| Abstract: | Follow the policying of "let a hundred flowers blosson and a hundred schools of thought contend", more than ten geologists are invited by the editorial department of "Earth Science Frontiers" to take part in a writing conversation about the study of orogenic belts.They express opinions about the characteristics of orogenic belts in China, and discuss how to do the research works in order to establish new theory about orogenic belts. There are contra-dictory opinions about the meaning of orogenic belt. One considers the close relationship be-tween orogenic belts and plate tectonics, and emphasizes that the orogenic belts are the tectonic belts formed in the convergent margins of plates. The other considers that there are strong de-formed tectonic belts within the plate, which may be called intraplate orogenic belts, and the study of them is the key to know the continental dynamics. Being located in the junction part of the three systems, i. e. the Indian plate, the Pacific plate and the Siberian plate, the tectonics of China is the results of rifting, evolution, accretion, subduction and collision among the three giant basin systems,i. e. the Paleo-Asia, the Tethys and the Pacific Ocean, and those blocks scattered within them. Therefore, the orogenic belts in China usually experience a long geologic evolution history and form the multiphase composite belts which are more complex than some typical orogenic belts in the world. Another distinguishing feature of the tectonics of China is that the older orogenic belts and cratons could be involved in the late tectonic-thermal events,and formed intraplate or intracontinental orognic belts. Owing to these characteristics, so Chi-na is an ideal area for the study of continental rifting, accretion and collision. It is our duty to establish a new theory about the continental orogenic belts by means of summarising the charac-teristics of geology, geophysics and geochemistry of China to connect with the East Asia and global tectonics. |
