Tectonic facies and the archipelago-accretion process of the West Kunlun, China

A tectonic facies investigation carried out in the West Kunlun, China allow s us to have worked out a tectonic model of orogen. The tectonic facies, fr om the north to the south, are composed of the following: 1. Southern Tarim tectonic realm; 2, North Kudi magmatic are; 3. Kudi melange; 4. Kudi micro -continent; 5, main shear zone; 6. Xianan Bridge calc alkaiine complex; 7. Mazar-Kangxiwar melange-accretion complex; and 8. Tianshuihai fore[and fold -thrust belt, The tectonic facies 1 -->5 recorded the history of the northw ard subduction of the Prototethys and southward accretion of Eurasia in the Late Proterozoic-Early Paleozoic time, while the tectonic facies 6 -->8 re corded the history of the northward subduction of the Paleotethys and south ward accretion of Eurasia in the Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic time, that o f the tectonic evolution of the passive margin of the Qiangtang block, and that of the docking and the final amalgamation of the Qiangtang block to th e Eurasian continent. The tectonic facies investigation has indicated that a complicated archipelago-accretion orogenesis took place in the West Kunlu n orogen, which was the important character of southward growth of the Eura sian continent.