GEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND EVOLUTION OF THE KUNLUN MOUNTAINS REGION DURING THE EARLY PALEOZOIC

In the West Kunlun Mountains there exists a Caledonian tectonic zone. The fifth suture zone of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau was' formed as a r esult of,dosing of the proto-Tethys Sea caused by the Caledonian movem ent. The discovery of the Sinian-Cambrian Wanbaogou Group and the Midd le Ordovician-Silurian Halagel Group around the Golmud area in East Ku nlun, the discovery of the early Paleozoic rockbodies at Wanbaogou and Huxiaoqing, and the unconformity between the Devonian molasse and the underlying strata provide evidence for the existence of the Caledonia n tectonic zone. There are not only similarities, but also significant differences between the East Kunlun and West Kunlun.