Based on the results of multi-target regional geochemical survey in the Jianghuai area, Anhui Province, this paper analyzed features of distribution of major elements in cultivated land soils and their parent materials in the Jianghuai area, Anhui Province and analyzed the cause of formation, and concluded that: 1) there exist the consistency and inheritance in the contents of trace elements between top soils and deep soils in most areas; 2) features of distribution of trace elements in soils of each area are mainly controlled by the parent material types; and 3)variations in contents of trace elements in plowland soils are mainly caused by human factors.