Nonmetallic Mineral Deposits of China and Plate Tectonics

Abstract

Abstract The Chinese continent is a component part of the present Eurasian plate. The history of its geological development is a process of the convergence of palaeo‐plates, the oceanward migration of volcanic belts and volcanic island‐arcs, and the accompanying growth of the intracontinental rifts in the later stage. So the Chinese continent abounds in nonmetal resources. Based on the plate‐tectonic settings in which those deposits were formed, the nonmetallic deposits can be generally classified into those related to the sutures and ophiolites, those related to the volcanic island‐arcs, those related to the back‐arc epicontinental sea, those related to the intracontinental rifts and those within the plate interior. They all show certain characteristic regularities of distribution. The evolutionary process of the Chinese continent is so complicated that some nonmetallic deposits have various origins and are characterized by multi‐stage mineralization, multiplicity of types and superimposition of mineralization. All these are of great significance in deepening the understanding of the formation and modes of occurrence of the nonmetallic deposits and in prospecting for mineral resources.