BLOCK THEORY AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE RESEARCH OF TECTONIC FRAMWORK OF CHINA SEAS AND LAND

The theory takes the continental crust as its main research theme, and the oceanic crust remains the main research interest of the oceanic plate tectonics. The two theories complement each other, and become a perfect theoretical system of global tectonics. Every block requires a nucleus (usually Proterozoic or even older) as the core of growth. Around the old nucleus, there are magmatic activities and orogenic belts making the block growing larger until the emergence of a new split to make new blocks. With time, the new blocks may merge together with other blocks to become a supercontinent. There are three basic types of block boundaries, i. e. deep and large faults, which control regional tectonics, the active continental margin and the passive continental margin. The geotectonic evolution of a block can be divided into the embryonic stage, the infancy stage, the growing and expanding stage, and the decline stage. The four stages make up a complete life cycle for the geological evolution of a block.