Tethys tectonic evolution and its bearing on the distribution of important mineral deposits in the Sanjiang region, SW China

The Sanjiang region in SE Tibet Plateau and NW Yunnan is known to have formed by amalgamation of Gondwana-derived continental blocks and arc terranes as a result of oceanic subduction followed by continental collision from Paleozoic to Mesozoic. In this paper we provide a synthesis of tectonic evolution, magmatism and metallogeny in the region based on data from literatures. Early Paleozoic ophiolites (473–439 Ma) in the Changning–Menglian belt...