Abstract: As a part of a platform before the Indo-Chinese Movement, the Xiangzhong region in the central part of Hunan province was reduced to a depressed area following the violent tectonic activities during the Meso-Cenozoic time. Marine carbonate rocks constitute the main body of upper Paleozoic rocks of the region, with the organic carbon content corresponding to gam-ma distribution and a fairly low average value. Before the Indo-Chinese Movement, the normal geothermal field and the time of burial were the principal factors that controlled the transformation of organic matter, but since then, tectonic deformation and magmatism played the dominant role. Due to the high level of evolution of organic materials in late Paleozoic, the authors propose that exploration of gas pools should be main objective of this region.