The exploration of hydrocarbon resources plays a critical role in fulfilling the world’s increasing demand for energy. In this regard, the distribution and source rock characteristics of coal measure stratum in the whole basin are important and must be studied. However, systematic research has not been conducted yet. In this study, organic geochemical data, drilling data, and fieldwork were used to examine the source rock distribution of the Upper Paleozoic stratum. The results revealed that Upper Paleozoic coal-bearing rock series are mostly present in the Benxi, Taiyuan, and Shanxi formations, and mudstones and coals are formed frequently in tidal flat deposits. The layers of the coal and mudstone are primarily thick on the western sides, eastern sides, and northern sides, thin in the middle region, and gradually thinner from north to south. The source rocks are mostly enriched in the east and west of the basin. The results of the Rock-Eval pyrolysis analysis indicated that the overwhelming majority of the coal comprises excellent source rocks, all limestones are poor source rocks, and most mudstones are good–excellent source rocks. The kerogen type of most of the rock samples is type Ⅲ, suggesting typical “gas source” kerogen. Humus is derived from terrestrial organism and aquatic algae remnants, indicating a diversified parent material input. These results evidence that studied source rocks are at the postmature-dry gas stage.

This study investigates the provenance of the Permian Shihezi Formation (Fm) siliciclastic sediments in the Luonan area, southern margin of the North China Block, which constrain the sediment sources and tectonic evolution of the basin. Our research investigates the heavy mineral characteristics, geochemical features, detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, and Lu-Hf isotope tracing the provenance characteristics of the Shihezi Fm in this region. Zircon yielded three distinct U-Pb age groups as follows: 320–300 Ma, 1950–1850 Ma, and 2550–2450 Ma. The ε_Hf(t) values of zircons ranged from −41 to 50, and the two–stage Hf model’s ages (T_DM2) values are concentrated between 3940 Ma and 409 Ma, suggesting that magmatic sources likely derive from Early Archaean–Devonian crustal materials. The heavy mineral assemblages are primarily composed of zircon, leucoxene, and magnetite. Further geochemical analyses of the rocks indicate a diverse provenance area and a complex tectonic evolution. Taken together, these results suggest that the provenance of the Shihezi Fm is from the North China Block, with secondary contributions from the Qinling Orogenic Belt and the North Qilian Orogenic Belt. The provenance of Luonan shares similarities with the southern Ordos Basin. Investigating the provenance of the Luonan area along the southern margin of the North China Craton provides critical supplementary constraints for shedding light on the Late Paleozoic tectonothermal events in the Qinling Orogenic Belt.