The geological processes responsible for outward growth of the Tibetan Plateau are debated.The Qilian Mountains on the northeastern margin of the plateau comprise one of the youngest structural components of the plateau whose understanding is key to deciphering the broader geological evolution of the region.Here,based on a reprocessed deep seismic profile which was originally collected during the 1990s across the northeast margin of the western Qilian Mountains and previous geological and geophysical data,we find evidence for decoupled crustal deformation that was partitioned by a decollement,in which lower-crustal deformation featured by local duplexing preceded upper-crustal deformation featured by imbricate thrusts.Furthermore,we propose that the Asian lithospheric mantle is being underthrust beneath the western Qilian Mountains,as inferred from patterns of lower crustal deformation which is marked by the Moho geometry.Integrating these results yields a better understanding of lithospheric deformation of western Qilian Mountains,northeastern margin of the plateau during the Cenozoic.