Abstract:It is a critical problem in the mechanics of continental deep subduction why continental rocks of low density can be subducted to UHPM depths. Although it was suggested that continental blocks on the scale of tens of kilometers could be wrapped down to UHP depth by subducting mantle, large scale UHPM belts of continental deep subduction requires special tectonic settings. Studies on the northern South Island of New Zealand indicate that subducting oceanic slab can overcome the buoyancy and drag adjacent continental sliver up to about 150 km width to UHM depths, while the main body of continent can only float upon the mantle to produce strike-slip faults. Similar tectonic settings may exist in the Sulu-Dabie area. Oceanic slab west of Sulu dragged continental Sulu to UHPM depth first; then, oceanic slab west of Dabie dragged Dabie to UHPM depth, while Sulu, which lost the oceanic slab drag and under buoyancy, float up and produced the Tancheng-Lujiang strike-slip fault as the Yangtze block moved northward; finally, continental collision occurred in Qingling and Dabie UH-PM exhumed under buoyancy. As a typical orogeny of continental collision, Qingling has no condition for large scale UHPM formation, although scattered UHPM may not be excluded.