1． College of Earth Sciences，Jilin University，Changchun 130061，China; 2． Key Laboratory of Oilshale and Coexistent Energy Minerals of Jilin Province，Jilin University，Changchun 130061，China

The unconventional oil and gas resources presented in oil shales have meant these potential sources of hydrocarbons，which has become a research focus． China contains abundant oil shale resources，ranking fourth in the world，with ca． 7 254.48 ×10 ⁸ t within 24 provinces，including 48 basins and 81 oil shale deposits． A- bout 48% of the total oil shale resources are concentrated in the eastern resource region，with a further 22% in the central resource region． 65% of the total quantity of oil shale resources is present at depths of 0- 500 m， with 17% of the total resources being defined as high- quality oil shales yielding more than 10% oil by weight． Chinese oil shale resources are generally hosted by Mesozoic sediments that account for 78% of the total resources． In terms of the geographical distribution of these resources，some 45% are located in plain regions， and different oil shale basins have various characteristics． The oil shale resources in China represent a highly prospective future source of hydrocarbons． These resources having potential use not only in power generation and oil refining but also in agriculture，metal and chemical productions，and environmental protection．