Charm of landing of plate tectonics on the continent as viewed from the study of the archipelagic arc-basin system

The theory of plate tectonics is one of the highly successful theories in the geosciences. The rudimental guide of the plate-tectonic theory landing on continent is the archipelagic arc-basin system between the oceanic lithosphere and continental lithosphere. The study of tectonics on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau indicates that the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is the ideal research base of the plate-tectonic theory landing on the continent. The evolution of the Tethys and formation and evolution of the Asian continent can be interpreted by the tectonic model of the archipelagic arc-basin system in the process of transition between oceanic crust and continental crust, which is supported by the recognition of numerous ophiolitic belts, melange zones and volcanic-magmatic arcs on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions.