The Upper Jurassic—Lower Cretaceous Shenglihe oil shales are located in about 30-kilometer-long NWW-SEE-trending the transitional belt between north Qiangtang basin and central uplift belt. Abundant biomarkers, including n-alkanes, isoprenoid, steranes, terpanes and aromatics, have been detected by GC-MS from the oil shales. The n-alkanes of marine oil shale samples show a dominance of low carbon molecular components (∑C21-/∑C22  ranges from 0.78 to 3.43 with an average of 1.57) with highest peaks of nC17 or nC19. OEP values of the n-alkanes show no odd-even carbon dominance of 0.77~1.12 (averaging 0.95). Pr/Ph ratios range from 0.33 to 1.28 (averaging 0.71) with most Pr/Ph less than 1.0, showing a weak a weak phytane dominance. The terpanes distribution abundances of oil shale samples are pentacyclic terpanes>tricyclic terpanes>tetracyclic terpanes. he steranes presents an asymmetric V-shaped distribution with C27-steranes >C28-steranes > C29-steranes. All these characteristics indicate organic matters in marine oil shale are of algae and bacterial origin. The carbon isotopic δ13C compositions of n-alkanes range from -29.89‰ to -23.73‰ with an average of -26.99‰ and show an horizontal distribution with slight decline. The δ13C of pristine and phytane of isoprenoid hydrocarbon range from -30.72‰ to -24.57‰ with an average of -28.39‰ and range from -29.87‰ to -27.24‰ with an average of -28.52‰ respectively. The n-alkanes are enriched in δ13C by 0.02‰-3.66‰ and 0.37‰-3.69‰ related to pristine and phytane respectively. The unconventional abnormally positive δ13C of n-alkanes maybe caused by blooming of dinofragellates or colonial green algae (Botryococus) during that period. Microscopic observation reveals two types of organic matters: type II1 (humic mud) and type II2 (sapropelic-humic). Vitrinite reflectances of kerogen range from 0.37% to 0.9% with an average of 0.55%, indicating that organic matter of oil shale underwent a stage of immature to low maturation. Thermolysis peak temperature, sporo-pollen colour index, maturity parameter of n-alkanes biomarker and alkylphenanthrene parameter of aromatics also confirmed that the organic matter of oil shale was at the stage of immature to low maturation.