Tectonic evaluation of the Indochina Block during Jurassic-Cretaceous from palaeomagnetic results of Mesozoic redbeds in central and southern Lao PDR

Rock magnetic and palaeomagnetic studies were performed on Mesozoic redbeds collected from the central and southern Laos, the northeastern and the eastern parts of the Khorat Plateau on the Indochina Block. Totally 606 samples from 56 sites were sampled and standard palaeomagnetic experiments were made on them. Positive fold tests are demonstrated for redbeds of Lower and Upper Cretaceous, while insignificant fold test is resulted for Lower Jurassic redbeds. The remanence carrying minerals defined from thermomagnetic measurement, AF and Thermal demagnetizations and back-field IRM measurements are both magnetite and hematite. The positive fold test argues that the remanent magnetization of magnetite or titanomagnetite and hematite in the redbeds is the primary and occurred before folding. The mean palaeomagnetic poles for Lower Jurassic, Lower Cretaceous, and Upper Cretaceous are defined at Plat./Plon. = 56.0 degrees N/178.5 degrees E (A(95) = 2.6 degrees), 63.3 degrees N/170.2 degrees E (A(95) = 6.9 degrees), and 67.0 degrees N/180.8 degrees E (A(95) = 4.9 degrees), respectively. Our palaeomagnetic results indicate a latitudinal translations (clockwise rotations) of the Indochina Block with respect to the South China Block of -10.8 +/- 8.8 (16.4 +/- 9.0 degrees); -11.1 +/- 6.2 degrees (17.8 degrees +/- 6.8 degrees); and -5.3 degrees +/- 4.7 degrees (13.3 degrees +/- 5.0 degrees), for Lower Jurassic, Lower Cretaceous, and Upper Cretaceous, respectively. These results indicate a latitudinal movement of the Indochina Block of about 5-11 degrees (translation of about 750-1700 km in the southeastward direction along the Red River Fault) and clockwise rotation of 13-18 degrees with respect to the South China Block. The estimated palaeoposition of the Khorat Plateau at ca. 21-26 degrees N during Jurassic to Cretaceous argues for a close relation to the Sichuan Basin in the southwest of South China Block. These results confirm that the central part of the Indochina Block has acted like a rigid plate since Jurassic time and the results also support an earlier extrusion model for Indochina. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.