The basaltic eruptions experienced three stages in the Cenozoic in northeastern Chin a, which are 60~29 Ma, 25~15 Ma and later than 2 Ma and every stage can be di vided into several erupting cycles, as well as eruptions in an interval between stages. The volcanism was active along faults or in som e atectonic settings. The volcano eruptions developed at different tectonic posi tions, accompanied by tectonic evolution on th e continent al margin in various periods. In different tectonic settings, the distribution of volcanoes is inconsistent and shows notable migration characteristics such as with NWW trends. The tectonic settings are characterized by extensional fra ctures on the continental margin, intracontinental extension controll ed by the upper mantle upwelling, and intracontinental nonorogenic sett ing. The L ate Pliocene-Holocene volcano eruptions were not related with the collision of t he India-Eurasian plates in southwestern China.