SHRIMP U-Pb zircon analyses for a gabbro sample from the Garzê ophiolite block yielded a mean 206Pb/238U age of 292±4 Ma, which indicated that the spread- ing time of the Garzê-Litang Tethys was most likely at the earliest Permian. Combined with previous studies, we sug- gest that the opening of the Tethys in southwest China was derived from breakup of the East Gondwanaland in the late Paleozoic. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon analyzes for a gabbro sample from the Garzê ophiolite block yielded a mean 206 Pb / 238 U age of 292 ± 4 Ma, which indicates that the spread-ing time of the Garzê-Litang Tethys was most likely at the earliest Permian. Combined with previous studies, we sug- gest that the opening of the Tethys in southwest China was derived from breakup of the East Gondwanaland in the late Paleozoic.