This open access book contains a collection of rare geologic maps and figures made by Chinese geologists in the last century. Preserved in National Geological Archives of China, these artworks demonstrate the development and innovation of geological mapping technology in China in the past 100 years. The collections are highly scientific and artistic, with most of the hand-drawn maps featured with traditional Chinese painting techniques, while the newer ones being more accurate and embedded with more scientific information with the aid of computer techniques.

This open access book contains a collection of rare geologic maps and figures made by Chinese geologists in the last century. Preserved in National Geological Archives of China, these artworks demonstrate the development and innovation of geological mapping technology in China in the past 100 years. The collections are highly scientific and artistic, with most of the hand-drawn maps featured with traditional Chinese painting techniques, while the newer ones being more accurate and embedded with more scientific information with the aid of computer techniques. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.

Anyone studying the geology and tectonics of China and who is not able to read Chinese will need to have a copy of this book: Ceotectonic Evolution of China and a companion copy of the Tectonic Map of China, scale 1:4000,000. Professor Huang Jiqing and his collaborators from the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences have provided the English-speaking earth scientists with an extremely valuable tool that can be used towards understanding the geo b;;y of China. The introductory chapter is necessary to read prior to effective use of the material discussed in other chapters as it clearly presents the philosophy of this school of tectonics. The collaborators of the book acknowledge the important changes have been brough about by the plate tectonics theory but do not fully incorporate these ideas into their discussion. The book and map are testimony to the tremendous amount of geologic work accomplished by Chinese geologists in the past fourty years. As our Chinese collea gues begin to publish more English summaries such as this, it will become apparent to the rest of the world the vast amount of geologic mapping along with supportive stratigraphy and geophysics that has already been accomplished. Nearly all major non Chinese tracts on tectonic synthesis of the world treat China in only a cursory fashio)1 because so little is known of the area. With this text and map, future world tectonic synthesis can no longer afford to leave China out of the picture.

This Open Access book introduces readers to the regional geology of Hanggai, Xianxia and Chuancun, the area between China's northern Zhejiang Province and southern Anhui Province and explores the strata, magmatic rocks and tectonic structures in 1:50,000 scale geological maps. Based on studies of multiple stratigraphic divisions, the standard stratigraphic section of the upper Ordovician Hirnantian in the lower Yangtze region is established, revealing for the first time numerous "Burgess Shale-type" sponge fossils in Hirnantian strata and identifying 10 grapholite fossil belts and various fossil categories, including chitin, trilobites, gastropods, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Moreover, the book identifies for the first time Late Ordovician volcanic events in northern Zhejiang province. The work represents a major contribution to research on Paleozoic strata in the Lower Yangtze region, and sheds new light on understanding the Hirnantian glacial event and biological extinction event in South China by providing a high-precision time scale. In addition, the book opens an important avenue for future research on sponge evolution after the Cambrian life explosion. As such, it offers a unique and valuable asset for researchers and graduate students alike.