湟水河流域发育夷平面和不对称的分水岭、阶地、沟谷等地貌，不对称地貌主要有简单不对称沟谷、不对称分水岭和阶地式不对称沟谷。它们是由于南北两侧隆升幅度不同，在地面流水侵蚀作用下产生。地貌的不对称反映出青藏高原的隆升在大的时间尺度上是均匀的，在小尺度上是不均匀的；高原隆升到一定高度后，受印度板块侧向挤压、高原向四周扩展的应力的共同作用引起了祁连山的隆升；祁连山隆升的同时西北地区的气候开始恶化 The Huangshui River Basin develops flat and asymmetrical watersheds, terraces and valleys. The unsymmetrical landforms include simple asymmetrical valleys, asymmetric watersheds and terrace-type asymmetrical valleys. They are due to the different extent of the uplift on both sides of the north and south, resulting from the erosion of flowing water on the ground. The asymmetry of the landscape shows that the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is uniform on a large time scale and non-uniform on a small scale. After the plateau uplifts to a certain height, it is squeezed laterally by the Indian plate and extends to the periphery of the plateau Of the stress caused by the rise of the Qilian Mountains; Qilian uplift while the northwestern climate began to deteriorate