Abstract: Pyrite, which is a fine-grained mineral widely distributed in shale gas reservoirs, has significant effects on shale gas exploration and development.First, depositional environments of pyrite and its characteristic pattern in shale are analyzed, and the formation mechanism of pyrite is revealed, which can lead to the discrimination of high-quality shale sedimentary zones.Furthermore, the hydrocarbon generation mechanism of pyrite is discussed, and then methods to predict the shale gas enrichment zone are proposed.Finally, the beneficial contribution of the brittleness-enhanced characteristic of pyrite to search for favorable mining blocks is expounded.Simultaneously, techniques for reforming shale gas reservoirs by using the easily oxidized characteristic of pyrite to achieve enhanced permeability and increased production are summarized.The results show that pyrit-shale interaction is conducive to the prediction of high-quality shale sediment zones, shale gas enrichment zones, and favorable mining blocks.