Abstract:

In1984，China made a breakthrough in petroleum exploration in the Paleozoic marine sequenceswith the discovery of the Shacan-2well in Tarim Basin.Since then China has not only leftbehind thewrong idea that there is no hydrocarbon in the Paleozoic marine sequences in China，but also found tens of oil and gas fields in Tarim Basin，Sichuan Basin，Ordos Basin and JunggarBasin.Theories on hydrocarbon generation and accumulation in the Paleozoic marine sequences in China have been brought forward and corresponding exploration techniques have been developed.According to the study of resource potential in the Paleozoic in China，the Paleozoic source rocks，which have not experienced metamorphism，occur in NortheastChina，southern North China，Qaidam Basin，the Hexi corridor and the Qinghai-Tibet area，further proving the great hydrocarbon potential in the Paleozoic marine sequences in China.

Key words: source rock, hydrocarbon resource, Paleozoic, China