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The Lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation source rock is one of the main sources of oil and gas in the Sichuan Basin. Owing to the controversial thermal history and the complex structural pattern in the Sichuan Basin, it is difficult to characterize the differences in maturity evolution and the timing of hydrocarbon generation periods of Qiongzhusi hydrocarbon source rocks in different tectonic zones. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the previous thermal history and denudation studies from the tectonic units of the basin, the thermal histories and denudation amount in main period of tectonic movement of a five-part tectonic development are obtained in this paper. Although the thermal history of different tectonic units varies, generally, the heat flow increased slowly in the early Paleozoic, and it experienced a peak heat flow at the end of the Middle Permian and decreased subsequently. Based on new thermal history and denudation data, the maturation of the Lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation source rocks in the Sichuan Basin were modeled and their evolution can be classified into three patterns, which are: (1) continuous heating pattern in southern Sichuan, (2) Silurian-Permian heating cessation pattern in western Sichuan and northwest central Sichuan, and (3) Silurian-Permian and Triassic heating cessation pattern in the central uplift, northern structural zone and western part of the eastern structural zone. In addition, the key hydrocarbon generation periods of different tectonic units were determined in this study. Tectonic and sedimentary burial, together with high heat flow values during the Late Permian, were the main factors controlling levels of thermal maturity and thermal evolution models of the Qiongzhusi Formation. The present-day thermal maturity of the Qiongzhusi Formation depends on the thermal history and maximum burial depth before uplift in Late Cretaceous. However, the maturity evolution pattern affecting the key hydrocarbon generation stage was mainly related to the burial histories of source rocks in the Paleozoic. The thermal modelling of this study provides new evidence for the source rock evolution and new insight into Lower Paleozoic shale gas. • Thermal history, denudation amount and process of different tectonic units are summarized. • Maturity evolution and key HC generation periods of the Qiongzhusi Formation are obtained. • Three thermal evolution patterns of source rocks are classified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]