Devonian sediments in the Xiqingshan Mountains were deposited in a foreland basin.
Sedimentation occurred in non-marine to shallow-marine environments.
Lower Devonian sandstones are dominated by feldspathic litharenite.
Ages of the sources of detritus in the Early and Middle Devonian are ca. 770 Ma and 400 Ma, respectively
Sediments were eroded from an uplifted Neoproterozoic arc fragment.