New data of oxygen and carbonate isotope in calcite cements from Cenozoic rocks in the Jianggelesayi area to reconstruct the uplift history of mountains in northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are presented. Analyses results show that rapid changes of Δ18o and Δ13c in the calcite cement occurred in both the Early Oligocene and Early Miocene. Studies on sedimentary features indicate that a rapid up-coarsing of the sediments size occurred in the Early Miocene, and sedimentary velocity increased rapidly during the Pliocene and Early Quaternary. Thus, it is suggested that the uplift of mountains in the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau initiated from the Early Oligocene, and a rapid uplift occurred in the early stage of the Miocene, while the sharp difference in topography between the northern plateau and the Tarim Basin predominately formed later than the Miocene.
