A preliminary study of the spatio-temporal framework of the archipelagic arc-basin systems in the western part of the Bangong-(Nujiang) suture zone, Xizang

The archipelagic arc-basin systems in the western part of the Bangong-(Nujiang) suture zone may be discriminated into three ophiolitic mélange subzones that are separated by the local basins, including, from north to south, the northern Bangong subzone, Banmozhang Jurassic inter-arc bain, middle Bangong subzone, (Rutog)-(Barqiong) (Jurassic)-(Early) Cretaceous composite back-arc basin and southern Bangong subzone. The (Bangong)-(Nujiang) Tethys Sea once underwent three phases of subduction and consumption:northward subduction during the Late (Triassic) and (Early) Jurassic, northward and southward subduction during the early (Middle)-(Late) (Jurassic), and southward subduction during the Early Cretaceous. The collapse of the Yarlung Zangbo back-arc basin is interpreted to be synchronous with the (arc)-(continent) collision and collage in the Bangong Lake area, and thus the (Bangong)-(Nujiang) suture zone may be considered as the main suture zone after the subduction and (consumption) (of) (the) Tethys Sea.