Abstract: The Qianjiang salt lake basin is a lonely continental highsalinity lake basin in China.The characteristics of the source-reservoir-seal associations in the basin are examined in the light of rhythmic successions.The Qianjiang Formation in the Qianjiang depression is built up of a succession of clastic rocks,carbonate rocks and evaporites heaped up by the accumulation of the northernly debris and marginal brines and salt sources in the water bodies with high salinity,intense evaporation and reduction-strong reduction under the frequently alternating dry and wet palaeoclimatic conditions.The ordered alternation of lithologic associations allow the source-reservoir-seal systems to be developed,which constitute excellent conditions for hydrocarbon accumulation.