The evolution of the Tarim southwest depression lying at the piedmont of the West Kunlun orogen differs completely from the evolution of the main part of Tarim basin after Later Palaeozoic because the former strongly subsides many times.. Subsidence is related closely to the West Kunlun fold thrust|belt, thus the evolution of the Depression and the fold|thrust|belt reflects clearly the formation and evolution of the West Kunlun and even the Tibet.1 Evolution of the West Kunlun fold|thrust|beThrusting of the fold|thrust|belt can be classified into three stages:(1) Devonian thrusting:This is the oldest thrusting distinguished in the northern margin of the West Kunlun while the Silurian—Devonian thrusting was discriminated a few years ago by seismic data in the northern part of the East Kunlun. The Devonian thrusting is proved by the Upper Devonian dynamometamorphic rocks outcropping at the core of the anticline in the Sangzhu lying at the fold|thrust|belt. The rocks consist of slightly metamorphic clastic rock and have always been regarded as the Mid|Proterozoic strata. But they are actually Upper Devonian strata according to the amount of perfect plant fossils that we found recently in the metamorphic rock, and they are overburdened `with an angular unconformity by another reliable Upper|Devonian conglomerate in the core of the Aqike anticline. A possible explanation for this and its limited lined distribution parallel to the West Kunlun orogen is that they are subjected to metamorphism during the Later Devonian thrusting.
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