1�� Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources Research��Institute of Geology and Geophysics��Chinese Academy of Sciences�� Lanzhou 730000��China; 2�� Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems��Ministry of Education of China��Lanzhou University�� Lanzhou 730000��China; 3�� Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development��Qinghai Oilfield Company of PetroChina��Dunhuang 736202��Gansu��China

Qaidam Basin is confined by Kunlun��Altyn Tagh and Qilian mountains��and the Cenozoic basin development is controlled by the uplift of surrounding mountains�� Weastern Qaidam Basin is the most complex area in the basin��where there are two fault systems in NWW and NEE trends and developed growth strata in seismicprofiles�� To study the relationship between the tectonic model and stages of western Qaidam Basin with the activity of surrounding mountains and faults��the authors analyze the faults and growth sequences based on the new interpretation results of main seismic profiles�� It is confirmed that the Cenozoic active faults concentrated in three periods and controlled the development of different growth sequences in western Qaidam Basin: the early active faults controlled the development of the growth sequence 1 ( TR �� T3 ��53. 5 �� 31. 5 Ma) ��the later active faults controlled the growth sequence 2 ( T'2 �� present��14. 9 �� 0 Ma) ��and the faults have been active since Cenozoic controlled another set of growth sequence�� The main regional direction of tectonic evolution expanded from the Kunlun and Altyn Tagh mountains to the innter basin and regulated the direction of structure distribution��