Pearl River Mouth Basin is the most successful basin for petroleum exploration in Offshore China. Evolution of the basin went mainly through three stages which are lacustrine sedimentation of Eocene and pre-Eocene, bay sedimentation of Oligocene (transitive sedimentation) and marine sedimentation of Miocene and Pliocene and Quaternary. Main source rock developed during the stage of lacustrine sedimentation. It is very significant to understand lake's distribution and development, chemical and physical character of lake water, organism evolution and richness in the stage. Meanwhile, It's quite useful to further estimate oil and gas prospectivity and to point next exploration direction of the basin out.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90937©1998 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Salt Lake City, Utah