Rare earth elements were analyzed for the 486 surface samples taken from the western South Yellow Sea. It was found that the contents of rare earth elements increase with the decrease in mean grain size. Mineralogy is another factor to be considered in some stations. The parameters of the rare earth element, such as the ratio between light rare earth element and heavy rare earth element, Eu abnormity and Ce abnormity have nothing to do with grain size but mainly controlled by the source rock compositions. Therefore, they could be used as effective means to define the provenance of the sediments.