Appalachian basin which is located in the North-eastern US is the origin of America's petroleum industry, and also one of major basins for shale-gas exploration. The Devonian Marcellus shale-gas becomes the biggest shale-gas reservoir in the North America, so it is the target for North America's oil companies. This paper analyzes its sedimentary and structural evolution, oil-gas geology, and focuses on Oiho, Marcellus and Utica zones in their reservoir formation from shale thickness, organic types and concentration, maturity, porosity, and fissures, and evaluates their potential for future exploration and development.

It is popular, both in academy and government, to study the industrial transformation and upgrade of resource-exhausted cities, whose universal adaptability, however, is weakened by a regional economic development and resource abundance. A singular city is selected as target. This paper, based on Hubei's seven resource-exhausted cities, Huangshi, Ezhou, Qianjiang, Daye, Yidu, Zhongxiang and Songzi, analyzes their industry, challenges and industrial transformation direction and path, and presents suggestions for government and enterprises to explore new paths of industrial transformation and upgrading from structural adjustment, financing, talent, environmental protection, industrial convergence and government's functions.

This paper, based on the grain size data of drilling cores in Kunming basin, analyzes the grain size trend curve, grain size parameters, possibility accumulative curve, discusses the evolution of the Quaternary sedimentary environment in Kunming basin. The work reveals that the early Pleistocene is fluvial facies—lake facies, the middle Pleistocene is lake facies—shallow lake facies—lake facies—fluvial facies, and since the late Pleistocene is fluvial facies—lake facies—shallow lake facies—lake facies—fluvial facies.

Mining industry with an intensive capital needs large quantity of money during its development. In western China, mining industry is vital for economy. It plays a critical role to have a good mining investment environment and to attract more investment to meet mining industry development. This paper, based on the theory of economics and investment, applies the PCA to establish an evaluation system of mining industry investment environment, and studies the cases of 10 provinces, aiming to provide reference to meliorating mining investment environment.

Rural informationization as an important part of national economy and society is a key tool to turn traditional agriculture into modern agriculture, and a unavoidable choice to accelerate socialistic new countryside construction in China. This paper, based on the current rural informationization characterized by a weak consciousness, low utilization, unbalanced development, presents some suggestions developing rural informationization in future.