83 Ma rhyolite from Mindoro – evidence for Late Yanshanian magmatism in the Palawan Continental Terrane (Philippines)

The discovery of a low‐grade meta‐rhyolite with an age of 83 ± 1 Ma documents a so‐far unknown episode of magmatism in northern Mindoro Island, which is located at the northeastern edge of the Palawan Continental Terrane. This terrane is thought to have rifted from Southeast China in the Oligocene as a result of the opening of the South China Sea. Rhyolite volcanism was widespread in southeastern China in the Cretaceous; hence this discovery provides the first direct link between the geological evolution of the Palawan Continental Terrane and Southeast China in Cretaceous time. In addition, it provides further evidence that the northeastern part of Mindoro is indeed part of the Palawan Continental Terrane and not part of the Philippine Mobile Belt to the east, a previously contentious issue.