The distribution of the Lower Cambrian source rocks in the Tarim Basin has long been an exploration problem in oil and gas exploration of the Tarim Basin. Based on the analysis of the regional tectonic settings, stratigraphic correlation, structural interpretation and restoration of the ancient tectonic were studied using the outcrops, new drillings and seismic data. And the Neoproterozoic prototype basins, the palaeotectonic and the tectonicsedimentary environment were discussed to restrain the distribution of the Lower Cambrian source rocks in the Tarim basin. The study shows that the Keping and Yecheng regions in the western margin of the Tarim basin experienced an evolution series of basin from intracontinental faulting to initial passive continental margin during Neoproterozoic, while the Kuruktag area in the northeastern Tarim basin is characterized by rift and postrift depression. The seismic reflection features further reveal that the similar basinforming occurred in the Tarim basin. The Nanhua faulting is characterized obviously by the horst and graben while the depression stage was dominated by a uniform subsidence since the Sinian period. The Keping movement in late Sinian resulted in uplifting of the Tarim basin, and this laid the foundation for the formation of structural paleogeomorphology of the Tarim Basin before Cambrian deposition. Therefore, the Tarim basin is generally characterized by “high in west and south, and low in east and north”, which controls the formation and distribution of hydrocarbon source rocks in lower Cambrian. The largescale thickening of the middle to lower Cambrian in the terrace of western Tarim is likely related to inherited subsidence, which provided a favorable sedimentary environment for development of carbonatic continental shelf hydrocarbon of the Yurtusi Formation. Deepwater continental shelfbasin facies muddy source rocks of the Xishanbrake to Xidashan formations not only deposited in the Manjiaer depression but also occur in the Awat depression. Although most areas in the central uplift belt are unfavorable for formation of high quality source rocks, it can not be ruled out that the lower Cambrian lagoonalfacies source rocks occur locally in this area. Different from the high carbonatic source rocks in the north of the Tarim basin, deepwater muddy hydrocarbon source rocks with high content of clastic rocks was developed in a tectonicsedimentary environment characterized by the reformed boundary in the southern margin of the Tarim basin.