There are some differences in reservoir quality of clastic rock between the hanging wall and the foot wall of the Ke-Bai overthrust belt, northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin, western China, which affect the effi cient petroleum exploration in this highly mature exploration area. Based on a large number of thin-sections, cast thin-sections, and physical property analysis of cores, we systematically discuss the Permian-Jurassic reservoir differences between the hanging wall and the foot wall of the Ke-Bai overthrust fault from the aspects of structural evolution, time-space distribution of the depositional system, diagenesis characteristics, and reservoir quality and analyzed the reasons for the differences in reservoir properties. The overthrusting of the Ke-Bai fault directly results in different burial histories, diagenesis evolution, and porosity evolution between the hanging wall and the foot wall. The differences of reservoir characteristics are mainly embodied in buried depth, grain size, sedimentary facies, diagenetic stage, and reservoir quality. The analysis results showed that burial history and depositional characteristics controlled by overthrusting are direct influencing factors of reservoir differences. Because of shallow burial depth of the hanging wall, the reservoir compaction is weak and primary pores are preserved well. The porosity of reservoir on the hanging wall is generally 10%-25%. The strata on the foot wall are deeply buried, and there are mainly mixed pores with the average porosity of 5%-20%. The favorable reservoir on the foot wall is generally developed near faults or in the channel sand bodies, which are usually dissolution development areas.