A Preliminary Study on the Middle-Lower Yang River Rift Valley

The famous Middle-Lower Yangtze River Rift formed in Mesozoic (Yenshanian) is a typical continentalrift, which is related to the predominant NE-striking faulting, and features a unique bahd-netted structuralpattern as a controlling factor for the extensively developed magmatism. A variety of ore deposits wereformed as a result of magmatic activities. The development of the rift was principally governed by the uplifting of the upswelled zone triggeredoff by strong compressional stress in the upper mantle underneath the rift. Rifting, however, was su-perimposed upon the folding movement of late Indosinian period in the middle-lower reaches of the YangtzeRiver, which had more or less influence on the development of the rift, thus leading to some distinct featuresdiffering from those of typical continental rifts found elsewhere in the world.