Kailu Basin in which the Western Lujiapu Depression is located is a typical continental rift basin. Biomarker parameters of the oils indicate that depositional facies and environments vary between the Bao 1 and Bao 14 fault blocks with a higher saline environment in the Bao 1 fault block, but such difference has no significant impact on carbazole abundance and distribution. Maturity and migration distance are the main controls on carbazole abundance and distribution in the Western Lujiapu Depression. The commonly used migration indices, such as ratios of nitrogen shield isomers to nitrogen exposed isomers (l-/4-methylcarbazole ratio, l,8-/2,4-dimethylcarbazole (DMC) ratio and half-shield/exposed-DMC ratio), absolute concentrations of alkylated carbazoles and BC ratio (= benzo [a]carbazole/ (benzo[a]carbazole + benzo[c]carbazole)) increase at the low mature range and decrease at a higher mature range with increasing maturity. At relatively low maturity stage (Rc