Middle Jurassic–early Cretaceous radiolarian assemblages of the western Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone: Implications for the evolution of the Neo-Tethys

Cherts in the Zhongba mélange of the western Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ) contain well preserved radiolarian assemblages. These radiolarian assemblages indicate that the Zhongba mélange has middle Jurassic–early Cretaceous remnant, are coeval with those from the central and eastern parts of the YZSZ. Cherts from the Najiu area yield Aalenian to Aptian radiolarians, while cherts interbedded with siliceous mudstones from the Bielongjiala area yield Aptian radiolarians, indicating that terrigenous-derived sediments were deposited during early Aptian. The above observations indicate that the entire YZSZ have a similar geochronological framework and thus they underwent similar geological evolution: (1) during the Jurassic, the Neo-Tethys was a wide ocean with pelagic sediments distal from continents; (2) during the Cretaceous (around 130–120 Ma), the Neo-Tethys started to subduct along the southern margin of the Lhasa block, and terrigenous-derived siliceous mudstone began deposition.