Geological researches in China, Mongolia, and Japan, during the years 1862-1865.

10 GEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES IN CHAPTER- III. OBSERVATIONS IN THE PROVINCE OF CHIHLI. ALONG the western boundary of the province of Chihli, the great delta-plain is bounded by the outliers of the northwestern belt of N. E. S. W. ridges. The foundation on which rest the limestone and volcanic rocks of Northern Chihli, Shansi, and Shensi, consists of granite and the metamorphic schists; and where this foundation forms the northwestern limit of the delta-plain, it forms also the southeastern edge of the skeleton of the great table-land of Central Asia. We have seen that, in Central China, the granitic and metamorphic rocks that support the limestone and Coal measures, rise to-the level of the river, in, to say the least, only rare instances, and then as the axial cores of ridges; the great thickness of the overlying rocks making it highly probable that, from western Sz'chuen to the Pacific, this foundation lies far below the level of the sea. But if we cross the mountains from the delta-plain to the highlands of Mongolia, we find that the surface of the granitic substructure lies everywhere above the sea, and probably nowhere at a less height than 1000 feet. Were the limestone and younger rocks removed, the country would present the appearance of a table-land ribbed with high N. E. S. W. ridges, and very similar to southern Mongolia if we suppose that divested of its lava beds. Along the edge of the plain, the limestone floor of the Coal measures rises abruptly from under the delta-deposit, and forms, so to speak, the eastern facing of these mountains. At the entrance to the Nankau pass, the strata trend N. 60~ E. and dip about 40~ to S. E. Five or six miles farther west, it is followed by granite, and between these points, strike and dip are very irregular. From the pass, the limestone stretches away to N. E. toward Jehol, and to S. W., facing the plain, toward Shansi. While the Coal measures probably remain intact under the delta-plain, from the mountains of Shantung to those of Chihli, they exist in these latter only in scattered basins, where they have been partially preserved, by folds of the limestone, from denudation. The most important instances of this kind facing the plain, are the basins of Wangping (hien) and Fangshan (hien) west of Peking, and of Pingting (chau) in Shansi. The basins of Wangping (hien) and Fangshan (hien) lie in the mountains west of Peking where, rising from under the plain, they occupy synclinal folds of the limestone, and are probably only two arms of a larger basin concealed under the younger deposits to the eastward. The Wangping basin extends due west more than thirty miles, with a breadth of about twelve miles. Along a great part of its

/ 192
Pages

Actions

file_download Download Options Download this page PDF - Pages 21-25 Image - Page 22 Plain Text - Page 22

About this Item

Title
Geological researches in China, Mongolia, and Japan, during the years 1862-1865.
Author
Pumpelly, Raphael, 1837-1923.
Canvas
Page 22
Publication
[Washington,: Smithsonian institution,
1866]
Subject terms
Geology -- China
Geology -- Mongolia.
Geology -- Japan.

Technical Details

Link to this Item
https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ahe8439.0001.001
Link to this scan
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/ahe8439.0001.001/22

Rights and Permissions

These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please go to http://www.umdl.umich.edu/ for more information.

Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/api/manifest/moa:ahe8439.0001.001

Cite this Item

Full citation
"Geological researches in China, Mongolia, and Japan, during the years 1862-1865." In the digital collection Making of America Books. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ahe8439.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 28, 2025.
Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.