Tectonic Deformation Features

    800-250 million years ago, Dali Mt.Cangshan UNESCO Global Geopark was basically located in the continental shelf of shallow sea. During the long evolution from oceans to continents, this place has experienced the evolution and extinction of the paleo-tethys between 350 and 250 million years ago (Carboniferous - Permian) and the neo-tethys between 250 and 45 million years ago (Triassic - Paleogene). About 45 million years ago in the Paleogene, the India plate and the Eurasian plate kept approaching and converging and the intercontinental neo-tethys ocean basin disappeared. Finally, violent collisions between the two plates led to the emergence of the Himalayas,the Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake.

    Cangshan and Erhai have recorded changes of geological structure during the orogenesis and also left abundant structural features such as the fold, fault and rift.

Fold in Schist

Rootless Fold

Fold

Fold in felsic veins

Leptynite

S-shaped bending slip fold

Ptygmatic fold

Ptygmatic fold

"Bedding" ductile shear deformation

Ductile Shear Zone

It is a partial ductile (plastic) zone, i.e., a ductile fault. Rock blocks on both sides of the shear zone displace in a way similar to a fault, but no obvious fault plane.

Landscape Forming Cracks

Deformed folds caused by heat fluxmetamorphism

"Bedding" ductile shear zone

Mullion structure

Stretching lineation

Thrust faultin the west of Cangshan Mountain

Thrust fault with the foliation inclining west