Shale oil is one of the important unconventional petroleum resources

and its exploration and development has greatly expanded the traditional domain of the industry.The lacustrine shale in the faulted basins of East China has been considered as having great potential for shale oil based on the facts that it has large coverage

high organic matter content

and considerable thickness matched well with shallow buried depth

and that most of it is still within the oil-generating peak stage.Based on comparison with the typical shale oil producing plays in the US

the paper analyzes geological conditions of shale oil in these basins in accordance with their sedimentary facies belt

lithology combination

reservoir space types

hydrocarbon source condition of the organic-rich mudstone and shale.Based on the results

the paper explores characteristics of these reservoirs and classifies three main types of shale oil reservoirs

i.e.pure shale reservoir in deep depression

shale reservoirs within salt layers

and shale reservoirs with thin brittle interbed such as thin sandstone

limestone and dolomite.A preliminary analysis of the exploration potential for shale oil in these basins is also carried out and favorable zones for its exploration are identified.