line-height-rule: exactly" class=MsoNormal>To help understand the deformational history of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, paleomagnetic samples were collected from 38 sites in the Early Cretaceous to Pliocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks distributed in four general regions adjacent to the Altyn Tagh fault at the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Together with previously published paleomagnetic data in the Qaidam Basin and its surroundings, the results indicate that 1) the Qaidam Block has not undergone whole scale vertical axis rotation with respect to the stable Eurasia due to the penetration of India into Asia; 2) occurrence of vertical axis clockwise rotations in areas adjacent to the eastern edge of the Altyn Tagh fault may be an important tectonic model to absorb the India-Asia collision-induced left-slip movement of the Altyn Tagh fault at the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau.