The East China Sea is noted for its vast continental shelf.The marine geology ofthe East China Sea has been extensively studied for many years.New data concerningthe seabed sediments have been published by many investigators,whereas geochemical studieson the sediments have been comparatively few.200 samples of different types of sedi-ments were analyzed to find out the geochemical characteristics of some major and traceelements in the sediments of the East China Sea.The elements determined are Fe,Mn,Ti,P,Si,Cu,Co,Ni,Zn,B,Zr,U,Th,Ra and REE(total rare earth elements).Fe,Mn,Ti,P,B,Zr,U,Th and REE were determined by ordinary colorimetry,Cu,Co,Ni