1) The Proto-Tethyan ocean formed by the break-up of Rodinia supercontinent during the Neoproterozoic is represented by the Iapetus and Tornquist suture zones in Europe, which closed to form Caledonian orogenic zones at ~ 420 Ma, similar to the Qinling-Qilian-Kunlun orogenic zones in China.(2) The Rheic Ocean is similar to the Longmucuo-Shuanghu-Changning-Mmenglian Ocean in the eastern part of the Tethys. It was the major Paleozoic Tethyan Ocean and the Paleo-Tethys formed during the Devonian was actually one of its sub-branches. All of the Rheic sub-branch oceans closed at 320~ 310 Ma, forming the Variscan orogenic zone and Pangea supercontinent.(3) The Plankogel zone in the Southern Alps, the pontides zone in northern Turkey and the Rasht -Mashhad zone in northern Iran are Paleo-Tethyan suture zones, representing Devonian-Permian ocean basins. The Late Carboniferous-Early Triassic Silk Road Arc corresponds to the Wangguoshan volcanic arc in central Qiangtang, China.(4) The Cimmerides zone in central and western Tethys and the Indosinian zone in central Qiangtang are typical accretionary orogenic zones of Paleo-Tethys.