The Yarlung Suture Zone in Southern Tibet marks the boundary between India and Asiaeformerly separated by an ocean basineand is a critical record of the tectonic processes that created the Tibetan Plateau. The Yarlung Suture Zone is also a frontier research area, as difficulty of access has limited research activity, providing ample opportunities for new discoveries. This paper documents field research conducted by the authors along the Yarlung suture zone in eastern Xigaze (Shigatse, Rikaze) County, similar to 250 km west of the city of Lhasa, in July 2017. The goal of this research was to map the Suture Zone structure in detail, and more specifically to understand the branching relationships between two major fault systemsdthe Great Counter Thrust and Gangdese Thrust. A summary of early geological exploration is included to provide context for this research. (C) 2017, China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.