Abstract: The Silurian foreland basins of Xuefeng Mountain are distributed in the central and northwestern parts of Hunan and the Sichuan Basin and are the dominant basin type on the upper Yangtze Plate. However, at present, there are few studies the sedimentological characteristics and shale gas exploitation potentials of these foreland basins. Based on field survey and well logging data and test results, the sedimentological history and shale gas exploitation potentials of the foreland basins in the central and northwestern parts of Hunan were determined. The results show that the foredeep zones of the foreland basins in the central part of Hunan are dominated by turbidite fans and shallow marine continental shelf deposits. Meanwhile, there are various sedimentological facies in the post-uplift basins in the northwestern part of Hunan. These include tidal, shallow marine continental shelf, littoral, delta, and carbonate platform facies. Although the foredeep zones and the post-uplift basins significantly differ in their sedimentological facies and sedimentation thickness, the division of their sedimentation cycles is consistent. Hence, it is concluded that the foredeep zones and the post-uplift basins are interconnected and Xuefeng Mountain caused limited shielding effects on the basins along its two sides. Numerous geochemical analyses demonstrate that the organic carbon content and the organic matter type of the shales in the post-uplift basins of the study area are less than those of Jiaoshiba in the Sichuan Basin. The Silurian shales in the southern part of Hunan have relatively low values for various geochemical indexes mainly because the area has no black carbonaceous shales of the first sedimentation cycle found in the Longmaxi Formation.

Key words: Yangtze Plate, foreland basin, Silurian, carbonaceous shale, Jiaoshiba