Minhe Basin is a Mesozoic-Cenozoic intermont basin grew on Precambrian metamorphic rock basement in middle Qilian uplift zone.Total thickness of Mesozoic-Cenozoic is about 7000 meters.

民和盆地是发育在中祁连隆起带前寒武系变质岩基底之上的一个中、新生代山间盆地。

The basin tectonic model: it is intermont basin during late Jurassic to early Cretaceous, developed into faulted-lacustrine basin in Eogene, and evolved into depression in Neogene and Quaternary.

“盆地”构造发育模式为：从晚侏罗世到白垩纪末期发育的山间“盆地”开始、发展到早第三纪断陷湖盆的发育、再演化为晚第三纪及第四纪地陷发育阶段。