Abstract: In this study, the burial history and thermal evolution history of coal-derived hydrocarbon source rocks in the eastern margin of Xiaocaohu sag were simulated and analyzed by using basin simulation technology and actual data. The results show that Jurassic is the main deposition period of the strata in the study area, and the maximum deposition rate of the strata can be 70 m/Ma. The heat flow value of the strata has been decreasing since the Jurassic, and the maximum temperature of each well obtained from the simulation is between 120℃ and 160℃. The hydrocarbon source rocks of the Middle and Lower Jurassic in the study area entered the early oil production stage in almost the late Cretaceous-early Jurassic, corresponding to a threshold depth of about 2200 m, and are now in the low-middle maturity stage. The results have some implications for the exploration and development of oil and gas resources in the Xiaocaohu area.