“The First China-Russia International Meeting on the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and IGCP 592 Workshop” was held in Beijing, China on Sep. 23-25, 2015. The meeting was sponsored by the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS) and the Institute of the Earth’s Crust, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), in cooperation IGCP Project 592 “Continental Construction in Central Asia”, National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) “Xing'an Mongolian Orogenic Belt Tectonic Superposition and Mineralization”, Geosciences Cooperation and Research Center under the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organization,and the International Project of the Compilation of Geological Maps in Central and Eastern Asia. The meeting was organized by the Institute of Geology, CAGS.

More than 130 delegates from 9 countries and regions, including China, Russia, Mongolia, Canada, Germany, Australia etc., attended the meeting. Prof. Wang Xiaolie, Vice President of China Geological Survey (CGS) and Executive Vice President of CAGS, Prof. Hou Zengqian, Director of the Institute of Geology, CAGS, Prof. Dmitrii Gladkochub, Director of the Institute of the Earth’s Crust, Siberian Branch, RAS and Dr. Inna Safonova, leader of IGCP 592, addressed the Opening Ceremony. Dr. Wang Tao, Deputy Director of the Xi’an Center of CGS, introduced the background and significance of the meeting.

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), sandwiched between the Siberian and the Tarim-North China Cratons, is the largest Phanerozoic accretionary orogenic belt and regarded as a geological museum exemplifying accretionary orogeny and Phanerozoic continental growth on Earth. The CAOB covers an area of 10 million km², extending across China, Monggolia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and neighboring countries. CAOB boasts a series of superlarge mineral deposits and giant metallogenic belts, the majority of which are across national boundaries. Therefore, it is of great significance to conduct international correlation research and investigations to realize theoretical innovation and make breakthroughs in geological prospecting in the region.

Altogether 34 geoscientists delivered presentations at the meeting, introducing the latest research results in Precambrian basement, magmatic evolution, crust growth, deep exploration, mineral prospecting, Quaternary geology etc. In-depth discussions were carried out around the origin, evolution and metallogenisis of CAOB, and cooperation opportunities among geoscience teams and institutions were further explored. A three day post-meeting field excursion with the theme of “from craton to orogenic belt” was organized in Inner Mongolia.

The organization of “China-Russia International Meeting on the Central Asian Orogenic Belt” is planned to rotate annually between China and Russia.