Rudite has been the main focus of sedimentary tectonics in that it not only records the detailed constituents of provenances but also reflects tectonic activity in adjacent structural/orogenic belts. Conglomeratic sedimentation occurs in a variety of depositional and tectonic environments, and conglomerates are mostly preserved in diverse alluvial fans, fandeltas and deepwater fans. Occurrence of conglomeratic facies in stratigraphic successions is commonly taken as a hallmark of tectonic activity, and therefore utilized to constrain both the ages of thrusting/folding and the phases of uplifting and erosion. However, the simple, linear and causeandeffect rationale of relationships between tectonic activity and conglomerate sedimentation is not often justified, and could lead to misinterpretations of tectonic processes. Sedimentation of conglomerate facies are governed by a number of controlling factors, with subsidence rates probably exerting a primary control on depositional processes and spatial distribution. Subsidence rates are governed by the intensity of tectonic activities at basin edges and conglomerate deposition will also vary in time and space in response to tectonic alternation. Accordingly, the spatiotemporal variations of conglomeratic facies characteristics can provide important clues for restoring tectonic processes at basin margins. This paper offers a brief review of both sedimentary and tectonic environments of rudites, and discusses how the timespace variations of conglomeratic facies are utilized to infer tectonic evolution of basin margins in extensional, contractional and pullapart settings. The term “molasse” is defined differently in the Chinese literature, and often taken as conglomeratic facies. Based on brief evaluation and discussion of vague usage of “molasse”, it is suggested that the term molasse with tectonic connotation should not be used to cover all types of rudites.