柴达木盆地中新生代沉降拗陷的原型盆地类型为压陷型沉降盆地。中生代到古近纪(古新世和始新世)盆地西部以分隔性断块发育为特征,北缘则主要为沉降拗陷群。中新世以来的喜马拉雅中晚期构造运动,使青藏地块受到强烈的水平挤压,地壳因发生大规模褶皱变形和冲断推覆而大大加厚并迅速隆升。地处青藏地块边缘的柴达木盆地受其碰撞应力效应十分明显,在构造动力机制转换的作用下,盆地西部前中生代基底持续抬升,沉积、沉降中心发生了自西向东的迁移,发育形成了以三湖凹陷为沉降中心的压陷型沉降盆地。

Based on the geological and geophysical datum, we considered that the Menozoic-Cenozoic basin-prototype of Chaidamu basin was the down-warped settling basin. From Menozoic era to early Cenozoic era(E_(1)and E_(2)) the separate fault block was very evident in west of the basin ,but in north there were a lot of setting basins. During the middle-later Ximalaya tectonic movement the Qinghai-Tibet plot pressed severely and thickened greatly the earth crust because of the deformation and overlapping.