Geodynamic evolution of the Tien Shan lithosphere

In recent two decades, new data on the age of strata and their spatial arrangement and geodynamic formation conditions have appeared, which give new insight into the geologic history of the Tien Shan. This mountain system evolved in several large megastages and stages, from the Archean through the Quaternary, which are recognized according to the predominant oceanic or continental regime of development. The fold-nappe structure of the Tien Shan is the result of crushing of the edge of the ancient supercontinent into a series of small blocks, which were then localized on the periphery of the Paleoasian ocean and underwent accretion, completed in the late Late Paleozoic. The modern Eurasian plate within Central Asia is separated into several blocks, whose counter and rotational movements determine the recent geodynamics of the region. The Tien Shan lithosphere is layered as a result of the appearance of a migma layer in its lower part, which causes a relatively free transfer and deformation of its upper part.