Position of the Lhasa block, South Tibet, during the late Cretaceous

The latitude of the Lhasa block (Xizang, South Tibet) during the late Cretaceous–early Tertiary is of prime importance for understanding the collision of India and Eurasia and the mechanism of the formation of the Qinghai–Xizang plateau. During the first field expedition of the French–Chinese collaboration, several geological formations have been sampled in southern Tibet between Lhasa (29.40° N; 91.09° E) and Dingri (28.35° N; 86.38° E). We present here the first results obtained for middle Cretaceous to Palaeocene red beds from the Lhasa block, north of the Yarlung–Zang Bo suture zone, recognized as the main suture between the Indian and the Eurasian plates. They indicate a palaeolatitude of the Lhasa block of 20° N during the late Cretaceous while India was situated 30° S.