Geology of Vietnam - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The territory of Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

is divided into five structural blocks : Northeast (NE), Northwest (NW), Truongson

Trường Sơn

Trường Sơn is a commune and village in Lục Nam District, Bac Giang Province, in northeastern Vietnam.-References:...

, Kontum and Nambo. The NE block is a part of the South China plate

Yangtze Plate

The Yangtze Plate, also called the South China Block or the South China Subplate, comprises the bulk of southern China. It is separated on the east from the Okinawa Plate by a rift that forms the Okinawa Trough which is a Back arc basin, on the south by the Sunda Plate and the Philippine Sea...

, in which strata

Stratum

In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...

and igneous rocks have been found dating from the Early Paleozoic

Paleozoic

The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...

to the Quaternary

Quaternary

The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...

. The NW and Truongson blocks are regarded as NW-SE trending Paleozoic folded systems filled with thick (>12000 m) Paleozoic formations. Precambrian

Precambrian

The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...

strata are widespread in the Red River fault

Red River fault

The Red River Fault is a major fault in Yunnan, China and Vietnam which accommodates continental China's southward movement It is coupled with that of the Sagaing Fault in Myanmar which accommodates the Indian plate's northward movement, with the land in between faulted and twisted clockwise. ...

zone and Fansipan

Fansipan

Fansipan is a mountain in Vietnam, the highest in Indochina, at . It is located in the Lào Cai province of Northwest Vietnam, 9 km southwest of Sa Pa Township in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range....

range in the NW block, and in the Kontum block. Archean

Archean

The Archean , also spelled Archeozoic or Archæozoic) is a geologic eon before the Paleoproterozoic Era of the Proterozoic Eon, before 2.5 Ga ago. Instead of being based on stratigraphy, this date is defined chronometrically...

rocks are found only in the Kontum block, which is regarded as a stable massif without Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. The Nambo block is covered with a very thick (>6000 m) sequence of Cenozoic

Cenozoic

The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...

formations deposited in a continental rift. During the Mesozoic

Mesozoic

The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...

many such graben

Graben

In geology, a graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. Graben is German for ditch. Graben is used for both the singular and plural....

structures were formed and become basins for sedimentation

Sedimentation

Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...

. Igneous activity in Vietnam is divided into five episodes from the Archean to Quaternary. The most important impediments to the description and interpretation of geology

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

in Vietnam are lack of reliable radiometric and structural data, and scarcity of good outcrops

Outcrop

An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...

Mining

Vietnam’s mineral resources, apart from offshore

Offshore (hydrocarbons)

"Offshore", when used relative to hydrocarbons, refers to an oil, natural gas or condensate field that is under the sea, or to activities or operations carried out in relation to such a field...

oil

Oil field

An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...

and gas

Natural gas

Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...

, include phosphate

Phosphate

A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...

, coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

, bauxite

Bauxite

Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...

, base and precious metals, and a variety of industrial minerals. More than 5,000 mineral occurrences have been identified. Five broadly-defined metallogenic epochs have been recognised and, in general, the younger the setting the more abundant the deposits. Only a few are hosted by Precambrian

Precambrian

The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...

rocks, principally iron

Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

, gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

and graphite

Graphite

The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...

. The early to mid-Palaeozoic contains small deposits of iron ore, lead

Lead

Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

-zinc

Zinc

Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...

and large deposits of potash

Potash

Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...

. Larger deposits of iron ore, ilmenite

Ilmenite

Ilmenite is a weakly magnetic titanium-iron oxide mineral which is iron-black or steel-gray. It is a crystalline iron titanium oxide . It crystallizes in the trigonal system, and it has the same crystal structure as corundum and hematite....

, gold, nickel

Nickel

Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...

-copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

and bauxite were formed during the early Carboniferous

Carboniferous

The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...

/late Triassic

Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...

Geothermal Energy

In the territory of Vietnam, more than 300 natural geothermal

Geothermal

Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to:* The geothermal gradient and associated heat flows from within the Earth- Renewable technology :...

sources have been recorded and six geothermal regions have been defined: Northwest, Northeast, Bac Bo plan, North central part, South central part, and Southern plain. Vietnam has a remarkable potential for geothermal resources. Especially, Northwestern Vietnam is the most prospective region for geothermal exploration and development. Dr. Doan Van Tuyen from the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology commented, “Compared with the rest of the world, Vietnam has medium potential for geothermal energy development. However, geothermal energy resources are available not just in one place, but throughout the country. Therefore, most localities can make use of this type of energy.”

Volcanic Activity

Vietnam has 6 volcanoes, Bas Dong Nai, Cu-Lao Re Group

Cu-Lao Re Group

Cù-Lao Ré is a volcanic field northeast of Quảng Ngãi, Vietnam. The field consists of 13 volcanic cones; four subaerial and nine submarine. Three of the subaerial cones formed the Cù-Lao Ré Island, while the fourth one formed the Cù-Lao Bai Island....

, Haut Dong Nai, Toroeng Prong, Veteran

Veteran

A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...

and Ile des Cendres

Ile des Cendres

Ile des Cendres is a group of submarine volcanoes located off the southeast coast of Vietnam. It consists of two submarine cinder cones that formed ephemeral islands during an eruption in 1923 and two submarine lava cones of uncertain age. The 1923 eruption produced two small islands, one about ...

who had the most recent eruption in 1923.

Geological Parks

The Dong Van Highlands, encompassing total area of more than 574 square kilometers in Ha Giang Province

Hà Giang Province

Hà Giang is a province in northeastern Vietnam. It is located in the far north of the country, and contains Vietnam’s northernmost point. It shares a 270 km long border with Yunnan province of southern China. Hence it is known as the final frontier of Vietnam...

’s Quan Ba

Quan Ba

Quan Ba is a district of Ha Giang Province in the Northeast region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 39,821. The district covers an area of 550 km²...

, Yen Minh

Yen Minh

Yen Minh is a district of Ha Giang Province in the Northeast region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 67,736. The district covers an area of 782 km²...

, Dong Van

Dong Van

Dong Van is a district of Ha Giang Province in the Northeast region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 57,715. The district covers an area of 447 km²...

and Meo Vac

Meo Vac

Meo Vac is a district of Ha Giang Province in the northeastern region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 58,944. The district covers an area of 574 km²...

districts, could eventually be recognized as a UNESCO Global Geological Park

Geopark

A Geopark is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its UNESCO Geoparks International Network of Geoparks programme as follows:...

.

UNESCO Vietnam has sent an application based on a recent study which concluded that limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

can be found in 11 layers on 80 percent of the surface of the plateau

Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...

. Two of the layers are sediment dating from 400 to 600 million years ago.http://news.activetravelvietnam.com/2009/12/nature-nurture-in-ha-giang-vietnam.html It will be only the second geological park in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

after Langkawi Geological Park in Malaysia and the 54th in the world.

Mining

Geothermal Energy

Volcanic Activity

Geological Parks

See also