The South China piece in the Rodinian puzzle: Comment on “Assembly, configuration, and break-up history of Rodinia: A synthesis” by Li et al. (2008) [Precambrian Res. 160, 179–210]

The western margin of the Yangtze craton shows evidence of subduction during the Neoproterozoic (ca. 900–700 Ma), as indicated by: (1) the petrography of intrusive rocks (granite, tonalite, quartz diorite, diorite ± gabbro, with no alkaline affinities); (2) arc-type geochemistry; (3) turbiditic volcano-sedimentary flysch successions; (4) barrovian metamorphism. The evidence of subduction contradicts the proposed position of South China [Li, Z.X., Bogdanova, S.V., Collins, A.S., Davidson, A., De Waele, B., Ernst, R.E., Fitzsimons, I.C.W., Fuck, R.A., Gladkochub, D.P., Jacobs, J., Karlstrom, K.E., Lu, S., Natapov, L.M., Pease, V., Pisarevsky, S.A., Thrane, K., Vernikovsky, V., 2008. Assembly, configuration, and break-up history of Rodinia: a synthesis. Precam. Res. 160, 179–210], surrounded by continental blocks within Rodinia. Therefore, the Neoproterozoic paleogeography of South China has to be reconsidered.