Organic matter (OM)-hosted pores play a crucial role in unconventional shale reservoirs, with their development influenced by OM type and thermal maturity across terrestrial, transitional, and marine deposits. In this study, a comparative analysis of porosity and pore structures is presented using organic petrographical, petrophysical, and mineralogical methods on organic-rich samples from diverse depositional environments. A pore evolution model for these sediments in different settings is proposed. Results show that kerogen particles in terrestrial shales at low and moderate thermal maturity (Dameigou Formation and Qingshankou Formation) are mostly nonporous. Transitional shales (Longtan Formation) contain vitrinite and inertinite, with only some inertinite exhibiting visible primary pores. In marine shales at higher maturity (late oil window; Dalong Formation), the interparticle pore space is occupied by solid bitumen, and secondary porosity is present at higher maturity, approaching the thermal gas generation stage. In over-mature marine shales (Wujiaping and Daye Formations), secondary pores are densely distributed within pyrobitumen. A negative correlation between organic carbon content and pore volume is observed in low-maturity lacustrine and transitional shales due to poorly developed kerogen-bound pores and interparticle pore occlusion by solid bitumen. However, over-mature marine shales exhibit a strong positive correlation due to extensive secondary porosity in pyrobitumen. Thus, pore evolution within OM is controlled by kerogen type and maturity. In oil-prone marine and lacustrine shales, secondary porosity in solid bitumen and pyrobitumen increases with thermal maturity. In contrast, terrestrial kerogen rarely forms solid bitumen and mainly develops micropores rather than mesopores at high maturity.

Lacustrine shales are globally important both as archives of paleoenvironmental change and as unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs. The first Member of the Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation in the Songliao Basin, NE China, represents a prominent interval of high-quality petroleum source rocks. Despite their significance, the factors governing organic matter accumulation and pore evolution in these lacustrine deposits remain inadequately constrained, especially with respect to the interplay between paleoenvironmental conditions and porosity development. This research explores the geochemical, mineralogical, and pore structure features of lacustrine shales and mudstones from this formation. The samples analyzed display TOC contents between 0.62 and 3.13 wt%, with Rock-Eval pyrolysis results (T_max avg. 439 °C) reflecting thermal maturity spanning the early to peak oil window. Mineralogically, the samples are dominated by quartz (avg. 28 wt%) and clay minerals (avg. 51 wt%), with feldspar as a minor component (avg. 14 wt%). Geochemical proxies suggest deposition under arid to semi-arid climatic conditions, characterized by minimal chemical weathering, elevated paleo-salinity (Sr/Ba avg. 0.89; 100 × Mg/Al avg. 14.94), and predominantly suboxic to oxic bottom-water conditions (U/Th avg. 0.38; Ni/Co avg. 1.77). Organic matter enrichment is primarily driven by high paleoproductivity (Cu/Al avg. 3.77 × 10⁻⁴) and stratified water columns, while detrital input (Zr/Al ratio) is unfavorable for organic matter accumulation. Pore structure analysis reveals micropore volumes averaging 0.0053 cm³/g and meso- and macropore volumes averaging 0.0233 cm³/g. The contents of quartz and clay minerals exhibit no substantial correlation with pore volume, likely due to secondary quartz overgrowth and mechanical compaction. Similarly, the weak negative correlation between TOC and pore volume is attributed to the poorly developed pore networks within kerogen. This study provides new insights into the depositional and diagenetic controls on organic matter accumulation and pore development in the lacustrine Qingshankou Formation, with implications for paleoenvironmental reconstruction and unconventional hydrocarbon exploration in analogous lacustrine basins worldwide.