中国南方广泛发育下寒武统、下志留统、上二叠统三套海相区域性富有机质泥页岩，同时在四川盆地、江汉盆地和苏北盆地发育陆相富有机质泥页岩，具备形成页岩气的地质条件。但是，与美国页岩气相比，南方海相页岩气具有多期构造运动叠加改造、热演化程度高、保存条件复杂的特点，而陆相泥页岩有机碳含量、孔隙度相对较低，因此南方页岩气勘探面临诸多挑战，不能盲目乐观。笔者等对比研究认为，四川盆地海相、陆相是实现页岩气规模勘探开发的现实领域，江汉盆地、苏北盆地陆相可作为南方页岩气勘探的后备领域。

There are extensively three sets of marine regional organic-rich shale stones in southern China as lower Cambrian, lower Silurian and upper Permian and also continental organicrich shale stones in Sichuan Basin, Jianghan Basin and Subei Basin, possessing geological conditions to creating shale gas. Meanwhile, comparing with those in U.S., the shale gas in southern China is featured by multiple superimposition and reforms by structural movements, high Ro, complicated preserving conditions while the TOC and porosity of continental shale stones are relatively lower. Therefore, many challenges are faced for shale gas explorations in southern China and blind optimism should be avoided. The authors consider that the marine and continental shale stones are the realistic fields to realize shale gas exploration and development with large scales and the continental shale stones in Jianghan Basin, Subei Basin can be taken as the mothball field for shale gas exploration in southern China.