Abstract: Lower Cambrian black shale is widely distributed in the Upper Yangtze Region. When global sea-level rose rapidly in the Early Cambrian, the Region became the regional deep water to the slope of the continental shelf environment of deposition with stranded anoxic environment. The lithology of the black shale is black carbonaceous shale, siliceous black shale, dark gray stone coal and silty shale. The organic matter content is as high as 12% in mud shale. It in the section decreases from bottom to up. The mud shale of rich organic matter is mainly distributed in the lower section, while the thick one is in the regions of southwestern Sichuang to northern Guizhou, eastern Chongqing to western Hunan and Hubei, and northeastern Sichuan. These regions represent the most shale gas exploration potential.

Key words: Upper Yangtze Region, Lower Cambrian, shale gas, resource potential