Geotectonic division of China and some related problems

Guided by the new global tectonic thought, based on the plate tectonic theory, and taking the continental dynamics as the clue, the authors have discussed the regional geological tectonic evolution and made tectonic division. As plate tectonics changed constantly with the elapse of time, the tectonic division of China should be based on the plate tectonic framework in Paleozoic period, and pre-Paleozoic and post-Paleozoic crustal tectonic evolution should also be taken into account. The authors thus divide China's territory into seven class-Ⅰ tectonic units(plates) and thirty class-Ⅱ tectonic units, including cratons or microcontinental blocks and orognic zones of different periods. On such a basis, the boundaries of these units and the relationship between different units are discussed.