Hainan Island has been drifting counterclockwise and southeastwards since it separated from the Beibu Gulf 65 million years ago, the Science and Technology Daily reported Thursday, citing an expert with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Liang Guanghe, a PhD with the CAS's Institute of Geology and Geophysics, said that Hainan Island moved approximately 150 degrees counterclockwise to today's position and is still drifting southeastwards.
The conclusion is based on analyses of topography, mountain ranges, stratum, tectonic zones, fault and igneous rock distribution, metallogenic belts and geophysical anomalies, according to Liang.
He also said that continental drift is the dynamic mechanism for Hainan Island's drifting and separation.
Liang's findings have been published in Acta Geologica Sinica, an authoritative journal published by the Geological Society of China.
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