THE MAIN FEATURES OF MORPHOSTRUCTURE OF THE TRANSREGIONAL AMUR-SONGHUA-HUANGHE FAULT ZONE IN EAST ASIA

• Published in: Chinese geographical science 1997, Vol.7 (2), p.157-174
• Main Author: 裘善文 赵华昌 李取生
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Asia; Continental margins; East; fault; Fault lines; Geological history; Geomorphology; Morphology; morphostructure; Natural resources; Paleozoic; Plate tectonics; Precambrian; Rivers; Seismology; zone
• ISSN: 1002-0063; 1993-064X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11769-997-0063-4

The cooperative Russian-Chinese morphostructural investigations have been carried out during the last several years along the transregional fault zone--Amur-Songhua-Huanghe Lineament, which is stretching from the lower Huanghe (Yellow) River across the Bohai Sea to Liaohe-Songhua and further along the lower Amur River to North Sakhalin (more than 3000 km). It is the wide fault zone (some hundred km) that has been created in Paleozoic or Precambrian. The series of morphostructures of central type (MCT) or "ring-morphostructures" have been identified here. They are from 500-800 km to 20-30 km in diameter, and have different structure, age, origin, morphology and geological history. MCT are principal modern structural elements of the earth's crust and the study on them are producing new geological-geomorphological data and new ideas about structure and evolution of the region. MCT was created in Precambrian-Phanerozoic and experienced repeatedly tectonic-magmatic activation during their long-term history. Amur-Songhua-Huanghe Lineament is a seismic active linear structure both in China and in Russia, especially in the areas of intersections with deep faults of gigantic MCT of East Asia. The authors propose that a continental margin extension process, continuing from Paleozoic (Precambrian?) is a major factor in the morphostructural development of the Amur-Songhua-Huanghe Lineament. The received materials may be used for investigations in prospecting geology and geomorphology, studies on natural resources and for decision of other applied problems.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]