QUATERNARY GROWTH FOLDS IN THE JIUXI BASIN AT THE NORTHEASTERN MARGIN OF THE QINGHAI—XIZANG PLATEAU

QUATERNARY GROWTH FOLDS IN THE JIUXI BASIN AT THE NORTHEASTERN MARGIN OF THE QINGHAI—XIZANG PLATEAUgrants 49732 0 90and 496 0 2 0 36fromtheNSFofChina     

新生代酒西盆地沉积特征及其与祁连山隆升关系的研究

酒西盆地普遍缺失上白垩统-始新统,在渐新世晚期开始接受沉积,并形成厚约3．9km的中下第三系一第四系河流相沉积约,不整合覆盖于下白垩统上。渐新统火烧沟组仅在盆地北部出露,往盆地南部尖灭,古流向向南,其物源区应在北部,可能和阿尔金断裂的活动有关。白杨河组全盆均有分布,北祁连山中也有沉积。山中-盆内沉积相由山麓相转变为河湖相,变化明显;古流向大致向北,说明当时祁连山开始隆升,成为白杨河组的物源区。对酒西盆地中、新生界的重矿物进行了系统分析,白杨河组重矿物绝对含量的脉动增加明显,显示白杨河组沉积物源发生变化,原因可能是北祁连山开始隆升,酒西盆地的沉积物源由北转向南侧的祁连山。重矿物的相对含量以及ATi,GZi和ZTR特征值也指示了白杨河组时期矿物成熟度低,构造活动强烈,可能对应着北祁连山的开始隆升。     

哀牢山-红河剪切带渐新世的构造体制转换与剥露历史:来自哀牢山南段磷灰石裂变径迹的证据

哀牢山-红河剪切带是东南亚重要的构造边界,其记录了青藏高原东南缘新生代以来的陆内变形和地貌演化。本次研究对该剪切带哀牢山南段开展了基于LA-ICPMS法测试的磷灰石裂变径迹低温年代学分析。磷灰石裂变径迹年龄数据和热史反演模拟揭示哀牢山段存在晚始新世-早中新世(40～20Ma)的快速剥露事件,而早中新世(大约20Ma)之后处于稳定的慢速剥露过程。磷灰石裂变径迹年龄-海拔分布曲线特征暗示:快速剥露机制存在差异,早期阶段(40～26Ma)的剥露过程受控于伸展为主的左旋走滑体制影响;晚阶段(26～20Ma)的快速剥露归因于简单剪切为主的左旋走滑剪切体制,上述结果暗示哀牢山-红河构造带在晚渐新世发生了一次重要的构造体制转换,即从走滑伸展变形转换为简单剪切变形。哀牢山杂岩带北段、中段、南段冷却路径对比,表明北-中段可能存在两阶段快速冷却作用,而南段只发生单一快速冷却作用;结合青藏高原东南缘低温热年代学数据,暗示自中-晚中新世,青藏高原中、下地壳物质可能向东南缘扩展,并已到达哀牢山中段,同时诱发哀牢山杂岩带以北广大地区的抬升和快速冷却。     

祁连山北缘酒西盆地新生代沉积通量变化对周缘山体构造隆升-风化剥蚀历史的响应

酒西盆地是青藏高原东北缘的一个内陆沉积盆地,发育了巨厚且连续的中-新生代地层,详细记录了盆地及周缘山地的构造、环境演变历史。本文在利用平衡剖面法恢复不同时期酒西盆地原始盆地边界基础上,通过盆地天然露头控制剖面和钻井资料的地层厚度,恢复了酒西盆地新生代各组沉积等厚图。根据不同时期盆地大小和沉积等厚图的计算,获得了酒西盆地新生代不同时期的沉积通量。结合前人对该区构造与古气候研究成果,认为古近纪持续干旱的气候条件下从火烧沟组(40.2~33.4 Ma)到白杨河组(30.9~23.8 Ma)盆地沉积通量增加主要由青藏高原持续挤压使祁连山快速构造隆升导致风化剥蚀量增加所致;中新世早期(疏勒河组弓形山段,23~14 Ma)虽然气候相对温暖,但此时祁连山构造带相对稳定,控制了物源区祁连山风化剥蚀量相对前期减小,使盆地沉积通量相对减小;中新世中期(疏勒河组胳塘沟段,14~8.3 Ma)盆地沉积通量增大可能是气候和构造共同作用的结果;中新世晚期以来(<8.3 Ma,疏勒河组牛胳套段-玉门组)盆地沉积通量呈阶段性大幅陡增,主要由祁连山晚新生代以来阶段性急剧构造隆升导致风化剥蚀量猛增所致。     

Provenance analysis of the Yumen Basin and northern Qilian Shan: Implications for the pre-collisional paleogeography in the NE Tibetan plateau and eastern termination of Altyn Tagh fault

Understanding the pre-collisional paleogeography in the NE Tibetan plateau provides insights into the growth mechanisms of the northern portion of the plateau in the Cenozoic. We conducted sandstone petrography analysis and determined U-Pb ages for detrital zircons from Cretaceous sandstone from the Yumen Basin and the northern Qilian Shan. Cretaceous strata in the northern Yumen Basin yield a unimodal age population at 290–240 Ma that indicates primary derivation from Bei Shan. Cretaceous strata in the westernmost Yumen Basin contain zircons of 2.6–2.2 Ga, 2.1–1.7 Ga, 1.4–0.7 Ga, 440–380 Ma and 300–230 Ma, suggesting source derivation from both the Qilian Shan and Bei Shan. Within the northern Qilian Shan, Cretaceous strata yield age populations of 2.8–2.3 Ga, 2.1–1.2 Ga, 480–380 Ma and ca. 270 Ma, indicating derivation from the Qilian Shan. Sandstone composition results show that a sample from the northern Qilian Shan contains more lithic fragments and plots in the recycled orogen field of the quartz-feldspar-lithics (QFL) diagram, while samples from Yumen Basin are more quartz-rich and plot close to the continental block field of the QFL diagram. This compositional difference corresponds to source variation, consistent with the detrital zircon record. Combined with existing sedimentology and low-temperature thermochronology datasets, we suggest the presence of Cretaceous topographic relief in the Bei Shan and Qilian Shan prior to India-Asia collision. Considering >300 km post-Cretaceous left-lateral offset along the Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF) and the consistently similar detrital zircon ages spectra of the samples from the Cretaceous to late Oligocene strata in the Yumen Basin, we infer the paleogeography in the NE Tibetan plateau has been similar from the late Cretaceous to the late Oligocene with ATF termination in the western Yumen Basin instead of having been linked to strike-slip faults in the Alxa or other regions to the east since its initiation.     

龙门山冲断隆升及其走向差异的裂变径迹证据

大量的低温年代学研究用来讨论龙门山晚新生代的隆升,但很少涉及其走向差异和中生代隆升。本文分别沿龙门山北、中、南段3条剖面进行了锆石和磷灰石裂变径迹测试,结合已有的热年代学数据,以期揭示整个中-新生代期间龙门山隆升历史及其时空变化。中生代以来,龙门山主要有印支期(约200 Ma)、早白垩世末(约100 Ma)、早新生代(65～30 Ma)以及晚中新世(15～9 Ma)等或快或慢的冷却事件,总体上经历了中生代至早新生代的缓慢冷却和晚新生代快速冷却2个阶段,快速剥露开始于15～9 Ma,剥蚀速率由早期的0.1 mm/a增加到0.15～0.3 mm/a左右,局部可达0.9 mm/a左右。走向上,龙门山北段相对偏小的锆石裂变径迹年龄和相对偏大的磷灰石裂变径迹年龄反映其在中生代较中、南段隆升更快,而裂变径迹年龄总体上从北段向中、南段减小,表明中、南段在新生代发生了更快的隆升。倾向上,多种热年代学数据显示新生代期间在北川断裂和彭灌断裂两侧存在明显的差异剥露,这种差异在中、南段表现比北段更为突出。龙门山晚新生代快速隆升和剥露是青藏高原区域隆升背景上叠加的冲断活动所致,而非下地壳流动驱动。     

龙门山前陆盆地晚三叠世沉积通量与造山带的隆升和剥蚀

根据钻井资料、地层剖面资料,利用Surfer8.0软件编制出晚三叠世前陆盆地各组段的残留地层等厚图,得出各组段残留地层的沉积总量,并计算出各阶段沉积通量:21.4 t/(m2·Ma)、184.2 t/(m2·Ma)、278.0 t/(m2·Ma)、147.6 t/(m2·Ma)、703.5 t/(m2·Ma)、272.0 t/(m2·Ma)。然后,利用物质平衡法将沉积物回剥至龙门山造山带并进行脱压校正,计算出晚三叠世龙门山造山带剥蚀总厚度为2 514 m,各阶段造山带剥蚀速率分别为:0.009 mm/a、0.114 mm/a、0.133 mm/a、0.094 mm/a、0.423 mm/a和0.133 mm/a。最终,重塑了龙门山造山带晚三叠世的隆升历史:在距今228.0~199.6 Ma的时间内龙门山造山带地壳隆升了约4.3~4.6 km,地表隆升了1.8~2.1 km;并且隆升过程具有明显的阶段性,可划分为初始隆升(228.0~216.5 Ma)、加速隆升(216.5~211.0 Ma)、缓慢隆升(211.0~203.6 Ma)、急剧隆升(203.6~202.7 Ma)和缓慢隆升(202.7~199.6 Ma)五个阶段。     

Cenozoic thermo-tectonic evolution of the Gangdese batholith constrained by low-temperature thermochronology

Gangdese batholith in the southern Lhasa block is a key location for exploring the Tibetan Plateau uplift and exhumation history. We present the new low-temperature thermochronological data from two north–south traverses in the central Gangdese batholith to reveal their cooling histories and corresponding controls. Zircon fission track ages show prominent clusters ranging from 23.7 to 51.6 Ma, apatite fission track ages from 9.4 to 36.9 Ma, apatite (U–Th)/He ages between 9.5 and 12.3 Ma, and one zircon (U–Th)/He age around 77.8 Ma. These new data and thermal modeling, in combination with the regional geological data, suggest that the distinct parts of Gangdese batholith underwent different cooling histories resulted from various dynamic mechanisms. The Late Eocene–Early Oligocene exhumation of northern Gangdese batholith, coeval with the magmatic gap, might be triggered by crust thickening followed by the breakoff of Neotethyan slab, while this stage of exhumation in southern Gangdese batholith cannot be clearly elucidated probably because the most of plutonic rocks with the information of this cooling event were eroded away. Since then, the northern Gangdese batholith experienced a slow and stable exhumation, while the southern Gangdese batholith underwent two more stages of exhumation. The Late Oligocene–Early Miocene rapid cooling might be a response to denudation caused by the Gangdese Thrust or related to the regional uplift and exhumation in extensional background. By the early Miocene, the rapid exhumation was associated with localized river incision or intensification of Asian monsoon, or north–south normal fault.     

Cenozoic development of northern Svalbard based on thermochronological data

Northern Svalbard represents a basement high surrounded by the Norwegian‐Greenland Sea/Fram Strait, Eurasian Basin, the Barents Shelf and the onshore Central Tertiary Basin (CTB). Published apatite fission track (AFT) data indicate Mesozoic differential, fault‐controlled uplift and exhumation of the region. Thermal history modelling of published and new AFT and (U–Th–Sm)/He ages of 51–153 Ma in the context of regional stratigraphy and geomorphology implies at least two, possibly three, uplift and exhumation stages since late Mesozoic, separated by episodes of subsidence and sediment deposition. Late Cretaceous/Palaeocene exhumation and subsequent burial appear to be related with the transition of compressional to transpressional collision of Svalbard and Greenland during the Eurekan Orogeny. Renewed exhumation since the Oligocene probably results from passive margin formation after the separation of Svalbard and Greenland, when a new offshore sedimentary basin opened west of Svalbard. Final uplift since the Miocene eventually re‐exposed the palaeosurface of northern Svalbard.     

阿尔金-祁连山晚新生代隆升-剥露过程——来自岩屑磷灰石裂变径迹热年代学的制约

阿尔金-祁连山位于青藏高原北缘, 其新生代的隆升-剥露过程记录了高原变形和向北扩展的历史, 对探讨高原隆升动力学具有重要意义。本文采用岩屑磷灰石裂变径迹测年分析, 利用岩屑的统计特征限定阿尔金-祁连山新生代的隆升-剥露过程。磷灰石裂变径迹测试结果表明, 阿尔金-祁连山地区存在4个阶段的抬升冷却: 21.1~19.4 Ma、13.5~10.5 Ma、9.0~7.3 Ma、4.3~3.8 Ma。其中, 4.3~3.8 Ma抬升冷却事件仅体现在祁连山地区, 9.0~7.3 Ma抬升冷却事件在区内普遍存在, 且9.0~7.3 Ma隆升-剥露造就了现代阿尔金-祁连山的地貌。区域资料分析表明, 9~7 Ma(或者8~6 Ma)期间, 青藏高原北缘、东缘, 甚至整个中国西部地区发生了大规模、区域性的抬升, 中国现今"西高"的构造地貌形态可能于当时开始形成。阿尔金-祁连山地区4期抬升冷却事件与青藏高原的隆升阶段有很好的对应关系, 应该是对印度-欧亚板块碰撞的响应。     

循化-化隆盆地晚白垩世以来盆山耦合过程: 来自物源与磷灰石裂变径迹年代学分析的证据

循化-化隆盆地新生代沉积及盆地基底和周缘山系磷灰石裂变径迹年代学分析揭示了青藏高原东北缘晚白垩世以来经历过3期隆升剥露事件: (1)盆地基底及拉脊山和西秦岭北缘构造带磷灰石裂变径迹年龄分析普遍记录了晚白垩世-始新世中期相对快速的区域性的隆升剥露事件, 西秦岭北缘快速抬升的起始时间为84Ma, 受控于向北的逆冲抬升; 向北到循化-化隆盆地中部的拉目峡抬升的起始时间为69Ma; 更北的拉脊山一带快速抬升期主要为40~50Ma, 从而反映晚白垩世-始新世中期的快速抬升由南向北逐渐扩展.这一期构造隆升事件导致循化-化隆盆地和临夏盆地缺失了北部西宁-民和盆地古近纪所具有的西宁群沉积.隆升剥露结束于31Ma左右, 此时化隆-循化盆地向东与同时期的临夏盆地相连为一个统一的大型西秦岭山前盆地, 两者具有相同的构造、沉积演化史, 因此循化-化隆盆地他拉组底部地层年龄最老不会超过临夏盆地最老地层的古地磁年龄, 即29Ma.(2)渐新世晚期约26Ma拉脊山开始双向逆冲隆升, 并可能延续到中新世早期约21Ma, 隆升作用使循化-化隆盆地成为挟持于拉脊山逆冲带和西秦岭构造带之间的山前挤压型前陆盆地, 循化-化隆盆地开始大规模沉积巨厚的他拉组冲积扇相粗碎屑岩.(3)通过循化-化隆盆地咸水河组和临夏组的沉积相分析、古流方向和砾石成分分析, 揭示出拉脊山构造带在中新世8Ma左右发生的最大规模的双向逆冲隆升事件, 这次事件直接导致循化-化隆盆地由前陆挤压盆地转变为山间盆地, 形成现今青藏高原东北缘的盆山地貌基本格局.      

青藏高原东北缘寺口子盆地新生代沉积演化及其构造意义

宁夏固原寺口子盆地发育巨厚的新生代地层,这些地层记录了青藏高原东北部的沉积演化特征和构造演变历史。根据剖面沉积物粒度特征、沉积结构和构造、沉积层序,识别出20种岩相、5种沉积相类型。结合前人对寺口子剖面的古地磁测年,分析研究盆地的沉积演化特征以及对构造的响应表明:20.1 Ma盆地以缓慢的坳陷沉降开始演化,直至1.2 Ma遭受破坏。在此期间青藏高原东北部经历了6.4 Ma、4.6 Ma和1.2 Ma这3次明显的构造挤压隆升运动,其中约6.4 Ma的构造运动是青藏高原向东北部扩展首次影响到海原—六盘山断裂以东地区。从盆地的形成和沉积演化过程来看,马东山山前断裂的逆冲推覆,导致了寺口子盆地的强烈变形和构造降升,并且最终成为青藏高原的最新组成部分。     

The Major Two-stage Shortening Deformation of the Northern Tibet and Tian Shan Area Since the Latest Oligocene

It seems to be progressively recognized that the stress of the India-Asia convergent front can be transferred rapidly through the southern and central Tibetan lithosphere to the northern Tibet, hence leading to the crustal thickening deformation there during or immediately after the onset of the India-Asia collision(ca.55 Ma).This study focuses on the late Cenozoic deformation and tectonic uplift of the northern Tibet and Tian Shan area.Detailed compilations of a variety of proxy data from sediments and bedrocks suggest that the northern Tibet and Tian Shan area underwent one stage of approximately synchronous widespread contractile deformation since 25–20 Ma, which seemed to decrease at circa 18 Ma as revealed by low-temperature thermochronological data.The latest Oligocene-early Miocene was also significant basin-forming episodes when many intermontane subbasins began to receive syntectonic sedimentation in the northeastern Tibet.Subsequently, the other phase of compressional deformation began to encroach more widely into the northern Tibet and Tian Shan area in episodic steps or continuously from 16–12 Ma to present.     

中祁连木里盆地古近系ESR年龄及地质意义

对中祁连木里盆地新生代红层进行ESR测年,获得了祁连山地区新生代红层沉积时代及构造变形年代学数据.研究表明,中祁连木里盆地内沉积了巨厚的新生代红层,较好地记录了祁连山隆升历史.盆地最老的新生代地层为始新世由湖相沉积组成的火烧沟组,ESR年龄为40.2～35.3 Ma,与上覆沉积时代为32.6～24.3 Ma的渐新世河湖相沉积组成的白杨河组呈角度不整合接触.构造变形特征与沉积环境的变化说明始新世末与渐新世初木里地区发生了构造变形和山脉的隆升,与祁连山地区新生代早期的隆升有很好的对应关系.     

The Sedimentary Record in Northern Qaidam Basin and its Response to the Uplift of the South Qilian Mountain at around 30 Ma

The thick, Eocene to Pliocene, sedimentary sequence in Qaidam Basin at the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau records the surface uplift history of the northeastern Tibetan plateau. In this study, we present detailed geochemistry, heavy mineral, and clay mineralogy data of the well preserved sedimentary record in the Dahongou section in the northeast of the Qaidam Basin. The results suggest that the sedimentary sequence recorded a 30 Ma young uplift/unroofing event in the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin, which is characterized by high ZTR index value and chlorite content, and low CIW`. The results are consistent with previous sedimentological studies of the Qaidam Basin, which indicated rapid increase of the accumulation rates around 30 Ma. Based on past thermochronological data from the mountains around the Qaidam Basin and the accumulation rates of the Cenozoic basins in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, we infer a regional uplift and denudation event along the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during early Oligocene (～30 Ma), indicating that the Tibetan Plateau had expanded north-eastward of the study area at that time.     

Exhumation History of the Xining Basin Since the Mesozoic and Its Tectonic Significance

The Xining Basin is located in the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, and its continuous Cenozoic strata record the entire uplift and outgrowth history of the Tibetan Plateau during the Cenozoic. The newly obtained apatite fission track data presented here shows that the Xining Basin and two marginal mountain ranges have experienced multiphase rapid cooling since the Jurassic, as follows. In the Middle–Late Jurassic, the rapid exhumation of the former Xining Basin resulted from collision between the Qiangtang Block and the Tarim Block. During the Early–Late Cretaceous, the former Xining Basin underwent a tectonic event due to marginal compression, causing the angular unconformity between the Upper and Lower Cretaceous. In the Late Cretaceous to the Early Cenozoic, collision between the Qiangtang Block and the Lhasa Block may have resulted in the rapid exhumation of the Xining Basin and the Lajishan to the south. In the Early Cenozoic(ca. 50–30 Ma), collision between the Indian and Eurasia plates affected the region that corresponds to the present northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. During this period, the central Qilian Block rotated clockwise by approximately 24° to form a wedge-shaped basin(i.e., the Xining Basin) opening to the west. During ca. 17–8 Ma, the entire northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau underwent dramatic deformation, and the Lajishan uplifted rapidly owing to the northward compression of the Guide Basin from the south. A marked change in subsidence occurred in the Xining Basin during this period, when the basin was tectonically inverted.     

阿尔金山脉新生代隆升-剥露过程

阿尔金山脉位于青藏高原北缘。文中主要是利用磷灰石裂变径迹测年分析,探讨阿尔金山脉的隆升和剥露过程。来自阿尔金山脉34个花岗岩、花岗闪长岩和片麻岩样品中磷灰石的裂变径迹测试结果表明,阿尔金山脉存在至少5个阶段的剥露作用,反演出阿尔金山脉具有多期次、阶段性的隆升特征,并存在差异性:EW向的阿尔金北缘拉配泉—红柳沟山体隆升-剥露时间早(61~34Ma);NE向且末—茫崖山脉的主要隆升时间位于始新世晚期—中新世(42~11Ma);沿阿尔金(主)断裂山体的隆升-剥露最为年轻,存在三期主要的剥露作用:10·2~7·3、5·5~4·5和2·1~1·8Ma。结合区域磷灰石测年数据、区域变形事件及其阿尔金断裂走滑历史分析,推测阿尔金山脉在晚白垩世曾有过初期隆升和剥露,古近纪的剥露局限于阿尔金山脉北缘EW向的山脉,始新世晚期—中新世、上新世晚期和早更新世的山脉剥露作用遍及了青藏高原北缘山脉,8Ma是青藏高原抬升和变形的一期重要构造事件发生时间;前陆盆地和阿尔金山间盆地的沉积作用研究也显示了阿尔金山脉的隆升剥露过程与阿尔金断裂的走滑及其相关盆地沉积构造-演化具有很好的耦合关系。     

晚新生代天山北缘构造变形定量研究

晚新生代以来,由于印藏板块陆—陆碰撞,天山山脉重新活动并隆升剥蚀。确定天山隆升变形时间和规模对研究大陆岩石圈变形以及构造活动、气候和剥蚀关系具有重要意义。本文通过生长地层和磁性地层研究,结合天山北缘地震剖面的构造解析,确定了天山北缘三排平行于天山山脉的褶皱带形成时间,并对三排褶皱带的变形量进行平衡恢复,其中三排褶皱中第一排的构造缩短量约为2.9 km(缩短率为15.1％),构造形成时间约为6 Ma,其缩短速率为0.4 mm/a;第二排构造缩短量约为5.9km(缩短率为23.7％),构造形成时间约为2 Ma,缩短速率为2.9mm/a;第三排构造缩短量约为4.3 km(缩短率为15.7％),构造形成时间约为1Ma,缩短速率为4.3mm/a;结果表明晚新生代以来天山构造活动强度可能在加大。     

Active faults and magnitudes of left-lateral displacement along the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau

The northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (NMTP) is a major intracontinental Cenozoic transpressional zone that comprises a series of active strike-slip faults and thrust faults. It is important to document cumulative horizontal displacements along the NMTP in order to understand quantitatively strain partitioning in East Asia since the India–Eurasia collision. Based on an analysis of horizontal slip along major active faults, the total amount of horizontal displacements is estimated up to 700 km between the Tibetan Plateau and the Tarim Basin since the convergence of India and Eurasia. Along the western and middle segment of the Altyn Tagh fault to the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin, there are abundant evidence that show that the net displacement is 400 km since 40–35 Ma, and along the Shulenan Shan and southeast of middle Qilian Shan since 25–17 Ma, the amount of offset is 150 km. The largest horizontal slip in Qilian Shan–Hexi Corridor to the northeast of the Altyn Tagh fault is also 150 km since late Oligocene to early Miocene. It decreases to only 60 km along the Haiyuan fault (since late Miocene) and to 25 km along the Zhongwei–Tongxin fault since the Pliocene (about 5.3–3.4 Ma), at the northeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau. This clearly implies northeastward diminishing of the total horizontal displacement and temporal getting younger of the fault slip along the NMTP. However, this tendency is very complicated at different times and different segments as a result of the uplift, growth and rotation of different segments of the NMTP at different stages during the convergence of India and Eurasia.     

Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Northern Qaidam Basin, NW China: Implications for the earliest Cretaceous intracontinental tectonism

Formation of Mesozoic western China, which was dominated by tectonic amalgamation along its southern margin and associated intracontinental tectonisms, holds a key for interpreting the succedent Cenozoic evolution. This paper presents new data including lithology, sedimentary facies, stratigraphic contact, seismic interpretation and paleo-structures within the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous strata in the northern Qaidam Basin, NW China. These data all account for a contractional tectonic deformation in the earliest Cretaceous. The South Qilian Shan, according to the sedimentary features and provenance analysis, reactivated and exhumated during the deformation, controlling the deposition of the Lower Cretaceous sequences. A simplified model for the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous paleogeography and tectonics of the northern Qaidam Basin is accordingly proposed. The results also support a ∼25° clockwise rotation of the Qaidam Basin since the Early Cretaceous and a more accurate Mesozoic evolution process for the basin. This earliest Cretaceous deformation, associated with the reactivation of the South Qilian Shan at the time, are part of the intracontinental tectonisms in central Asia during the Mesozoic, and probably driven by both the closure of the Mongol-Okhostk Ocean to the north and the collision of the Lhasa and the Qiangtang blocks to the south.