262 J. S. Lee—An Outline of Chinese Geology. 
with the expedition of the Me-kong, there followed the missions of 
Leclére and Lantenois. The recent research of Dr. J. Deprat has 
brought many points of scientific interest to light. His establish- 
ment of the Fusulinide zones for the marine Carboniferous and 
Permian is likely to assume universal importance. His report on 
the geology of eastern Yun-nan 1s particularly notable in its precision 
and lucidity. 
So much for the history of geology in China. Now we come to the 
geological history of China. In dealing with such a stupendous 
subject as this, one may be sure at the very beginning that it is 
impossible to enter into details in this short paper. Moreover, the 
fragmentary nature of our present knowledge must naturally 
necessitate the introduction of risky assumptions and hypotheses in 
attempting to form a connected view of the successive geological 
changes that have taken place in the vast area of eastern Asia since 
Archean time. Nevertheless, we feel the pressing need of linking 
up, so to speak, the available authentic information so that some 
ideas may be obtained as to what has been done in the past and 
what is to be done in the immediate future. This paper is, therefore, 
primarily meant to be a synthetic review of the existing literature 
rather than a summary of critical analyses of the same. Only those 
points which appear to be of utmost importance are raised and 
briefly discussed. 
THe GENERAL STRUCTURE OF CHINA. 
China Proper may be divided, for the convenience of a broad 
tectonic consideration, into two parts of approximately equal 
dimension, between which runs the long range of the Tsing-ling 
from west by north to east by south. The area to the north of this 
range or Northern China is further divisible into three parts of 
different structure. 
1. In the north-eastern area there occur parallel folds principally 
running north-east or east-north-east, and occasionally accompanied 
by secondary undulations with their axes running east to west.1 The 
Paleozoic rocks are in many places involved in these folds; while 
the Jurassic are apparently free from their influence. In the moun- 
tains of north-western Chi-li the north-east folds are so remarkably 
well developed that after a glance at Richthofen’s geological map 
one can hardly fail to appreciate the meaning of his appropriate 
term the “‘ Grid of Peking ’’. 
2. In the north-western area we find a series of high mountains, 
the Nan-shan Ranges, running from north-west to south-east, and 
gradually bending in between longitudes 103°-104° E., into arcs 
with their concave side facing the north, i.e. more or less concentric 
with the Irkutsk-Amphitheatre of Suess. The tectonic axes of the 
Nan-shan Ranges generally agree with the mountain trend except for 
Mesozoic synclines that in some cases obliquely traverse the ranges. 
1 F. N. Drake, ‘‘ The Coal-field of North-East China’’: Trans. Amer. Inst. 
Min. Eng., 1901-2, pp. 492-512. 
