Discussions on the mountains and orogenic belts and related issues

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正确处理山脉和造山带之间的关系，是深刻理解和准确把握板块构造理论的内涵本质和理论体系的基础和前提。最伟大的创新必然是建立在最深刻的继承基础之上。本文详细回顾了从山脉到造山带的研究历史，梳理了两者的关系，并在此基础上简单总结了一些目前造山带研究中的共性问题。山脉的研究历史，从形态描述和隆升成因探索的形貌学研究阶段，到内部构造、形成机制的研究和普适性成因的探索，伴随了现代地质学从诞生到槽台学说并最终形成板块构造理论的整个过程。板块构造理论对造山带做出了更为明确的限定，明确了山脉研究中构造地质学的任务和对象。山脉是地貌学/地理学名词，强调的是现时形态和形貌特征，关键是具有一定的高程和陡坡，它可以形成于引张、挤压、剪切等不同的水平应力作用下，也可以形成于垂向应力作用范畴的地幔柱、地外体冲击作用等。然而，造山带是汇聚板块边缘大地构造作用形成的带状地质体，是地质学名词，强调的是动态过程，包括俯冲造山带和碰撞造山带，关键是具有汇聚板块边缘的岩石-构造组合。山脉和造山带是既有交集，又彼此不可包容的两个概念。文中最后列举的一些造山带研究中容易混淆和误解的问题，以及有些不太清晰的概念，亦有征求同行评议、建议之意。;A good grasp of the distinctions between mountains and orogenic belts is crucial to the understanding of plate tectonics. The greatest innovation must be based on the inheritance of previous researches, therefore, this paper first reviews the research history from mountains to orogenic belts in Earth Science, and then concludes the distinctions between them, and lists some common questions in the study of orogenic belts. The research history of mountains, from morphology and the interpretation of uplifting to the internal structure, tectonics and the universal dynamics, follows the whole process of modern geology, from the birth to the geosyncline theory and finally the plate tectonics theory. The plate tectonics theory gives a more definite definition to orogenic belts and defines the tasks and objects of structural geology. As a topographic term, mountains only represent landmasses conspicuously above surroundings. The key point of mountains is the elevations and steep slops. They can be resulted from any horizontal stresses of extensional, compressional and shearing, or from vertical stresses governed by mantle plume or exoteric body impact. Orogen is a collective term and represents structures constructed by the collective work of convergent plate margin processes. Orogenic belts contain subductional and collisional orogenic belts. The key characteristics of orogenic belts are the subduction-controlled rock-structure associations. Orogenic belts emphasize the dynamic process while mountains emphasize the static form and the present morphology. Mountains and orogenic belts are two entirely different concepts. In the end, we outline some confused and misunderstood issues, as well as some unclear concepts, that remain to be discussed.