中文摘要：

磁性地层分析是建立沉积地层年代框架的有效方法，特别为我国西部新生代盆地分析研究提供了重要手段。通过对与青藏高原生长密切相关的柴达木盆地、昆仑山、西宁盆地、祁连山等众多新生代沉积盆地的磁性地层学研究，学术界对中国西部新生代构造变形的时代和强度有了比较深入的理解。但是仅仅根据沉积地层的磁极性序列与地磁极性年表对比来确定地层年代学框架的方法也遇到了困扰，例如对比方案不唯一、难以确定部分时段地层是否缺失等问题。本文通过对磁性地层研究中一些问题的分析，论述了对磁性地层年代学研究具有重要意义的生物地层学、具有“年龄锚点”作用的火山灰夹层或者是地层中矿物年代对地层年代限定的辅助作用。同时提出，不同的指标对于同一地质事件的记录在时间上可能有先后，地层对比过程中对于某些地质事件的分析应该考虑一致性悖论的问题。

英文摘要：

Magnetostratigraphic analysis is a key method to constrain the geochronology of sedimentary stratum, which can provide important data for the Cenozoic basins in western China especially, including chronostratigraphic and geological evolution. Detailed magnetostratigraphic analyses in Western China （e.g., the Qaidam Basin, Kunlun Mountains, Xining Basin, Qilian Shan, and so on） have contributed to a better understanding of the processes and intensity of Cenozoic tectonic uplift and deformation in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. However, there are still some problems to assign ages only on the base of correlation between the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale and the obtained polarity sequences documented in sedimentary basins. For example, the correlation is not unique and parts of stratum may have been eroded. In this paper, we discuss some problems and controversies in correlating polarity patterns to Geologic Time Scale in some sections in Western China. Additional studies should be very important to constraints age of the Cenozoic sediments besides magnetostratigraphy, including radiometric dating of volcanic ash in sediments （if there is） which can hammer ＂age anchor＂ in sedimentary sequences, biostratigraphy which can constrain age span, and the minimum mineral chronologies which can reveal the possibly maximum age of sediments. Because geological events are not very simple processes, several factors will influence its record in sedimentary sequences. So, we argue that geological events recorded by the sedimentary indexes or others may have time lag, and we should take into consideration the paradox of unanimity when analyzing some geological events, because of theory of too good to be true.