The shale in the steep slope and deep zone of continental faulted basins is characterized by large thickness, multiple lithofacies types, and complex vertical and horizontal variations. At present, the understanding of shale lithofacies distribution in these zones is limited, which restricts shale oil target-area and layer selection as well as exploration deployment. Using thin-section identification, whole-rock mineral X-ray diffraction, total organic carbon analysis, well-log interpretation, and seismic waveform analysis, a systematic study was carried out on the lithofacies characteristics and distribution patterns of shale in the Upper Sub-member of the Fourth Member of Shahejie Formation (E_2s4cs) in the Minfeng Sub-sag, located in the steep-slope and deep zones of the Dongying Sag. The results show that four shale lithofacies are most developed in the E_2s4cs of the Minfeng Sub-sag:organic-rich laminated carbonate shale, organic-rich laminated carbonate-mixed shale, organic-rich laminated clay-mixed shale, and organic-rich laminated felsic-mixed shale. The thickness center of the Minfeng Sub-sag is dominated by organic-rich laminated felsic-mixed shale, while the low-uplift area on the southern margin mainly develops organic-rich laminated carbonate shale; the transitional zone is dominated by organic-rich laminated carbonate-mixed shale and clay-mixed shale. From the northern source area to the southern margin of the Minfeng Sub-sag, four lithofacies combinations are developed successively, forming an irregular east-west-trending strip distribution in plane view. Vertically, from the bottom to the top of the E_2s4cs shale interval, the distribution of felsic-mixed shale gradually expands across the subsidence center and is not influenced by the overall retrogradation of the glutenite body.