Mesozoic structures in the Jiyang basin mainly include Triassic NW - striking compressive structures (folds and reverse faults) , NW-striking negative inverted half - grabens and half -horsts, Jurassic-Cretaceous ENE - striking compressive structures (folds or thrust faults) and N-S-striking horsts. NW - striking compressive structures resulted from the convergence between the North China plate and the Yangtze plate during the Triassic, while all the others originated by the sinistral shear of the Cenozoic Tanlu (Tancheng-Lujiang) fault, an active continental strike-slip fault in East China. Mesozoic structures became inactive due to the variation of the strike slip of the Tanlu fault, i. e. , the Mesozoic structures were buried by the Cenozoic strata. Therefore, promising traps for petroleum exploration below 4000 m in depth are as follows- buried hill traps (NW -striking folds, overriding blocks and half horsts, ENE -striking folds or overriding blocks, N-S-striking horsts) , Paleogene drape anticline traps and lithologi-cal traps.