The authors' analysis of the chemical components and sedimentary characteristics of the well developed Triassic strata in the southeastern part of western Kunlun Shan led them to conclude that the sediments comprise a set of typical deep-water to semi-deep-water flysch that formed in the passive continental margin of the Qiangtang Block. This suit of strata had undergone strong deformation giving rise to a SW-thrusting du-plex, imbricate fans, high-angle thrust fault, recumbent fold, SW-inverted fold, etc.. The deformational intensity weakens gradually southeastward. This is a foreland fold and thrust belt caused by the collision between the Qiangtang Block and the island arc on the southern margin of the the Tarim Plate at the end of late Triassic. The sedimentary and deformational characteristics of the Triassic strata were used to reconstruct the evolution of this foreland fold and thrust belt as proposed below. Before the end of Triassic, this region was a passive continental margin in the north of the Qiangtang Block. The end of Triassic to Jurassic was a stage of thrusting, folding, uplifting and development of the foreland basin. The evolution of the fold and thrust was completed in Cretaceous.

Late Cretaceous inversion structures, which are significant for oil and gas accumulation, are widely distributed throughout the Jiuquan Basin. These structures are primarily made up of inverted faults and fault-related folds. Most of the axial planes of folds are parallel to inverted faults trending north-east, indicating that the principal stress direction was north-westesouth-east in the Late Cretaceous. The average inversion ratios of faults in the four sags that were investigated are 0.39, 0.29, 0.38, 0.32. The average inversion ratio in the Jiuquan Basin is 0.34 and the degree of inversion is moderate to strong. As moderate inversion is suitable for forming excellent hydrocarbon traps, there is considered to be significant potential in the basin for the presence of structural traps.

In northeastern China, Cenozoic 'reverse faults' can be found in most basins. It was proposed that these faults were the products of inversion tectonics during a Cenozoic regional compressional event. This explanation is inconsistent with regional structures that are dominated by normal faults on seismic profile. As a typical example, the Rongxintun fault in northeastern Liaohe basin is systemically analyzed on the basis of deformation style, sedimentary character, and systemic mapping using seismic data. We conclude that the Rongxintun fault was related to right-lateral strike slipping of the Yannan main fault during the late Paleogene when the Dongying deposition occurred, and it was a secondary right-lateral/reverse fault (P Plane Fault) of the Yannan strike-slip fault system. The fold was a fault related fold formed as a result of movement along the Rongxintun fault. According to this analysis of the Rongxintun fault, we conclude that the Cenozoic 'reverse fault' in northeastern China was a secondary right-lateral/reverse fault of a strike-slip fault system and did not represent a compressional event. This kind of mechanism of 'reverse faulting' is consistent with the fact that there was large-scale strike-slip faulting in northeastern China during the Cenozoic.

The wave velocity for two types of granitoids was measured using the analytic method of full-wave vibration at high pressure and high temperature. The laws of velocity changes for them differ with the pressure beast and temperature rise, and the velocity change of S-type is more violent than that of I-type. The "softening point" of compressional wave velocity (Vp) is also revealed during the measurement for two types of granitoids imitating the pressure and temperature at a certain depth. But the depth of "softening", Vp after "softening" and the percentage of Vp's drop around the "softening point" for two types of granitoids are obviously different. The depth of "softening" is 15km approximately and Vp after "softening" is 5.62 km/s for S-type granitoid. But for I-type granitoid the depth of "softening" is 26km approximately and Vp after "softening" is 6.08 km/s. Through careful analysis of rock slices after the experiment, it was found that the "softening" of elastic-wave velocity is caused by the partial melting of granite. Combined with the results of geophysical prospecting, these results suggest that the low-velocity layers developing in the interior of Earth crust are related to the partial melting of different types of granitoids. The formation of the low-velocity layer in the upper-middle Earth crust is closely related to the development of S-type granitoid, but that in the lower Earth crust is closely related to the development of I-type granitoid.