Tectonically, central Hunan Province lies on the southeastern margin of the middle-upper Yangtze Plate. Throughout the Early Cambrian, the central Hunan region was once developed as the anoxic stagnant basin above the continental shelf, and composed of a succession of black deposits comprising black carbonaceous tabular shales and siliceous-carbonaceous mudstones. The black deposits extend from central Hunan region to the whole southeastern margin of the middle-upper Yangtze Plate, implying that the study area was then enriched in hydrocarbons, and thus has great hydrocarbon potential.