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Carbonate rocks, widely used for quantifying paleolatitude of the Gondwana‐derived terranes on the Tibetan Plateau and the geodynamic evolution of the Tethyan Oceans, are prone to remagnetization. However, diagnosing such secondary remanent magnetization is difficult and the mistakes have induced confusion in paleogeographic reconstructions. To evaluate if the Upper Triassic limestones of the Duoburi Formation from the Lhasa terrane carry a primary remanence, we report comprehensive rock magnetic, diffuse reflectance spectroscopic, and petrographic results of these rocks. We discover that magnetic carriers vary systematically from magnetite to magnetite plus minor hematite/goethite to hematite/goethite plus minor magnetite with change of rock color and demagnetization behavior of the specimens. Most magnetite and all hematite/goethite grains have clear authigenic origin and were possibly formed during oxidation of early diagenetic pyrite. Such a process was likely assisted by oxic fluid circulation as shown by omnipresent calcite veins within the rocks. These authigenic iron oxides have widely distributed grain sizes with most of them being superparamagnetic at room temperature. Detrital (titano)magnetite is also recognized in some specimens, but its concentration is much lower than that of the authigenic magnetic grains. Based on these results, we conclude that limestone from the Duoburi Formation was remagnetized due to fluid circulation during late diagenesis. We discuss criteria used for diagnosing remagnetization in carbonate rocks, and suggest that a robust evaluation of the remanence origin should integrate field tests, statistics of the remanence direction, rock magnetic properties, and petrographic observations with the limits of each criterion being carefully considered. Plain Language Summary: The Lhasa terrane from the central Tibetan Plateau was one of the continental blocks that rifted from the Gondwana supercontinent, drifted northward, and accreted to Eurasia in the Mesozoic. Paleolatitude determined by paleomagnetism can provide quantitative information which is critical to restore these geodynamic processes. However, paleomagnetic investigations on the ancient carbonate rocks on the Tibetan Plateau are often troubled by remagnetization, a process during which the primary remanent magnetization acquired during or soon after formation of the rocks was replaced by secondary remanent magnetization with an unknown younger age. In this study, we provide an example of Upper Triassic limestones from the Lhasa terrane. Within these rocks, detrital (titano)magnetite, which can carry a primary magnetic signal, was mostly altered, and nonmagnetic pyrite largely transformed to authigenic magnetite/hematite/goethite, which acquired remanent magnetization at an unknown later time. The magnetic record from these rocks thus cannot be used to determine the Late Triassic paleolatitude of the Lhasa terrane. Our analysis reveals the most common mechanisms of remagnetization in carbonate rocks. More importantly, we provide universal tools and criteria that can be used in future paleomagnetic studies of carbonate rocks to evaluate their remanence origin. Key Points: Magnetic carriers of the Duoburi Formation limestone are authigenic magnetite, hematite and goethite and little detrital titanomagnetiteLimestones of the Duoburi Formation were remagnetized due to circulation of oxic fluid through the rock at a late stageDiagnosis of remagnetization in carbonate rocks should integrate different criteria but consider the limits of each criterion carefully [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drift history of the Lhasa terrane plays an essential role in understanding the tectonic evolution of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean and the Neo-Tethyan Ocean, as well as the evolutionary history of the Tibetan Plateau. Here, a combined rock magnetic, petrographic, and palaeomagnetic study is performed on the Upper Permian–Lower Triassic limestones (∼259–251 Ma) in the western Lhasa terrane. The site-mean direction for the 28 sites is D g = 32.1°, I g = 50.3°, k g = 47.9 and α 95 = 4.0° in situ and D s = 342.9°, I s = 32.7°, k s = 43.2 and α 95 = 4.2° after tilt-correction, yielding a palaeopole at 68.9°N, 314.4°E with A 95 = 4.3°, corresponding to a palaeolatitude of 18.0° ± 4.3°N. The fold tests are not significant because the sampling section shows monoclinic features with minor variations in their bedding attitudes. The palaeopoles for the directions before and after tilt-correction are compared with reliable Late Permian–Palaeogene palaeopoles obtained from the Lhasa terrane. Based on these comparisons, the studied limestones were remagnetized prior to tilting and this remagnetization most likely occurred during the Early Cretaceous. The depositional environment of the limestones may have changed from anoxic to suboxic and oxic during the Early Cretaceous, leading to the oxidation of iron sulphide to authigenic magnetite. Meanwhile, the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous convergence between the western Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes may have resulted in tectonic fluid migration and the formation of calcite veins and stylolites in the limestones. This is supported by the presence of small calcite veins and stylolites in some samples, as well as the fact that the framboidal oxides were formerly sulphides (mostly pyrite), implying that the majority of the iron oxides observed in the limestones were authigenic. These processes indicate that chemical remanent magnetization caused by the growth of magnetic minerals related to tectonic fluid migration was most likely the mechanism for the limestone remagnetization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]