The Tanimbar Trough is located southeast of the Banda Arc in Indonesia， and is connected with the Timor and Aru troughs， which were formed during the collision between the Australian continent and Banda Arc. During the arc-continent collision， the track， age， and mode of collision remain controversial. It is also controversial whether the Tanimbar Trough is a subduction zone. Based on the 2D seismic lines， the growth index， and the paleo-fall method， the faults in the study area were quantitatively analyzed. Combined with logging and provenance studies， the fault characteristics and tectonic evolution of the Tanimbar Trough are discussed. The results show that the fault activity in the study area was active during the Cretaceous and Early Pliocene， which coincided with the period of tectonic activity. Mesozoic rifting formed normal Mesozoic faults， and the Australian Plate collided with the Banda Arc in the early Pliocene. The arc-land collision led to the uplift of Tanimbar Island and the subsidence of the Tanimbar Trough and triggered the reactivation of Mesozoic faults. The deformation of the trough continued until the Late Pliocene， forming the Tanimbar Trough.