Relationship of the evolution of the lithosphere to large-scale mineralization in the continent of northern China and adjacent areas

Abstract：Based on geological and geophysical characteristics, the authors recognized two kinds of lithospheres in northern China, which are orogeny-type lithosphere and rift-type lithosphere, and the former can be divided into three orogeny-types of lithospheres, representing Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic substantial structures respectively. In space, these orogeny-type lithospheres are composed of Cenozoic orogeny-type, Paleozoic orogeny-type, Yanshanian orogeny-type and Cenozoic rift-type lithospheres, represented respectively by Tianshan, Ejin Banner, Da Hinggan Ling and Zhangguangcai Ling. These phenomena reflect the differential evolution of the Central Asia orogenic zone formed in Paleozoic during the Meso-Cenozoic continental dynamic process, which led to the formation of different types of lithosphere and nonuniformity of the materials and structures of the continental crust and the mantle as well as the large-scale mineralization. These activities on the whole have E110° as the boundary, with the western part being mainly of the Late Paleozoic pattern and the eastern part of the Mesozoic pattern. Some important problems are also discussed briefly in this paper, such as geological implications of the crust-mantle structures in different types of lithospheres and regional orientation and deep space for ore prospecting.