Formation and evolution of Precambrian continental lithosphere in South China

► Crustal growth and reworking are episodic from Eoarchean to Neoproterozoic in South China. ► The growth of juvenile crust is significant in the Archean, but no Archean SCLM is measured. ► Both growth and reworking of mantle and crustal lithospheres are prominent in the middle Paleoproterozoic. ► Both juvenile and ancient crusts underwent intensive reworking in the middle Neoproterozoic. ► The arc-continent collision is a tectonic mechanism for continental accretion in South China.