ON THE SOLID EARTH SCIENCE AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE

The advances during the 20(th) century in the field of Solid Earth Science have numerously contributed to the emergence of Earth System Science (ESS). ESS aims at understanding the Earth as a synthetic system driven by complex internal and external processes, with special emphasis given to the interactions of geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It should answer a series of questions about the Earth, such as (1) How the Earth system evolved in the past? What are the driving forces and mechanisms of these changes? What occurs presently in the system with numerous human disturbances and what will be its future? The fundamental of the Earth System Science is to view the Earth located within a crucial region for understanding the basic Earth system processes. The study of ESS also meets China's social requirements as it is likely faced with most serious natural environmental and resource problems. We suggest a number of issues relevant to the traditional Solid Earth Science, which appear to be of importance in the ESS studies in China.