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250 million years of evolution: How does the Qinling Orogen witness the history of plate movement?
The Qinling Orogenic Belt is a magnificent structure that has evolved through geological times and carries the history of plate movements. From primitive mountain building 2.5 billion years ago to today's landscape features, this spectacular mountain range is not only a physically formed landscape, but also a fascinating story that testifies to the forces and transformations within the Earth.
"Every layer of rock in history is a witness to the earth's past."
The Qinling Orogenic Belt is part of the Central China Orogenic Belt, and stretches of mountains through the provinces of Shaanxi, Henan and Gansu. During these 2.5 billion years of evolution, geologists analyzed various rocks in this area to reconstruct its development process. First, we can divide this long geological history into several major stages.
The basement development of orogenic belts
The rock record of the Qinling Mountains just began 2.5 billion years ago, and the northern and southern Qinling belts were not formed at the same time and location. The South Qinling Belt was first formed through continental magma activity. Over time, the North Qinling Belt was formed in an ocean arc environment about 1 billion years ago. Different orogenic processes gradually shaped the structures of these two belts.
“In the gradual collision and separation of continents, we have witnessed the magnificent changes of the earth.”
The evolution of orogenic belts and their associated oceans
750 million years ago, the supercontinent containing the Qinling Belt broke up, and with the splitting of the South China Block, the Shangdan Ocean was formed. The North Qinling Belt and the South Qinling Belt still exist side by side, becoming both sides of the Shang-Dan Ocean. This time period witnessed various interactions between oceans and rocks, resulting in the current orogen structure.
Major orogenic events
In the Early Triassic about 250 million years ago, the South China Block finally collided with the Qinling Complex, resulting in an intercontinental collision event. As all the oceans closed and the different plates moved against each other, the structure and characteristics of the Qinling Mountains gradually evolved into what they are today.
Ongoing stretching and stretching
Since 140 million years ago, tectonic activity in the Qinling Mountains has shifted from collision to extension, causing the crust to become thinner. During the Late Cretaceous, this area experienced major extensional deformation, and the dominant changes between right-side faults and normal faults caused the shape and structure of the crust to show different characteristics.
“The movements and forces beneath the Earth’s surface shape our world.”
The complex geology of Qinling Mountains
The geology of the Qinling Mountains is also a fascinating topic. It can be divided into nine main components, which reflect the evolution and interaction of various regions of the earth's crust and have played important roles in different geohistorical periods.
For example, the fusion of the northern and southern China blocks has led to the diversity of rocks in this area, while the Liujiaping Group further south reflects the formation process of the ocean floor. These complex geological structures not only give scientists a deeper understanding of the Earth's workings, but also provide us with rich stories about the Earth's past.
Through the study of the Qinling Orogenic Belt, we can not only understand the evolution of the earth's crust, but also gain a more comprehensive understanding of plate movements on the earth. This kind of evolution is the true epitome of the dynamics of the earth, and what calls our attention again is whether we can learn new knowledge and inspiration about protecting our planet from it?
