The geochemical characteristics of rare earth elements (REE) in soils derived from 17 kinds of parent materials were analysed.
The results were as follows: (1) The ∑REE of the soils derived from basic igneous parent materials was the highest, that of the soils derived from red sandstone parent materials was the lowest. (2) The REE Kebole distribution modes of the soils derived from magmatic rock and extrusive rock parent materials were similar to their parent rocks; that of deposit type soils were relative steady, that of marine deposit type soil varied obviously. (3) The ∑Ce/∑Y proper values of the all kinds of the soils derived from different parent materials were 3.5-4.7. The characteristic of the fractional distillation between ∑Ce and ∑Y was obvious. (4) δCe of the soils derived from arenaceous shale and three other parent materials was positively anomalous, that of soils derived from extrusive rock and two other parent materials were relatively steady, that of soils derived from acid igneous rocks and nine other parent materials were negatively anomalous; δEu of the soils derived from purple sandstone and three other parent materials was positively anomalous, that of the soils derived from shale and two other parent materials was relatively steady, that of the soils derived from basic igneous and twelve others parent materials was negatively anomalous. (5) Stepwise regression analysis showed the correlations between TRE and Ce, Sm, Dy, Lu; the correlations between ∑Ce and Pr, Sm; and the correlations between ∑Y and Dy, Lu. (6) Double sieving stepwise regression analysis showed the corrections between ∑REE, ∑Ce and Fe 2O 3 in soils were extremely significant, the corrections between ∑Y and soil pH value, silt, physical clay were significant.(7)The soils derived from different parent materials were divided into three types based on their lithological background by REE dynamic cluster analysis.