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.
Xiaertai rock group,a set of metamorphic rock system in Xiaertai area,has experienced strong ductilebrittle deformation and then thermal contact metamorphism and dynamometamorphism in the late stage.
Ehlmann and her team previously identified metamorphic rocks on Mars that she thinks could have formed when hot groundwater circulated through rocks buried underground, a relatively low-temperature, low-pressure process.