Neodymium (Nd) depleted mantle model ages indicate that the Kangding complexes in the northern segment of the western Yangtze craton, argued as representative of the craton's basement, actually formed after 1.6 Ga. An Sm-Nd isochron of 706 Ma constrains the upper limit formation of the complex from Shaba, Sichuan Province. Lead (Pb) isotopic compositions imply that the southern and northern basements of the western Yangtze craton can not be correlated. The southern basement is characterized by higher 206Pb/204Pb ratios (≥17.69) than the northern ones (