Tar mats were firstly discovered and determined accurately in terrestrial oil and gas reservoirs associated with Lower Tertiary sandstone reservoirs in the Yaha field of the Tarim Basin, China, by thin layer chromatography flame ionization detector (TLC FID) and Rock Eval analysis. The relative content of asphaltene in gross composition of tar mat extracts accounts for more than 30%, that in the corresponding oil leg less than 20%. In the geochemical description profile of oil and gas reservoirs, drastic changes in asphaltene contents between tar mats and oil legs could be discovered. This is an important marker to determine tar mats. Distribution characteristics of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons from reservoir core extracts and crude oils in the Yaha oil and gas reservoirs in the Tarim Basin are described systematically in this paper, and the results show there are similarities among n alkane distribution characteristics, biomarker distribution characteristics and their combined characteristics of saturated hydrocarbons, and the geochemical characteristics of aromatic hydrocarbons for tar mats, oil leg, asphaltic sand and crude oil. These characteristics suggest the hydrocarbons in these samples were originated from the common source rocks. However, the geochemical characteristics of tar mats revealed that the mechanism of formation of tar mats is the precipitation of asphaltene from crude oils in petroleum reservoirs caused by increased dissolved gas in oil legs (gas injection).