The Collision Between Indochina and South China Blocks in Northwestern Vietnam and its Controversy

Abstract

The Indosinian orogeny, which was regarded as the collision event between the South China and Indochina blocks that occurred in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, resulting in the formation of the Indosinian mountain range. However, the question of how many times collision between these blocks occurred in the past and during which period remains unanswered. Furthermore, the closure of the ancient ocean and the evidence of its remnants between the South China and Indochina Blocks are still the subjects of serious debate. The underlying origin of the Indosinian thermo-tectonism is uncertain. The entire region was affected by the thermal-tectonic processes in the west, caused by the collision of the Sibumasu plate and Indochina block. The absence of evidence supporting the Indosinian as a significant mountain-building event is highlighted through an examination of regional paleogeography, as well as palaeontological and thermochronological data. There is no conclusive evidence to suggest that the Indochina and South China blocks collided during the Triassic times. A plate tectonic scenario that describes the Indosinian orogeny as a reactivation event triggered by the accretion of the Sibumasu block to Indochina is favored.