Terrigenous sedimentary rocks are the dominant rock types in continental sedimentary basin, the components of these rocks are mainly controlled by source rocks. Through systematically analyzing the components of terrigenous sedimentary rocks, the tectonic evolution of a sedimentary basin can be reconstructed. The Turpan Basin was examined using sandstone petrological and geochemical methods.The consistency of the petrographical and geochemical results shows that the tectonic evolution of the basin can be subdivided into four stages: the first stage covers the Permian; the second stage the Triassic;the third stage from the Lower Jurassic to Upper Jurassic and the fourth stage from the Cretaceous to Tertiary. The components of sandstones among these stages are different, which reflect the influence of tectonics movements on the evolution of the basin and surrounding areas.