Mesozoic Remagnetization in the South China Block

The South China Block has experienced multiple tectonic events. During the Mesozoic, the Indosinian and Yanshanian orogenic events played a significant role in shaping its present-day tectonic framework, producing widespread deformation, metamorphism, and magmatism. These tectonic processes also drove widespread fluid migration through sedimentary successions. Such tectonically induced fluid–rock interactions profoundly modified primary mineral assemblages and promoted the formation and transformation of magnetic minerals, leading to widespread Mesozoic remagnetization in sedimentary strata across the South China Block. These remagnetization records provide a valuable archive for constraining the timing, duration, and spatial extent of tectonic processes and their associated diagenetic responses in sedimentary rocks. This paper presents a systematic review of Mesozoic remagnetization phenomena in sedimentary rocks of the South China Block in relation to the Indosinian and Yanshanian tectonic events. We further synthesize current understanding of the role of tectonic processes in influencing burial diagenesis, hydrocarbon generation, migration, and accumulation, and the destruction of hydrocarbon reservoirs, as well as mineralization. Finally, we highlight the value of remagnetization as a quantitative spatiotemporal tool for reconstructing geological processes involving fluid flow and thermal evolution.