Indosinian foreland fold-and-thrust belt bordering Yunnan and Guangxi, China

Recent discoveries of ophiolites indicate that there must be a Palaeotethya n geosuture zone bordering China and Vietnam, which separates the Vietbac b lock from the South China subcontinent. The Indosinian foreland fold-and-th rust belt bordering Yunnan and Guangxi provided further evidence for the pa laeotethysides. The oceanic crust was subducted southwestwards while the ma gmatic arc migrated northeastwards, and the continent-arc collision occurre d in the Late Triassic with the thrusting being extended towards the north or northeast. The features of thrust-nappe structure are discussed, which p roved the continental margin of the Palaeotethyan ocean there to be a compl icated one. A face-to-face collision occurred first along the NW-striking s egment and then along the ENE-striking segment accompanied by transpression or oblique thrusting occurring along the NW-striking one.