Coal basins in Chinese mainland are mainly distributed in Tarim-North China plate

South China plate and the relatively stable landmasses and land blocks in Junggar-Xing'an active belt

and have mainly been formed in Permo-Carboniferous

Late Triassic-Early Cretaceous and Tertiary. They can be divided into intraplate cratonic basins and intracontinental rift-depression basins according to their locations in tectonic domain and sedimentary structural features. Reservoiring of coalbed methane in coal basins have been controlled by the following factors:(1) formation

distribution and quality of coals have been controlled by palaeoclimate

fossil plant

palaeogeography

palaeostructure and depositional environment; (2) tectonic deformation has controlled directly the entire sealing conditions of the basins and influenced the burial depth of coal beds and filtration properties of coal reservoirs; (3) degree of metamorphism has influenced both the amount of coalbed methane generated from coal and the filtration properties of coal beds; (4) sealing and hydrodynamic conditions would have determined the preservation of coalbed methane reservoirs. The prospective coalbed methane resources in China have been estimated to be 20TCM (trillion cubic meters).