On Paleogeographic Reonstruction: An Example forApplication in Tibetan Tethys

Key words: 
• mobilism paleocontinental reconstruction

Abstract: The Tethyan tectonic zone has been always the focus of paleogeographic reconstruction financially granted by lots of oil companies, which has been promoting the global paleogeographic reconstruction. Recently, the reconstruction of the eastern Tethys, i.e., QinghaiTibetan Plateau Tethys, has been practicing. The main itinerary is summarized as: firstly, recovering the original locations of terranes or plates in QinghaiTibetan Plateau by paleomagnetism with combination of the paleotectonic and paleontology; secondly, confining the border and scale of terranes and basins on deep geophysics, surface geology and biogeography; thirdly, restoring original basins by recovering techniques of deformedshorten strata and balanced crosssection; fourthly, composing maps of biogeography and lithofacies paleogeography on the basis of the identification and classification of sedimentary and biological facies; and finalhy, exploring the prosperous hydrocarbons on paleoceanography, paleoclimate and paleogeography in Tibetan Tethys. In summary, the paleogeographic reconstruction is an integration of modern geological science. That is characterized by ways of past to future, inactive to movable, paleocontinental to paleogeographic, small to large in scale with help of 3S (simulation, information, global position) technology. It is also featured by multidisciplines of paleoenvironment, paleoclimate, paleoceanography and other geoscientific subjects, for which all kinds of geological elements, for instance, lithology, tectonics, topography, magmatism, metamorphism, can be shown in a modern palaeogeographic map. Therefore, it is suggested that the paleogeographic reconstruction would follow the new contents and techniques for the future of sedimentary geology in China.