The Qilian Orogen at the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is a type suture zone that recorded acomplete history from continental breakup to ocean basin evolution,and to the ultimate continental collision inthe time period from the Neoproterozoic to the Paleozoic.The Qilian Ocean,often interpreted as representingthe "Proto-Tethyan Ocean",may actually an eastern branch of the worldwide "Iapetus Ocean" or"Paleo-Pacific Ocean" between the two continents of south China-Qaidam and East Gondwana,opened at ≥600 Ma as a consequence of breakup of supercontinent Rodinia.
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