An Early Paleozoic Tectonic Mélange at the Western Margin of West Cathaysia: Constraints from Organic‐walled Microfossils

The Jiangshan‐Shaoxing‐Pingxiang Fault (JSP Fault) is traditionally considered as the boundary between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks in South China. Whether the previously defined Shenshan and Kuli formations located along the JSP fault and near the Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, are continuous strata or parts of a tectonic mélange is important for understanding the geological history of South China. A carbonaceous phyllite from the area, previously considered as part of the Neoproterozoic Shenshan and Kuli formations, is analyzed palynologically in this study. The Asteridium‐Comasphaeridium acritarch assemblage found in the slate can be correlated with the basal Cambrian Asteridium‐Heliosphaeridium‐Comasphaeridium (AHC) acritarch assemblage in Tarim and the Yangtze Block. The early Cambrian biostratigraphical age assignment for the carbonaceous phyllite indicates the presence of both Neoproterozoic and Cambrian rocks in the sedimentary package, and supports that the package is a part of tectonic mélange rather than a continuous Neoproterozoic strata. The Cambrian slate is the youngest known lithology in the mélange at present.