Abstract: According to the steady-state catalytic model for the origin of light hydrocarbon proposed by Mango,2,4-/2,3-dimethylpentane ratio is a pure temperature parameter.Based on the paleogeotemperature, the thermal history and the analytical data of light hydrocarbon for source rocks, Bement and Mango et al. established the functional equation between the light hydrocarbon temperature parameter and the burial temperature and applied it to the calculation of hydrocarbon-generating temperature. The hydrocarbon-generating temperature has broad application to the research fields of oil & gas exploration and reservoir geochemistry. It can be used to study the evolutionary degree, migration distance,pool-forming time,the property of self-generation and self-accumulation,the threshold of hydrocarbon expulsion etc.In this paper, the generating temperature of the marine and continental hydrocarbons from the Tarim Basin are calculated, and their generating depth and maturity are estimated. They are verified by other geological and geochemical data.