Kerogen extracted from drilling cores at the depth between 1357 m and 2998m in a thick homogeneous sedimentary series of the Huahai Basin, Western Gansu, was analyzed by elemental analysis procedure, i.r. spectrophotometry, electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry, and the reflectance of vitrite determined by microscopephotometer. The following conclusion are given: l) Kerogen in question seems to have been derived from the same type of orgunic matter, mostly of land-plant origin. 2) With the increase of burial depth, kerogen structure in the Lower Xinimgbu(iroup underwent four evolutionary stages: relative stablization, destruction of polynmerie substances, cracking and cracking-repolymerization--relative symmetrization. 3) Hydrocarbons in petroleum were largely generated at the cracking stage of kerogen structure, the critical depth being about 2100 m.
