西侧以实皆断裂与缅甸中央盆地相邻；东侧以一个较宽的印支期造山带与印支地块和东马来地块分开。

地块基底仅出露于滇西和缅甸，在滇西称为公养河群，在缅甸称为昌马支超群，为一套砂泥质变质岩系。公养河群被含化石的上寒武统整合覆盖，而昌马支超群则与上寒武统不整合覆盖。盖层从上寒武统一直延续到三叠系，基本上是连续沉积，其上有少量侏罗、白垩纪红层。盖层的石炭、二叠纪沉积中含有冰水沉积和冷水动物群化石，说明本地块原本是冈瓦纳大陆的一部分。晚古生代二叠纪末从东冈瓦纳分离出来[2]，向北漂移，三叠纪末与印支地块碰撞[3]，成为欧亚板块的一部分。

掸泰地块在古特提斯洋中是一个跨越几个维度的列岛。因而可以分为几部分，具有不同的古地理历史。

已隱藏部分未翻譯内容，歡迎參與翻譯。"Thai" elements, bordering the Indochina block, are of 华夏古陆n type and characterised by palaeo-tropical warm-water 沉积相. The external "Shan" part has Gondwanan cold-water facies whilst the central "Sibumasu" part is transitional between the other two.

The internal parts of Shan–Thai merged with Laurasia 265 Ma when the Nan-Uttaradit suture closed.[4]

Oceanic basins separated the other elements of Shan–Thai until the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic Late Indochina Orogeny.[5]

The collision between India and Eurasia during the Oligocene and Miocene resulted in clockwise rotation of south-west Asia, severe deformation of south-east Asia, and the extrusion of Shan–Thai and Indochina blocks. These two blocks are still crisscrossed by the faults from this collision.[6]