The Kuqa Depression is located in the southeastern margin of the Tianshan Orogenic Belt. The Mesozoic strata in the Kuqa Depression contain abundant oil and gas resources and have important exploration potential. However, the tectonic setting of the Mesozoic Kuqa Depression, and the paleomorphologic evolution of the Tianshan Orogenic Belt remain controversial. Methods: By systematically collecting and analyzing 1406 U- Pb dating data of 16 detrital zircon samples from the Mesozoic sections of Baicheng, Haiyingshan and Kuchehe in the Kuqa Depression, and then comparing with the U- Pb ages of 17 detrital zircon samples from the Mesozoic basins of Ili and the southern margin of Junggar, finally combining with the regional structure, the tectonic setting of Mesozoic basin- forming in Kuqa Depression and the evolution of paleomorphologic evolution of the Tianshan Orogenic Belt are discussed.Results: The results show that the main provenance area of the Kuqa Depression is mainly the southern Tianshan Mountains and partially the southern margin of the Central Tianshan Mountains; the Mesozoic sediments in the Ili Basin are mainly from the Ili—Centra Tianshan and partially the Southern Tianshan Mountains; and the sediments in the southern Junggar Basin are mainly from the Northern Tianshan Mountains. The detrital zircon U- Pb ages records three phases of provenance transition, which are located in the Early Triassic, Mid—Late Triassic and Late Jurassic respectively.Conclusions:The Kuqa Depression experienced two stages of basin formation in the Mesozoic. After the Triassic compressive tectonic event, the late Triassic to Middle Jurassic was an extensional rift basin, and the Late Cretaceous was a depression basin. The tectonic transition from compression to extension and then to compression occurred in the region. The uplift geomorphology of the Tianshan Orogenic Belt in the early Mesozoic is mainly the Central Tianshan Mountain, and the south Tianshan Mountain is rapidly uplifted during the Late Cretaceous compression. In general, the paleogeomorphology of the Tianshan Orogenic Belt has a significant segmentation effect on the Mesozoic basins on both sides.