Abstract:In recent years, a series of oil and gas field as well as several hydrocarbon structure was found in Andaman Sea, thus, Andaman Sea has become a hot spot of hydrocarbon exploration. Mergui Basin belongs to a sub-basin of Andaman Sea, and its tectonic evolution, hydrocarbon geological conditions and exploration potential were under-discovered. In order to provide guidelines for hydrocarbon exploration in Mergui Basin, this paper starts with researching on geological background and tectonic evolution of this region, by studying the tectonic-sedimentary evolution of the region and the hydrocarbon characters of the Mergui Basin, then make a comparison with North Sumatra Basin, established hydrocarbon accumulation models and analyzed its hydrocarbon potential. The results show that: (1)The tectonic-sedimentary evolution of the region can be divided into four period, they are pre-rift, rifting, structural sag and back-arc strike-transtension (2)The main source rock of the basin is marine shales of Yela Formation, and the main reservoir is the fluvial-deltaic sandstones of Lalang Formation, while faults and unconformities are the favorable migration pathways, trap types including structural traps and lithological traps, the possible hydrocarbon accumulation model of the Mergui Basin including i)gas migrated vertically and accumulated within anticlines; ii)gas migrated vertically and accumulated within fault-blocks; iii)gas migrated vertically and accumulated within carbonate reef.(3)The southern mid-deep strata of the Mergui Basin and carbonate build-ups are the ideal targets for future exploration.