1. Papers should be devoted mainly to various aspects of research concerning geosciences and related disciplines in China, such as stratigraphy, paleontology, origin and history of the Earth, structural geology, tectonics, mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology of mineral deposits, hydrogeology, engineering geology, environmental geology, regional geology and new theories and technologies of geological exploration. Those of scientific interest to the geological community in China or of international interest are also welcome. 2. Only unpublished original papers, not simultaneously submitted or published elsewhere, will be accepted, and copyright in published papers will be vested in the publisher. 3. Papers, including text, text figures, tables, references and plates, are normally 5000 to 10,000 words long, but shorter papers are