It's well known that the Jiangkou and Nantuo glaciations are two remarkable Cryogenian glaciations in South China. However,their precise onset time and global correlations remain undecided. In this study,detrital zircon LA￣ICP￣MS U-Pb dating was performed on the glacial diamictites from the basal part of the Chang'an and Nantuo Formations in the southeastern Yangtze Block. The new results show that detrital zircon grains from the Chang'an Formation give a concentrated ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age range of 958 to 717 Ma with distinct peaks at 720,753,805 and 848 Ma. The youngest age population yields a weighted mean of 719.6±6.1 Ma,representing the maximum depositional age of the Chang'an Formation. Detrital zircon grains from the Nantuo Formation has a main ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age range between 987 and 649 Ma,with distinct peaks at 650,720,753,803,823 and 848 Ma. The youngest age population gives a weighted mean of 649.3±6.2 Ma,representing the maximum depositional age of the Nantuo Formation. Taking into account the available age data,it is suggested that the Jiangkou glaciation was most likely initiated at ca.715 Ma,which is synchronous with the Sturtian glaciation in other blocks such as Tarim,Arabia-Nubia and Laurentia;the Nantuo glaciation was probably initiated later than 650 Ma,synchronous with the Marinoan glaciation in other blocks such as Siberia, Australia and Laurentia. Furthermore,detrital zircon U-Pb age spectrums and CL images indicate that sediments of the Chang'an and Nantuo Formations in the Yangtze Block were mainly derived from the underlying Neoproterozoic magmatic and sedimentary rocks,indicative of the intensive Neoproterozoic severe exaration and episodic tectonic-thermal events. The Cryogenian exaration in the Yangtze Block should be the response to the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent prior to the termination of the global Marinoan glaciation.