Reconstructing the tectonic evolution of the northern Tibetan Plateau is crucial for understanding the uplift processes and growth mechanisms of the plateau. However, the early Cenozoic tectonic processes in this region remain highly debated. To further elucidate this evolution, this study focuses on the Cenozoic strata in the Tula Basin, situated immediately to the west of the Altyn Tagh Fault in the northern Tibetan Plateau. Integrating field investigations, sedimentology, provenance analysis, structural analysis and combined with published data, we reconstruct the growth history of the Tula Basin since the Cenozoic and reveal the source to sink relation between the Tula Basin and the surrounding ranges. Our results show that the Tula Basin experienced three stages of evolution from the Eocene to the Oligocene: (1) During the deposition of the Lulehe Formation, the north subrange of the Altyn Tagh Range was uplifted, providing a major source of sediments to the Tula Basin, together with inputs from the Eastern Kunlun Range. (2) During the deposition of the Xiaganchaigou Formation, progressive uplift of the south subrange of the Altyn Tagh Range impeded the delivery of clastic material from the Eastern Kunlun Range. And both subranges of the Altyn Tagh Range became the source area of the Tula Basin. (3) During the deposition of the Shangganchaigou Formation to the Youshashan Formation, the Eastern Kunlun Range underwent renewed uplift and, together with both subranges of the Altyn Tagh Range, acting as the primary source area for the Tula Basin. By integrating previous thermochronological data, sedimentological analyses, and seismic profiles from surrounding regions, we propose two phases of intense tectonic activity along the Altyn Tagh Range at the early Eocene and the Oligocene, which dominated the sediment deposition in both the Tula Basin and Qaidam Basin. Our results provide new geological evidence for the pulsed deformation model of the northern Tibetan Plateau during the Cenozoic.