Abstract: The marginal basin in the north of South China Sea is located in the unique tectonic location where three plates,Euro-Asia,India-Austronia and pacific interact each other.There are complicated regional setting and geodynamic conditions with aboundent geological phenomena about oil and gas,there are apparent characteristic differences of regional geological setting and tectonic evolution in different continental regions,that is,the northorn region is dominated by tention rift,forming rifted basins with dual-layered structure of typical fault and rift,and the southern region is complex superposition one originated from folded down-warping,tention and compression,forming complex folded-down warping, tention and compression basins,the western region is slide-typed one,forming slide tention basins.The difference of regional geological setting determines the type and property of the sedimentary basins,and moreover,controlls the law and distribution of hydrocarbon migration,accumulation and the formation of reservoirs.So,there are genesis leakage and coupling relations between regional geological setting and hydrocarbon migration,accumulation and the formation of reservoirs.

Key words: regional geological setting, continental marginal basin, law of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation, coupling relation of the formation of reservoir, northern South China Sea