THE COMPARISON BETWEEN SOUTHERN ANDES AND ANTARCTIC PENINSULA A REVIEW, NEW PROGRESS AND PROSPECT

The comparative research of southern Andes and Antarctic Peninsula is a key to explain the break-up of Gondwanaland. "Cuspate" , "Arcuate", "Continuing". "Overlapping" and "Modified Gulf of California" model illustrated, to some extent, southern Andes-Antarctic Peninsula relations. However, those models did not discuss the dynamic mechanism and specific evolution process of the two Plates' divergence. "Wedge" model, on the bases of eight geological evidences including tectono-stratigraphic unit, strike-slip fault system, carthquake, igneous activity and so on, not only discussed southern Andes-Antarctic Peninsula relations and its evolution process, but also presented an argument that Scotia minor-plate, which once acted as one part of Pacific Plate wedged in between the two Plates and gave rise to the break-up of Gondwanaland-The argument represents the the latest achievement made in geological research there. On the whole, all models mentioned-above are, more or less, of one-sided view. Where the dynamic source of Oolldwanaland's break-up was , to which large Plate Scotia minor-plate once belonged, in which direction the two strike-slip fault systems in southern Andes and Antarctic Peninsula once moved, how compelling and specific stratigraphic comparison as corresponding to Yahgan Formation and Tortuga ophiolitic complex vcrsusing Cumberland Kay type sediments and Larson Harbour Complex, which part of South Shetland Islands should be taken into account in the comparison and so on are the most obvious problems and can not be neglected.