The purpose of this paper was to investigate the pyrolysis properties and mineral structures of Bogda oil shale, Xinjiang, China. To this end, techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry (TG-MS) were used. The results showed that oil shale was rich in clay minerals, quartz, calcite, frondelite and pyrite. Aliphatic hydrocarbons were mainly dominant in the functional groups contained in the organic material of oil shale whose semi-coke possessed diverse structures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The pyrolysis process of Bogda oil shale was conducted in three stages: from room temperature to 320 degrees C, 320 degrees C to 630 degrees C, and 630 degrees C to 800 degrees C. The pyrolysis was the most intensive in the temperature range of 320-630 degrees C. The mass loss of oil shale in this temperature range accounted for 70% of the total mass loss. The volatile materials were pyrolysed rapidly. The main gaseous pyrolysis products included H2O, CO2, H-2, CH4, and some lower alkanes.