To study the hydrocarbon generation potential of the Silurian bituminous sandstone in the northern Tarim Basin, two sets of experiment program were carried out using artificial and geologic samples, respectively. According to the yielding rate and product composition under different experiment temperatures, the hydrocarbon generation process of the Silurian bituminous sandstone was divided into 3 stages. According to the actual depth and maturity of the Silurian bituminous sandstone in the northern Tarim Basin, those sandstones during the cracking oil- and gas-expulsion stage were buried over 6 000 m deep and mainly located in the western Shaya and Halahatang areas.