Tian Shan, Asiai

Regional Level Types
Tian Shan	Group of Mountain Ranges
Asia	Continent

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The Tian Shan, meaning the Mountains of Heaven or the Heavenly Mountain, is a large system of mountain ranges located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Jengish Chokusu, at 7,439 metres high (on the Kyrgyzstan-China border). Its lowest point is the Turpan Depression (Xinjiang, China), which is 154 m below sea level.

The Tianshan Mountains, located along the southwestern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, extend approximately 2500 km in an east–west direction and range from 125 to 350 km in width. This orogenic belt stretches from Uzbekistan across Central Asia to the border of Xinjiang and Gansu provinces in China. Structurally, the Tianshan exhibits considerable complexity, manifested in a southwestwardly-convex arc, a sinuous S-shaped undulation trending northeast–east, and a pronounced wave-like curvature along its nearly east–west alignment. The region’s geological evolution has been governed by several key tectonic episodes, including Early Paleozoic subduction and accretion, Late Paleozoic localized collision, and widespread intracontinental reconfigurations during the Meso-Cenozoic.
Within the Chinese territory, the Tianshan Mountains are conventionally subdivided into the Eastern and Western Tianshan. The Western Tianshan is further divided into the Northern Tianshan, Ili-Central Tianshan, and Southern Tianshan subregions. The Northern Tianshan lies north of the principal shear zone, which originated from the southward subduction of the Northern Tianshan Ocean since the Paleozoic. This subregion predominantly comprises Late Paleozoic volcanic–sedimentary successions and subordinate basic to intermediate volcanic rocks, and notably lacks exposed Precambrian basement. The Northern Tianshan ophiolite belt, which trends NWW–SEE, formed in response to the oceanic subduction process. In contrast, the Ili-Central Tianshan, located between the Northern and Southern Tianshan, is characterized by the exposure of Precambrian metamorphic basement and overlying sedimentary sequences from the Early Carboniferous onward. This area is typified by widespread Ordovician–Permian granitoids, with the Precambrian basement consisting primarily of amphibolite and granulite facies metamorphic rocks. The magmatic belts within the Ili-Central Tianshan are intimately associated with the subduction of both the Northern and Southern Tianshan Oceans.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

704 valid minerals. 100 (TL) - type locality of valid minerals. 2 (FRL) - first recorded locality of unapproved mineral/variety/etc. 2 erroneous literature entries.

Rock Types Recorded

Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities