There was an orogenic belt called the Cathaysian continental marginal orogenic belt in late Mesozoic along the present northern margin of the South China Sea. 南海北部陸緣在中生代晚期曾形成宏偉的華夏陸緣造山帶。
Because of the collision of the terranes, the episodic tectonic activity occurred in the orogenic belt, resulting in the episodic subsidence of the basin. 受地體碰撞的影響，盆地西緣造山帶發(fā)生幕式構造運動(dòng)，從而導致盆地沉降也發(fā)生幕式變化。
