Abstract:The importance of the greenstone formations preservative in the cratons and the ophiolite complexes present in the geosynclines of China has become increasingly recognized during the last few years.The purpose of this paper is to make a comparison between greenstone suite and ophiolite suite and to show their differences.It is well known that the greenstone and the ophiolite are actually different both in their concepts and characters. The authers have made in this paper the comparison between them using the data from the world.It is believed that greenstone belts were derived from Archean basin with sialic basement and ophiolites were formed in the oceanic basin with simatic basement. Greenstone belt is as an autochthonous volcanic-sediment located within the cratons, while ophiolite is regarded as an allocthon emplaced into the geosyncline. In general, the age of greenstone is confined to Archean and ophiolite belongs to phanerosoic age. Greenstone sequence can be divided into three divitions (or subsequences), from the lower to the upper horizon, they are ultramafic layer (including komatiites), mafic volcanic layer, sialic volcanic and sedimentary layer. In the ophiolite sequence peridotite tectonite occurs as a basement in the lower part, and in the middle of section there occur the cumulative rocks which on the top are overlain by the mafic lava. Unlike the ophiolite sequence, the greenstone sequences have lock of sheeted dyke complex. The volcanic rocks of greenstone in petrochemistry exhibit generally a bimodal suite which is absented for volcanic of ophiolites. The greenstone sequence shows generally 1-3 or more cycles of development, and ophiolite suite has only one sequence.In addition, greenstone suite differs from ophiolite sutite either in geochemistry and REE, or in metamorphism, tectonics, and mineralizations.