Tianshan Orogenic Belt

This belt is oriented east-west in Central Xinjiang between the Junggar Block and the Tarim Block. Its area is similar to that of the Tianshan Mountains and stretches east to the Beishan area in Gansu Province. From north to south, the Tianshan Mountains can be divided into the northern, central and southern tectonic belts. Because the Central Tianshan Mountains contain abundant Precambrian rocks, they are considered to be an individual ancient uplift. Overlying this belt, the Lower Palaeozoic Erathem has the sedimentary characteristics and biota of South China. Recent studies suggest that the Northern Tianshan Mountains are an accretionary wedge between the Junggar Block and the Palaeozoic North Tianshan Ocean with extensive late Palaeozoic intermediate to basic volcanic activity. The South Tianshan Ocean is considered to have been a part of the northern margin of the Tarim Basin. The Palaeozoic amalgamation caused the uplift of the Tianshan Mountain and the retreat of the ocean. The...