The Wei River Basin is located between the Qinling Orogenic Belt and the Ordos Block. It is an important seismic belt and part of the Silk Road in China. The development of the basin is the result of interaction between the Qinling Orogenic Belt and the Ordos Block. Based on the geomorphic features, sedimentary characteristics, and geophysical detection data, combined with the tectonic movement of the Qinling Orogenic Belt in the Cenozoic, this article considers that the Wei River Basin was formed by both the Qinling Orogenic Belt thrusting to the Ordos Block and the left‐lateral strike‐slipping of the margin fault in the Cenozoic. The combined actions of Indian Plate subduction and Pacific Plate subduction have caused the eastern section of the Wei River Basin to turn from east–west to northeast and the Ordos Block to undergo counterclockwise rotation. The analysis of the formation mechanism and evolutionary process of the Wei River Basin should be of great practical significance in the study of the seismicity of the Wei River Basin.