The Early Paleozoic paleogeography of the North China block and the other major blocks of China

With the summarization of the Early Paleozoic paleomagnetic data recently o btained from the three major blocks of China, the Early Paleozoic (i.e. Cam brian and Ordovician) paleogeographic positions of the North China, South C hina and Tarim blocks were discussed in detail. The North China, South Chin a and Tarim blocks were inferred to be located adjacent to East Gondwana in low latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere during the Early Cambrian. During the Early-Middle Ordovician, the South China and Tarim blocks were also lo cated in low latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere with some affinities of t he Gondwanaland, whereas the North China block may have episodically separa ted from the Gondwanaland, and might be sited close to the North America an d Siberia. The reestablished paleogeographic configurations are in agreemen t with the studies on the biogeography, paleoclimate and sedimental facies of the North China and South China blocks.