Abstract: The foreland thrust zone in northwestern margin of Junggar basin is a large-scale imbricated thrust system developed since the Late Carboniferous, and Karamay-Baikouquan (Ke-Bai) buried structural belt is situated in the mid-sector of its front structural zone whose tectonic deformation started in the Late Permian and almost ceased in the Jurassic. The Lower Permian and Carboniferous underlying the thrust nappe possess good conditions for forming both source and reservoir in them. In the quasi-autochthonous system developed a series of double fault-fold structures in the lower block of the front faulting zone and conditions for forming various traps. The lithology of the reservoir is characterized by volcanic rocks and glutenites with pores and fissures or fractures. Less controlled by burial depth, the oil-gas pools with both source and reservoir could be formed. It is concluded that Ke-Bai buried structural belt is one of the targets for petroleum exploration in lower block buried zones of northwestern margin of Junggar basin, in which Baijiantan and Baikouquan uplifts should be as preferred targets for prospecting.

Key words: Junggar basin, northwestern margin, foreland thrust zone, Karmay-Baikouquan buried structural belt, exploratory target, domain