First Early Permian Paleomagnetic Pole for the Yili Block and its Implications for Late Paleozoic Postorogenic Kinematic Evolution of the SW Central Asian Orogenic Belt

International audience; We conducted a paleomagnetic study on the Early Permian volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and the Neoproterozoic mafic dikes in the Yili Block, NW China. Magnetite and hematite were proven to be the principal magnetic remanence carriers. Demagnetizations revealed stable characteristic remanence magnetizations with a sole reversed magnetic polarity. The magnetic remanence of only the Early Permian strata turned out to be primary based on positive fold tests; meanwhile, the magnetic remanence age of the mafic dikes is ambiguous. Accordingly, the first Early Permian paleomagnetic pole for the Yili Block is calculated at λ = 81.5°N, φ = 256.5°E, N = 11, and A95 = 10.9°. Co…