Black shales are fine sediments enriched in organic matter, generally also in trace metals and pyrites, and distributed widely in the geological records. They are crucial hydrocarbon source rocks that support our life. The high contents of organic carbon in black shales suggest the significant involvement of organisms in their formation. The Precambrian is a critical time period witnessing the widespread deposition of black shales, which are excellent archives for the Precambrian life and paleoceanography. For example, research based on the element, carbon, nitrogen sulfur and metal isotope composition of the Precambrian black shales has dramatically improved our understanding of the variations in the Precambrian Earth’s surface environments and redox condition. In addition, the factors accounting for the formation of the Precambrian black shale are versatile, such as increased primary productivity and intensified marine anoxia, which have been intensively investigated. This session invites talks focusing on the Precambrian black shale, either using it as an archive for paleoenvironment reconstruction, redox condition, microbial composition, or the factors underlying the formation of the black shale.