Photomicrograph dataset of Cretaceous siliciclastic rocks from the central-northern Lhasa Terrane, Tibet

These sedimentary rocks faithfully recorded the information of a series of important geological events such as the demise of Bangong–Nujiang Ocean, the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision, and the early uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. In view of not enough basic geological research in the Tibetan Plateau, basic petrological data that can be consulted publicly is very scarce, and repeated petrological work is ongoing.

In order to better share these basic geological data, a total of 402 pieces of Cretaceous rocks collected from the Duoni, Duba, Jingzhushan, Daxiong Formations, and Kcv Unit were taken photos by polarized light microscopes in Nanjing University. The dataset includes 23 siltstones, 235 sandstones, 15 conglomerates, 98 gravels, 2 mixed siliciclastic and carbonate rocks, 6 carbonate nodules, 14 volcanic clastic rocks, 6 igneous rocks, and 3 metamorphic rocks from the 5 Cretaceous siliciclastic units.