Abstract: The Mesozoic-Cenozoic foreland basin is quite common in the Tarim basin with great potential for oil and gas. By now,10 fields have been found. Evolution of the Tarim foreland basin can be divided into 3 stages: early stage, late stage and intracontinental integration. According to dynamic characteristics, it can also be divided into single foreland, double forelands and strike-slip foreland basins. Tectonic deformation is complicated and the main tectonic style is compressional reversing fracture. Horizontally it can be divided into overthrust zone, fault-fold zone, depression zone and slope zone.Oil and gas are mainly distributed in the fault-fold and slope zones.