Abstract: Based on the theory of hydrocarbon exploration by thermoluminescence (TL),it was considered that the formation of radioactivity abnormal areas over oil and gas pools was related to hydrocarbon migration.By thermoluminescence determination on ground sandy soil,this kind of abnormal areas with weak radioactivity can be effectively discovered,and the corresponding underground oil and gas pools can then be found.In order to further prove the reliability of the theory,an indoor simulation experiment was designed especially.The results revealed that 1)hydrocarbon migration can be going on under the condition of normal temperature and pressure by means of gaseous diffusion,2)sample oil also generated thermoluminescence signals,and 3)the thermoluminescence signals generated from hydrocarbon were enhanced on the top of diffusion layers.