Discovery of Permian island-arc basalts in the Cenxi area and the tectonicsignificance - A piece of evidence for the paleo-Tethyan tectonic belt in western Guangdong and eastern Guangxi

Cenxi Permian basalts are the late Palaeozoic island-are type basalts first found in South China. REE and trace element characteristics and distributi on patterns show that this volcanic formation, which has been isotopically dated at 261 MaB. P. by the Ar-39/Ar-40 method, is of an active continental marginal island are type, and that the tectonic environment at that time w as an island-are marginal sea or minor ocean basin related with the paleo-T ethyan tectonic belt in western Guangdong-eastern Guangxi.