柴达木北缘地区前陆盆地背靠相对活动的南祁连造山带，面朝相对稳定的柴达木微板块，在中生代（至少侏罗纪）曾历经强烈的挤压作用，形成了一系列与褶皱—冲断作用有关的构造样式。该前陆盆地在平面上呈狭长状，沿南祁连山前绵延分布。根据地震剖面解释及地质资料综合分析表明，柴北缘侏罗纪沉积盆地具较典型的前陆盆地剖面形态，且该前陆盆地呈现背驮式渐次向前（盆内）发展演化模式。柴北缘地区逆冲推覆构造及其前陆盆地起始于印支运动，形成于燕山运动，改造于喜马拉雅期。柴北缘前陆盆地由南祁连造山带往盆内，可以划分为：南祁连造山带、柴北缘逆冲叠瓦扇带、隐伏逆冲前缘带及前缘斜坡带四个构造单元。在柴北缘前陆盆地中，最有利于油气富集的构造部位为柴北缘逆冲叠瓦扇带至隐伏逆冲前缘带 The foreland basin in the north margin of the Qaidam backs against the relatively active Qilian orogenic belt toward the relatively stable Qaidam microplate and underwent intense extrusion during the Mesozoic (at least Jurassic) to form a Series Structural features related to fold-thrust action. The foreland basin is long and narrow in plan and extends along the front of the Qilian Mountains. According to the seismic section interpretation and the comprehensive analysis of geological data, it shows that the Jurassic sedimentary basin in the north margin of the Qaidam basin has a more typical foreland basin profile shape, and the foreland basin presents a piggyback progressive (in-basin) evolution model. The thrust nappe structure and its foreland basin in the north margin of Qaidam Basin originated from Indosinian movement and formed in the Yanshan movement and was reconstructed in the Himalayan period. The northern Qaidam foreland basin extends into the basin from the southern Qilian orogenic belt and can be divided into four structural units: the South Qilian orogenic belt, the thrust belt, the implicit thrust zone and the front slope zone. In the Qaidam Basin foreland basin, the tectonic site that is most conducive to oil and gas accumulation is the thrust fan-fold belt to the implicit thrust belt