In this study,we aimed to determine the material source and tectonic background of the Early Carboniferous strata in the west section of the northern Qaidam basin. To achieve this, we collected clastic rocks from the Huaitoutala Formation in the Xiaosaishiteng Mountain area for geochemical and zircon U- Pb geochronological analysis. The results of our analysis showed that the UCC- normalized trace element spider diagram of the clastic sedimentary rocks exhibited a flat shape. Additionally, we observed enrichment of Th, U, and Hf while Co, Sc, Ni, and V showed depletion. The rare earth elements of the sandstones displayed an obvious fractionation of light and heavy REEs, with a notable enrichment of light REEs with a medium- negative Eu anomaly. Furthermore, the ratios of Cr/Zr, Sm/Nd, Th/Sc, and Th/U, as well as discrimination diagrams, indicated that most of the sediments were derived from the upper crust source area, with felsic- intermediate rocks as dominant contributors. Multiple geochemical parameters revealed that the geochemical characteristics of these samples closely resemble those of continental arc sandstone. The interrelated tectonic environment discrimination also verified that the Huaitoutala Formation was developed in a continental arc and active continental margin tectonic settings. The U- Pb ages of the detrital zircons in the Huaitoutala Formation revealed three distinct populations: 480~402 Ma, 1493~900 Ma, and 1908~1803 Ma. These populations collectively yielded a single peak at 414 Ma in the histogram, indicating significant tectonomagmatism episodes during the late Early Paleozoic in the north Qaidam Caledonian Orogenic Belt. Based on previous paleogeographical and paleocurrent evidence, we can infer that the provenance of the Early Carboniferous Huaitoutala Formation is derived from the north Qaidam Caledonian Orogenic Belt.