Geodynamic mechanisms for the formation of sedimentary basins and their classification

The formation of sedimentary basins is considered to be closely related to the thermal and material convection in the Earth's interior.The mantle convection is the primary driv-ing force for the formation and evolution of sedimentary basins,and manifested in the posi-tion of the asthenosphere,Moho discontinuity and mantle plume.The ancestrial basins have been classified,in this paper,into cratonic,extensional,compressional and strike-slip basins according to the rheologic boundary within the mantle lithosphere,the nature and thickness of the lithospere,intraplate stress,and sedimentary loading.