Tectonic Geography of Eastern Asia. — Ilohbs. 217 
tion, while upon tlie islands it occnrs only compressed into folds. In 
the former region it is many times broken into inclined orographic 
blocks, and there are not lacking individual folds and bendings of the 
beds; but first in the Tsin-ling range begin the southwardly and south- 
eastwardly directed compressions or foldings which have affected all 
Paleozcic formations alike and which continue in the structure of all 
southern China. This southern part of the continent offers therefore an 
analogy with Japan, and it is easy to conjectiire that the section of the 
earth which borders the great continental plateau in the south finds its 
continuation in the Japanese islands. 
With the difference mentioned is connected a different kind of con- 
sideration. In north China the folded basement of all later deposits 
consists only of the Archaean formation; the superimposed cover l-e- 
gins with the Cambrian. In the Japanese islands on the other hand 
the zones and regions included in the Archaean merit special consider- 
ation, but in the basement all Paleozoic deposits are included with equal 
right, and first in contrast with these are the transgressing deposits 
and extrusions of Mesozoic and Tertiary age which are to be consid- 
ered as a separate cover. 
For the comprehension of the morphology this separation is im- 
portant. I limit myself hence in the first place to the elucidation of 
the structure of the covered basement and to the tectonic disturbances 
which are recognizable in it, particularly with reference to the occur- 
rence of granite and other ancient deep-seated rocks associated with it. 
Of little significance for the general structure are the transgressing 
Mesozoic formations, of predominant importance on the other hand 
the tectonic deformations, and the Tertiary deposits wdiich are con- 
nected with the phenomena of vulcanism. 
The present view of the structure of the Japanese islands may be 
briefly stated in outline. According to it the Japanese crescent or arc is 
a folded range of Alpine type separated into two parts by a Graben 
depression, Naumann's well known fossa magna. A sharply drawn line, 
the ''median line" runs through the arc in its entire length and sep- 
arates an inner zone corresponding to the core zone of the Alps marked 
by an abundance of granite, from an outer zone consisting of strongly 
folded Paleozoic sediments, in which locally also Mesozoic beds occur 
gently folded. In each of the two wrings the two zones suffer by their 
approach to the fossa a bending back and there arises through it a kind 
of chain which reminds one of the Indian grouping {Schanmg) and 
was compared with it by Harada, while Naumann first discovered the 
similarity of form but warned against the comparison. In north Japan 
the outer zone is formed by the ranges of Kitakami and Abukuma; 
their bending back occurs in the Kwanto range. 
If one investigates the islands according to the pteseni state of the 
detailed knowledge of them, certain essential lines which through their 
very simplicity corrupt the picture disappear, and with them disappears 
the similarity with the well known representation of the mountain 
crescents of Alpine type. Involved problems intrude. I turn tc the 
