Characteristics of late cretaceous faults of the eastern segment of the northern Qaidam basin, NW China

The Late Cretaceous tectonic upheaval was an important event during the evolution of the Qaidam Basin, resulting in the omission of the Upper Cretaceous in the whole basin and unconformities between the Paleogene sequence and pre-K2 strata. Inte-grating geological and geophysical data, two different groups of Late Cretaceous faults were recognized in the study area, one group consisting of E-W extending strike-slip faults (e.g., the Maxian and Yema-Jinan faults in the Mahai area, which caused an E-W omission zone of Mesozoic), while the other one has NW-SE thrust faults, resulting in NW-SE fold-and-thrust belts. Considering the different strikes and scale of these two groups, a simple-shear model has been employed to explain this structural phenomenon. The NW-SE thrust faults were thought to be subsidiary to the E-W strike-slip faults. Putting this into the framework of the Cretaceous paleogeographic environment of central Asia, it is inferred that this tectonic event of the Qaidam Basin is a response to the continuous northward drifting of the India plate.

Detrital apatite fission track constraints on Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China： Evidence from Cenozoic strata in Lulehe section, Northern Qaidam Basin

The Northern Qaidam Basin is located at the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It contains very thick Cenozoic terrestrial clastic sediments, which records the formation of the northern Qaidam Basin due to compressional deformation during the Indo-Asian collision. In this paper, we used detrital apatite fission-track thermochronology, including 4 sandstones and 2 conglomerates samples from the Lulehe section, to reveal the Cenozoic evolution of the northern Qaidam Basin. Fission-track dating indicated the source region of the Lulehe section has experiencedimportant cooling and uplifting in the Late Cretaceous(at ~85.1 Ma and ~65 Ma) and the Eocene(~52 Ma), respectively. The AFT age distribution on the section suggested that the provenance of Lulehe section sediments were mainly derived from the south Qilian Shan(Qilian Mountains) and Altun Shan(Altun Mountains), and two significantly provenance changes may occur at 43.4-46.1 Ma and ~37.8 Ma, respectively. The results may have strong constrains on the Cenozoic deformation and tectonic evolution of the northern Qaidam Basin and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Carbon and oxygen isotopic constraints on paleoclimate and paleoelevation of the southwestern Qaidam basin, northern Tibetan Plateau

We investigate the growth of the northern Tibetan Plateau and associated climate change by applying oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions in Cenozoic strata in the southwestern Qaidam basin. The X-ray diffraction and isotopic studies reveal that the carbonate minerals are mainly authigenic and they do not preserve any evidence for detrital carbonate and diagenesis. The isotope data show large fluctuations in the δ^(18)O and δ^(13)C values in the middle-late Eocene, indicating relatively warm and seasonal dry climate.The positive correlation of the δ^(18)O and δ^(13)C values in the Oligocene and the positive shift of the δ^(13)C values from the Eocene to Oligocene suggest that the climate changed to arid in the Oligocene. However,the δ^(18) values show negative shift, which is closely related to the global cooling event. During the Miocene, the δ^(13)C values vary between-2‰ and-4‰, whereas the δ^(18)O values show continuous negative shift. The mean δ^(18) values decrease from-8.5‰, in the early Miocene to-10.0‰, in the late Miocene. The stable isotope-based paleoaltimetry results suggest that the elevation of the southwestern Qaidam basin was approximately 1500 m in the middle-late Eocene and Oligocene. Subsequently, during Miocene the crustal uplift process started and the elevation reached approximately 2000 m in the early Miocene and 2500 m in the late Miocene, which suggests large-scale growth of the northern Tibet Plateau during the Miocene.

Two Contrasting Eclogite Types on the Northern Margin of the Qaidam Basin, Western China

Eclogites have been recently discovered in the Xitieshan area in the middlesegment of the northern margin of the Qaidam basin. These eclogites, together with those recognizedearlier in the Yuka area of the western segment of the northern margin of the Qaidam basin and inthe Dulan area of the eastern segment of the northern margin of the Qaidam basin, form an eclogitebelt with a length of 350 km. A comparison of the eclogites from the Yuka and Xitieshan areassuggests that they show different country rocks, microtextures, mineral assemblages, and especially,different peak temperatures, PT paths during decompression and isotopic features. Eclogites fromthe Yuka area bear evidence of prograde metamorphism, such as prograde mineral relics in garnet andgrowth zoning of garnet, and hairpin-shaped PT paths with coincidence of the baric and thermal peaksof metamorphism, which reflect rapid burial and uplift. Sm-Nd isotopic determination shows obviousSm-Nd disequilibrium, and no isochron ages of Early Paleozoic metamorphism was obtained. On thecontrary, the Xitieshan eclogite was subjected to metamorphism of higher eclogite-facies andpost-eclogite-facies temperatures, showing an obvious granulite-facies overprint. A tentative PTpath for the Xitieshan area suggests that the baric peak preceded the thermal culmination. Wholerock-garnet-omphacite Sm-Nd isotopic data give an isochron age in the Early Paleozoic. Thedifferences between the two eclogites imply their different tectonic-thermal history during theirburial and uplift.

Analysis on Structural Control of Coal Distribution in the Northern Qaidam Basin,NW China

The distribution of the Jurassic coal measures in the northern Qaidam Basin is obviously controlled by the regional structures. Based on the existing data of coalfield exploration and combined with the analysis of coalfield basement structures, features of the main faults, and the distribution of coal measures, this paper brings forward a scheme of coalfield tectonic divisional units and the definition of the coal-controlling structural styles in the northern Qaidam Basin. The structure control of the distribution of coal measures is further discussed. Several stages of regional tectonic activities since the Indosinian has led to the distribution of coal measures into the characteristics of zonation from the north to south and block from east to west. The results indicate that the structural deformations are the most intense in the front of the three uplifted belts, which are characterized by the combination of thrusts. The coal measures are uplifted to the shallow formations, and are easy to be exploited, but the scale of mines is small because of serious damages by the coal distribution. On the contrary, the stress and strain are weak in the three depressions, with the coal-controlling structural styles being mainly the thrust-fold and thrust-monocline combinations. The distribution of coals in the depressions is relatively stable. The shallower part of the depression will become the key areas for exploration and development of coal resources in the northern Qaidam Basin.

Dual Control of Depositional Facies on Uranium Mineralization in Coal-bearing Series： Examples from the Tuanyushan Area of the Northern Qaidam Basin, NW China

The uranium deposits in the Tuanyushan area of northern Qaidam Basin commonly occur in coal-bearing series. To decipher the U-enrichment mechanism and controlling factors in this area, a database of 72 drill cores, including 56 well-logs and 3 sampling wells, was examined for sedimentology and geochemistry in relation to uranium concentrations. The results show that coal-bearing series can influence uranium mineralization from two aspects, i.e., spatial distribution and dynamic control. Five types of uranium-bearing rocks are recognized, mainly occurring in the braided river and braided delta sedimentary facies, among which sandstones near the coals are the most important. The lithological associations of sandstone-type uranium deposits can be classified into three subtypes, termed as U-coal type, coal-U-coal type, and coal-U type, respectively. The coal and fine siliciclastic rocks in the coal- bearing series confined the U-rich fluid flow and uranium accumulation in the sandstone near them. Thus, the coal-bearing series can provide good accommodations for uranium mineralization. Coals and organic matters in the coal-bearing series may have served as reducing agents and absorbing barriers. Methane is deemed to be the main acidolysis hydrocarbon in the U-bearing beds, which shows a positive correlation with U-content in the sandstones in the coal-bearing series. Additionally, the 613C in the carbonate cements of the U-bearing sandstones indicates that the organic matters, associated with the coal around the sandstones, were involved in the carbonation, one important component of alteration in the Tuanyushan area. Recognition of the dual control of coal-bearing series on the uranium mineralization is significant for the development of coal circular economy, environmental protection during coal utilization and the security of national rare metal resources.

Geological factors associated with unsuccessful exploration wells in the northern margin of the Qaidam basin

We investigated the geological factors associated with unsuccessful exploration wells in the northern margin of the Qaidam basin to better understand their cause.The structural situation,the hydrocarbon accumulation mechanism and unsuccessful well data collected from 1996 to 2005 were studied.The results show that the main geological factors associated with unsuccessful exploration wells are a lack of effective source rocks and a lack of effective traps,as well as the migration-accumulation conditions that exist in this area.The basin was reformed by Meso-Cenozoic tectonic evolution.Multi-stage tectonic activities have both positive and negative effects on hydrocarbon accumulation.Source rocks distribution,effective migration channels,effective traps and the tectonic evolution effects on hydrocarbons should be the key objects for further studies.

Quantitative identification of coal-type gas and oil-type gas in source-mixed gas at the northern margin of Qaidam Basin

The current study tested the gas component and carbon isotopic composition of gas samples from 6 oilgas fields at the northern margin of Qaidam Basin, and established a chart to quantitatively identify the mixing ratio of source-mixed gas. Besides, this research quantitatively investigated the natural gas generated by different types of organic matter. The results show that different ratios of source-mixed gas exist in the 6 oil-gas fields at the northern margin of Qaidam Basin. Among them, Mabei has the highest mixing ratio of coal-type gas, followed by Nanbaxian, Mahai, Lenghu-4, Lenghu-3 and Lenghu-5, with the ratios of coal-type gas 91%, 87%, 83%, 66%, 55% and 36%, respectively. Lenghu-3 and Lenghu-4 oil-gas fields were mainly filled by coal-type gas earlier. For Lenghu-3, the gas was mainly generated from low matured source rocks in lower Jurassic Series of Lengxi sub-sag. For Lenghu-4, the gas was mainly generated from humus-mature source rocks in lower Jurassic Series of the northern slope of Kunteyi sub-sag. Gas in Lenghu-5 was mainly later filled oil-type gas, which was generated from high matured sapropelics in lower Jurassic Series of Kunteyi sub-sag. Earlier filled coal-type gas was the main part of Mahai, Nanbaxian and Mabei oil-gas fields. Gas source of Mahai was mainly generated from high mature humics in lower Jurassic Series of Yibei sub-sag; for Nanbaxian, the gas was mainly generated from high matured humics in middle-lower Jurassic Series of Saishiteng sub-sag; for Mabei, the gas was mainly generated from humus-mature source rocks in middle Jurassic Series of Yuqia sub-sag.

Characteristics and genesis of clay minerals in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin

In order to develop appropriate reservoir protection measures in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin and improve its oil and gas recovery efficiency,characteristics of clay minerals from eleven clay rock samples from the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin were investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis,the Scanning Electron Microscope（SEM）and energy spectrum analysis.Clay mineral composition and distribution characteristics of the main hydrocarbon reservoirs,i.e.,from the Jurassic and Paleogene-Neogene,were explored.We analyzed the main factors which affected these attributes.The results show that the major clay minerals in the northern margin are chlorite,kaolinite,illite,smectite and illite/smectite inter-stratified minerals.Illite is the most widely spread clay mineral in this area. Chlorite is mainly found in the entire Neogene and in shallow horizons of the Paleogene.Smectite is enriched in the shallow Paleogene-Neogene.There are large amounts of kaolinite and illite/smectite inter-stratified minerals in the Jurassic.The major factors affecting the different development of clay minerals in the region are properties of parent rocks,paleoclimate and paleowater media conditions, diagenesis transformation,tectonic and terrain conditions.

Coal-Forming Model in the Context of Non-marine Sequence Stratigraphy:A Case Study of Jurassic Coal Measures in Northern Qaidam Basin,Northwestern China

Previous studies of coal sequence stratigraphy have concentrated on coals associated with paralic depositional systems.Little attention has been paid to their counterparts in non-marine intra-mountain coal basins.The northern Qaidam Basin of northwestern China has been extensively developed with abundant oil and gas as well as coal resources in its Jurassic non-marine successions.A total of six sedimentary systems of the Early and Middle Jurassic

TECTONIC FEATURES AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF THE EASTERN QAIDAM BASIN

Qaidam Basin, situated in the northeastern Qinghai\|Tibet plateau of western China at 35°55′～39°10′N and 90°～98°20′E, is surrounded by thrusts or folded belts. It is adjacent to the Qilian Mountains on the north and northeast and to the Kunlun Mountains on the south, and to the Altun Mountains on the northwest. Qaidam plate is attributed to carbonate platform and non\|marine basin. The first stage is plate\|form from Sinian to Triassic, and the second is basin\|form in intraplate during non\|marine depositional period in Mesozoic and Cenozoic. 1 Tectonic feature The main structural elements of the eastern Qaidam basin, which the west border line is Germ and Dunhuang highway, include the Huobuxun depression, the Tin\|Iron Mountains ridge and Delingha depression as the secondary tectonic unit. These depressions extend along the northeastern edge of the Qinghai\|Tibet plateau, and form above a zone of Paleozoic pericraton subsidence at the north edge of the Qaidam plate during intracontinental orogenic phase in the Indosinian.

Influencing mechanism and hydrogeological implications of water level fluctuation of lakes in the northern Qaidam Basin,Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Qaidam Basin(QB)is a concentrated distribution area and chemical industrial bases of salt lakes in China.Lakes in the QB have been expanding during the past 20 years.Rapid lake expansion resulted in some considerable scientific issues on the protection of salt lake resources and infrastructure,and monitoring of hydrological processes at the lake-basin scale.Although the spatial-temporal trends of lake changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)have been well documented,the underlying influencing mechanism and hydrogeological implications of rapid lake changes in the QB are not well understood.Three lakes in the northern QB were selected to investigate lake water level fluctuations on different time scales based on extensive in-situ monitoring and satellite observations.The influencing mechanism and hydrogeological implications of rapid changes of terminal lakes were discussed in combination with the reported increasing precipitation rate and mass balance of glaciers in the northern QTP.Results reveal the following:(1)the fluctuation pattern of Sugan Lake was asynchronous and out of phase with that of Xiao Qaidam and Toson lakes during the monitoring period;(2)Sugan Lake water rose gradually,and the rise interval was from late April to early July.In contrast,Xiao Qaidam and Toson lakes took on a rapid and steep rise,and the rise intervalwas from late July to September;(3)the influencing mechanisms for rapid lake fluctuations are controlled by different factors:glacier and snow melting with increasing temperature for Sugan Lake and increasing precipitation for Xiao Qaidam and Toson lakes;(4)in accordance with different intervals and influencing mechanisms of rapid lake expansions in the QB,hydrological risk precaution of lakes and corresponding river catchments was conducted in different parts of the basin.This study provided an important scientific basis for assessing the hydrological process and hydrological risk precaution,and protection of salt lake resources along with rapid lake expansions in the arid area.

Evolution of the Carboniferous Reef in Eastern Qaidam Basin and its Hydrocarbon Significance

Objective Reef reservoirs have recently been receiving more and more attention due to their important role in petroleum exploration.Large-scale reefs have been previously discovered in the Paleozoic strata of western China,suchas the Late Permian of the Sichuan Basin,Late Ordovician of the Ordos Basin,and Late Ordovician of the Tarim Basin,which are all important hydrocarbon reservoirs in these areas.

New tectonic map of Northern-Central-Eastern Asia： Position and evolution of Mesozoic sedimentary basins

The beginning of the XXI century was marked a new rising of the international tectonic cartography as a result of analysis and synthesis of a huge volume of geological information obtained for the territory of Asia es-pecially during the last 30 years. The previous tectonic maps for Asia were created in the 1960s-1970s of the last century. Since that time, the national geological surveys have compiled tectonic maps exclusively in the limits of their own state boundaries. The international cooperation of five countries since 2002 （ Russia, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Republic of Korea） gave a unique possibility to join the data into a united cartog-raphic form as Atlas of Geological Maps （since 2002-Atlas of Geological Maps of Central Asia and since 2007- Atlas of Geological Maps of Northem-Central-Eastem Asia）. Both atlases include four maps： geological, tecton-ic ,metallogenic, and energy resources. Tectonic Map of Northem-Central-Eastem Asia and Adjacent Areas at scale 1 ： 2 500 000 was the key map for further compilation of the metallogenic and energy resources （ coal, oil and gas） maps. By this reason, special attention was given to showing the structure and composition of the Mes-ozoic sedimentary basins in Northern-Central- Eastern Asia as the most perspective structures for oil-and-gas and coal prospect.

Cenozoic Environmental Changes in the Northern Qaidam Basin Inferred from n-alkane Records

Cenozoic climatic and environmental changes in the arid Asian interior, and their possible relations with global climatic changes and the Tibetan Plateau uplift, have been intensively investigated and debated over past decades. Here we present 40-Myr （million years）-long n-alkane records from a continuous Cenozoic sediment sequence in the Dahonggou Section, Qaidam Basin, northern Tibetan Plateau, to infer environmental changes in the northern basin. A set of n-alkane indexes, including ACL, CPI and Paq, vary substantially and consistently throughout the records, which are interpreted to reflect relative contributions from terrestrial vascular plants vs. aquatic macrophytes, and thus indicate depositional environments. ACL values vary between 21 and 30; CP1 values range from 1.0 to 8.0; and Paq values change from 〈0.1 to 0.8 over the past 40-Myr. We have roughly identified two periods, at 25.8-21.0 Ma （million years ago） and 13.0-17.5 Ma, with higher ACL and CPI and lower Paq values indicating predominant lacustrine environments. Lower ACL and CPI values, together with higher Paq values, occurred at 〉25.8 Ma, 17.5-21.0 Ma, and 〈13.0 Ma, corresponding to alluvial fan/river deltaic deposits and shallow lacustrine settings, consistent with the observed features in sedimentological facies. The inferred Cenozoic environmental changes in the northern Qaidam Basin appear to correspond to global climatic changes.

Thermal History since the Paleozoic in the Eastern Qaidam Basin,Northwest China

The Qaidam Basin is the one of the three major petroliferous basins in northeastern Tibetan Plateau, which has experienced multiphase superimposition and transformation. The study of thermal history not only plays an important role on revealing the tectonic origin of the Qaidam Basin and the forming mechanism and uplift history of the Tibetan Plateau,but also can provide scientific evidence for the assessment of oil and gas resources. This work used balanced cross-section technique and apatite fission track ages with modeling of fission track length distribution to infer that the eastern Qaidam Basin has experienced significant tectonic movement in the Early Jurassic movement(～200 Ma), which caused the carboniferous uplift and denudation, the geological movement in the Late Cretaceous, characterized by early stretching and late northeast-southwest extrusion; the Himalayan movement in multi-stage development in eastern Qaidam Basin, which can be divided into the early Himalayan movement(41.1–33.6 Ma) and the late Himalayan movement(9.6–7.1 Ma, 2.9–1.8 Ma), and large-scale orogeny caused pre-existing faults reactivated in late Himalayan movement. On the basis of burial history reconstruction, the thermal history of eastern Qaidam Basin was restored. The result shows that the thermal history in eastern Qaidam Basin shows slow cooling characteristics; the paleo-geothermal gradient of eastern Qaidam Basin was 38–41.5℃/km, with an average value of 39.0℃/km in the Late Paleozoic, 29–35.2℃/km, with an average value of 33.0℃/km in the Early Paleogene; the geothermal gradient of the Qaidam Basin increased in the Late Paleogene, which was similar to the present geothermal gradient in the Late Neogene. The characteristics of the tectono-thermal evolution since Paleozoic in the eastern Qaidam Basin are mainly controlled by magmatic thermal events in the study area.

Reconstruction of the thermal evolution since the late paleozoic in the Ounan Sag, Eastern Qaidam Basin, NW China: New constraints from vitrinite reflectance data and(U-Th)/He thermochronology

Reconstructing the thermal evolution of the eastern Qaidam Basin is important for gaining a deeper understanding of its lithospheric geodynamics and for more accurate hydrocarbon evaluation and prediction. This article presents a set of new apatite and zircon(U-Th)/He thermochronological ages.Combined with 336 vitrinite reflectance(R_(o)) data, the thermal history of the Ouanan Sag in the eastern Qaidam Basin has been reconstructed using inversion models. Three detrital samples from the Ounan Sag shows that the apatite(U-Th)/He ages are primarily concentrated in the range of 17.0 Ma to 76.5 Ma and that the zircon(U-Th)/He ages range from 200 Ma to 289.3 Ma. The time-temperature models demonstrate that the Ounan Sag experienced rapid subsidence and heating from the Carboniferous to late Permian, and exhumation/cooling events from the end of Permian to the Triassic. This thermal evolution was influenced by the widespread intrusion of plutons, and the collision and orogenesis caused by asthenosphere upwelling below the Qaidam arc, and slab rollback of the Southern Kunlun oceanic lithosphere, respectively. Additionally, our models depict the main exhumation/cooling stages since the Paleogene and a reheating event in the Miocene as a result of the intensifying growth of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and local sedimentary loading, followed by the initial India-Eurasia collision. Furthermore, the eastern Qaidam Basin experienced consistent heating during the late Paleozoic, reaching the maximum paleotemperature and geothermal gradient in the late Permian, with values of ~230℃ and~43-44℃/km, respectively. This study suggests that the source rocks in the most upper member of upper Carboniferous Keluke(C_(2)k) Formations in the Ounan Sag reached the gas generation stage in the late Permian.

Coal petrology analysis and implications in depositional environments from upper Cretaceous to Miocene:a study case in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia

The Piedemonte Llanero Basin is located on the eastern side of the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes.It has been the subject of numerous geological studies carried out for the oil sector,mainly.This study presents the coalpetrographical features of 15 coal seams of four geological formations from Late Cretaceous to Middle Miocene(Chipaque formation,Palmichal group,Arcillas del Limbo formation,and San Fernando formation).Analysis of 33 samples indicates enrichment in vitrinite,while liptinite and inertinite concentrations vary according to the stratigraphic position.Reflectance indicates that the coal range gradually decreases from highly volatile bituminous C(Chipaque formation)to subbituminous C(San Fernando formation).The microlithotypes with the highest concentrations are clarite and vitrinertoliptite.Maceral composition and coal facies indicate changes in the depositional conditions of the sequence.The precursor peat from Late Cretaceous to Late Paleocene accumulated under limnic conditions followed by telmatic in Late Eocene-Early Miocene.The coal facies indices show wet conditions in forest swamps with variations in the flooding surface,influxes of brackish water and good tissue preservation.The tectonic conditions along the Piedemonte Llanero basin is evident,from post-rift to foreland basin,evidenced by oxic and anoxic periods reflected in the maceral composition and its morphology.The coal environment corresponds to an estuarine system started in the Chipaque formation evolving to the lacustrine conditions in the San Fernando formation.

QUANTITATIVE SUBSIDENCE ANALYSIS OFTHE TENSIVE BASIN AND COMPRESSIVEMOUNTAIN TYPE DIWA BASIN WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR EPISODIC TECTONIC MOVEMENT AND SEDIMENTATION

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of Jurassic-Quaternary basement subsidence in the Delingha basin, a tensile basin and compressive mountain type diwa basin, and corrected for local sediment loading. Subsidence patterns have been investigated for the effects of erosion induced uplift by means of analytical estimation. The history of the Delingha basin has been divided into four stages: 204(?)~130 Ma (SⅠ ), 130~95 Ma (SⅡ ), 67~35 Ma (SⅢ ) and 35~0 Ma (SⅣ ), recording episodic tectonics and sedimentation respectively.

Permian–Triassic Highly-Fractionated I-Type Granites from the Southwestern Qaidam Basin(NW China)：Implications for the Evolution of the Paleo-Tethys in the Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt

Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic granites are widespread in the southern Qaidam Basin, northern margin of the eastern Kunlun orogenic belt. Their petrogenesis can provide us insights into the tectonic evolution and crustal growth process in the Qaidam Basin. This paper reports Permian–Triassic granites from the Kunbei area, southwestern Qaidam Basin. Detailed zircon LA-ICP MS U-Pb dating reveals that the granites from the four drilling cores（q404, q406, q1612-8, q1613-8） have identical ages of 251±3, 256±4, 247±2, and 251±6 Ma, respectively, these ages are identical with the Permian–Triassic granites from the eastern Qaidam Basin. Detailed geochemical analyses indicate that these granites display typical affinities of highly-fractionated I-type granites：（1） they have high SiO_2（up to 76.5 wt.%）, Na_2O＋K_2O（7.91 wt.% to 9.48 wt.%） contents and high FeO^T/MgO values of 4.7 to 9.3, suggesting significant fractional crystallization;（2） their low A/CNK values of 0.54 to 1.03, no normative Al-rich minerals, inconsistent with the per-aluminous S-type granites;（3） their low Ga（14.5 ppm to 20.7 ppm） and 10 000×Ga/Al（2.23 to 3.03, most of them 〈2.6） values are inconsistent with the A-type granites;（4） the high Rb（191 ppm to 406 ppm） contents and Rb/Sr（2.1 to 13.4） ratios, as well as the significant negative Eu anomalies（0.10 to 0.42） also indicate significant fractional crystallization of feldspars;（5） their low P_2O_5 contents（0.02 wt.% to 0.10 wt.%） suggest the limited solubility of phosphorus in primitive metaluminous melts. In combination with the geological background, we propose that the Permian–Triassic highly-fractionated I-type granites resulted from partial melting of intra-crustal mafic rocks, and the primitive I-type granitic melts underwent significant fractional crystallization of feldspars. The occurrence of highly-fractionated I-type granites in the southwestern Qaidam Basin suggests a Permian–Triassic active continental margin in the northern margin of the East Kunlun orogenic belt.