**1. Introduction**

A grea<sup>t</sup> success of shale gas exploration has been made in a Fuling gas field. Recently, many more oil and gas discoveries in lacustrine shale of the Lower Jurassic succession (e.g., Da'anzhai member shale) in the northern Fuling area gives a rise to the possibility of nonmarine shale gas accumulation in neighboring areas [1,2]. Recent studies focus on the pore structure and geochemical characteristics of the Da'anzhai member lacustrine shale [3–5]. There is little research concerning the influence of

lacustrine shale reservoir characteristics on the adsorption capacity and total gas content. However, gas content is not only a key factor of favorable shale gas area evaluation, but also controls whether shale reservoir has a commercial exploration value or not [2,6].

In this study, we present a comprehensive approach of mineral composition and geochemical tests, high-resolution imaging investigation, high-pressure mercury intrusion (MIP) and CH4adsorption experiments, as well as NMR well logging, to (1) determine the mineral composition and geochemical, pore structure and petrophysical characteristics of the di fferent shale lithofacies in the Da'anzhai members; (2) study the influence of continental reservoir characteristics on shale gas properties; (3) optimize the advantageous shale lithofacies to provide guidance for selecting the target shale gas layers.
