Discussion of “Role of the River Shear zone, Yunnan and Vietnam, in the continental extrusion of SE Asia” by M. Searle.

P.H. Leloup 1, P. Tapponnier 2, R. Lacassin 2

1 Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69003, France ; université Lyon 1, Lyon, F-69003, France ; Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, F-69634, France ; CNRS, UMR 5570, Laboratoirdes sciences de la terre, Villeurbanne, F-69622, France.
2 Tectonique et Mécanique de la Lithosphère, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, and Université Paris 7, CNRS, Paris, France.

Abstract:
In his recent paper, M. Searle (2006) acknowledges that the 1000 km-long Ailao Shan – Red River shear zone (ASRR) is a large Miocene left-lateral shear zone, but speculates that left-lateral slip started after 21 Ma and claims that the total finite offset remains unknown. From this he concludes that continental extrusion was only a relatively minor tectonic factor during the India-Asia collision, as long argued by other authors (e.g., England & Houseman, 1986; Cobbold & Davy, 1988; Dewey et al., 1989; Houseman & England, 1993). We summarize below the field and geochronological evidence that makes us maintain a viewpoint in better accordance with facts.

Citation: P.H. Leloup, P. Tapponnier, R. Lacassin and M. P. Searle, 2007. Discussion on the role of the Red River shear zone, Yunnan and Vietnam, in the continental extrusion of SE Asia, Journal of the geological Society, v. 164, p. 1253-1260, doi: 10. 1144/0016-76492007-065.

 Liste des publications

 page P.H. Leloup
Déformation de la lithosphère continentale. Exemple de l'Asie du SE au Tertiaire

preprint
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link for the final edited version (Journal of the geological society WEB site)

 publications list
 P.H. Leloup page How does the continental lithosphere deform ?
Insigths from Tertiary deformation of SE Asia