Abstract: Kumux basin is located in eastern sector of South Tianshan Mountains, characterized by developed faulting with sinistral property.The fault assemblage relations are analyzed. There are four stages in structural evolution of this basin. It was an extensional and faulted basin inMesozoic, and then developed into an intermountain basin with compressed strike-slip attribute in Cenozoic. Study shows that Kumux basin is ofbright exploration prospecting for its two sets of major source rocks, good reservoir-seal assemblage and multi-trap types. It is considered fromanalysis that the recent petroleum exploration should pay more attention to Xiaoer-Y ang Bulak depression with thick sediments, deep buriedsource rocks and near the center of the basin. Yang Bulak sag located at the deepest within the depression is the most favorable potential areafor petroleum exploration.

Key words: Xinjiang, Kumux basin, structure, exploration