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Key research themes
1. How did the geological and paleomagnetic data refine the reconstruction and positioning of East Asian blocks in the Pangea supercontinent before its breakup?
This research theme focuses on resolving controversies surrounding the configuration and assembly of East Asian continental blocks within Pangea prior to its breakup. It integrates geological, structural, geochronological, and paleomagnetic data to track the fragmentation of Rodinia, opening and closure of ancient oceans (Proto-Tethys, Paleo-Asian Ocean), and the eventual amalgamation of East Asian blocks into the Pangea supercontinent by ~220 Ma. Understanding these processes clarifies the timing and mechanisms of continental block assembly, oceanic basin evolution, and orogenic belt formation critical to Pangea's paleogeography.
Key finding: Through comprehensive geological and paleomagnetic investigations funded by the NSFC Major Program, this study demonstrates that East Asian blocks—including South China, North China, Tarim, Qaidam, and Alex—joined the main... Read more
Key finding: This paper consolidates stratigraphic, sedimentological, paleobiogeographic, and paleomagnetic evidence to reconstruct the rifting and accretion history of East Asian terranes. It elucidates three major rifting episodes... Read more
Key finding: By integrating palaeomagnetic, faunal, stratigraphical, and sedimentological data, this work identifies that most Southeast Asian continental terranes originated from Gondwanaland and were progressively assembled from the... Read more
2. What geodynamic processes and magmatic events characterize the breakup of Pangea, and how are slab dynamics and rifting styles implicated?
This theme addresses the mechanisms driving Pangea’s breakup, emphasizing the role of large magmatic provinces, slab loss or break-off events, and distinct rifting styles (active vs. passive). Understanding how slab detachment influenced magmatism and tectonics reveals links between mantle processes and surface geology during supercontinent dispersal. Additionally, differentiating passive (far-field stress-driven) from active (mantle plume-driven) rifting episodes elucidates the temporal complexity and triggers of continental rupture, with implications for associated magmatism and oceanic basin formation.
Key finding: This study integrates seismic tomography of the lower mantle with plate kinematic reconstructions and geochemical data to reveal a large-scale mid-Permian to Early Triassic slab break-off beneath southwestern Pangea. The... Read more
Key finding: Analyzing successive rifting episodes in Pangea’s breakup, this paper demonstrates a temporal progression from passive rifting during the Upper Carboniferous and Permian—which led to Neo-Tethys Ocean formation—to short-lived... Read more
Key finding: This research presents evidence that the initial rifting of Pangea, especially the NW-SE oriented Cimmerian rifts, correspond temporally and spatially with Late Paleozoic glacial-interglacial cycles rather than mantle plume... Read more
3. How do geophysical and paleontological records from southwestern Pangea elucidate faunal turnovers and climatic evolution during and after the Triassic?
This theme explores the paleobiological and paleoenvironmental transformations preceding and following the breakup of Pangea, focusing on vertebrate faunal assemblages, ecosystem turnovers, and glaciation patterns in regions such as southwestern Pangea (modern Argentina). The integration of fossil faunal descriptions, stratigraphy, and isotopic evidence contextualizes how climatic events, mass extinctions, and tectonic reconfigurations shaped biodiversity and ecological succession through the Permian-Triassic to Late Triassic intervals.
Key finding: By describing a new tetrapod fauna from the lowermost Chañares Formation, this study documents a phase of rapid faunal turnover in southwestern Pangea approximately 6 million years before the well-known Late Triassic... Read more
Key finding: This work documents the rapid retreat and thinning (∼5.4-fold acceleration) over 8 years of the last tropical glaciers in the Western Pacific Warm Pool near Puncak Jaya, Papua, Indonesia, linked to regional warming and... Read more