A Stable Southern Margin of Asia During the Cretaceous: Paleomagnetic Constraints on the Lhasa‐Qiangtang Collision and the Maximum Width of the Neo‐Tethys

The timing of the north‐south collision between two terranes can be determined by the overlap of their paleolatitudes or the change of their convergence rate. For example, the overlapping paleolatitudes of the Lhasa terrane and Tethyan Himalaya and the dramatic decrease in the velocity of the Indian plate are usually ascribed to the India‐Asia collision at ~55 Ma. However, little is known about the paleolatitudinal evolution and velocity change of the Lhasa terrane resulting from the Lhasa‐Qiangtang collision during the Jurassic‐Cretaceous period. To better constrain the velocity change of the Lhasa terrane during this period, to constrain when and where the Lhasa‐Qiangtang collision occurred, and to assess the distribution of land and sea in the Tethyan realm, we provide a high‐quality Cretaceous paleomagnetic pole obtained from the limestone from the western part of the Lhasa terrane, which yields a paleolatitude of ~16.8° ± 1.9°N for the sampling area (32.2°N, 80.8°E) during the time interval of ~113–72 Ma. We compile existing paleomagnetic results from the Lhasa terrane, Qiangtang terrane, Tethyan Himalaya, and India and reveal that the Lhasa‐Qiangtang collision most likely occurred at or near the J/K boundary at ~19°N for the reference point at (32°N, 88°E) and that the Neo‐Tethys reached its maximum width (≥~7450 km) during this period. Key Points The Shiquanhe sampling area was located at ~16.8° ± 1.9°N at ~113‐72 Ma The Lhasa‐Qiangtang collision most likely occurred at ~19°N at or near the J/K boundary The Neo‐Tethys reached its maximum width (≥~7450 km) during this period