Keywords: 
• rare earth elements /
• provenance /
• Core NT2 /
• South Yellow Sea

Abstract: The rare earth elements (REE) of 72 sediment samples taken from Core NT2 in the South Yellow Sea near Jiangsu coast were measured with ICPMS in order to study the variation of sediment source since the middlelate period of middle Pleistocene. The correlation plot indicates that the REE composition was less influenced by sediment grain size and chemical weathering, therefore, was primarily controlled by provenance rocks. The discrimination plot of REE parameter suggests that provenance of sediment in this core is mainly the Yangtze River and Yellow River. Of the core, the sediments between 0~5.50 m, 5.50~19.30 m in upper Core NT2 mainly belong to Yangtze River source; the sediments between 19.30~27.00 m in middle Core NT2 are mainly from Yellow River, and the sediments between 27.00~54.60 m are mainly from Yangtze River; the sediments between 54.60~70.31 m in lower Core NT2 are mainly from Yellow River. The results demonstrate that the Yellow River has an obvious effect on sedimentation of the South Yellow Sea shelf from during the middlelate period of middle Pleistocene and the Yangtze River has been playing a main role to the South Yellow Sea since early period of Late Pleistocene.