MAJOR DEFORMATION FEATURES OF THE ALPINE CHAIN AND THE HIMALAYAN CHAIN IN THE ALPINE CYCLE
阿尔卑斯旋回中喜马拉雅山链和阿尔卑斯山链的主要变形特征

The Alpine Chain and the Himalayan Chain, both formed during the Alpine Cycle, bear a resemblance to each other in their deformation regularity. Large-scale nappe structures are present in the form of a series of ductile nappe-shear zones of "crust-mantle" type and "inner crust" type. Intense plasic flowages, such as recumbent folds, horizontal cleavages and extended lineations, and shear strain are observed in a thickness of several kilometres. Highly strained mylonite zones and high-pressure metamorphic zones are distributed along the major interface of the shear zone. Diachronism is shown in deformation and metamorphism. Migration is characteristic of deformation and the major deformation mechanism seems to be simple shearing superimposed by contraction deformation. It is believed consequently that both the mountain chains underwent a structural evolution in a sequence of oceanic shearing-obduction-collision-intracontinental deformation-su-bduction inside continental crust.