The Shuanghu basin is a NE-trending rift basin bounded by NE-striking normal faults and NW-striking shear-extensional faults of the northern Tibetan Plateau. Four samples from calcite veins in marginal faults and one sample from mudstone (S-3) were collected for dating the evolution of the Shuanghu basin by using the ESR spectrograph of EXM-type. Ages were calculated according to the close-equilibrium model on the basis of the measured ESR signal spectra of samples, providing good chronological information. It is known from the ESR dating that the extensional faulting and rifting of the Shuanghu area began at 4.92 Ma B.P., followed by regional folding in 3.56-1.36 Ma, NW-striking faulting in 0.60 Ma and normal faulting in 0.024 Ma in the Shuanghu basin.