Abstract: Phytolith analysis in the surface soils is not only an important approach of studying phytolith assemblages in the Quaternary sediments, but also a basis of Quaternary environment reconstruction. Phytolith from 41 sites of 6 areas and 3 climate belts of Northeast China were extracted and classified into 11 types: dumbbellshaped, saddleshaped, fanshaped, squareshaped, rectangularshaped, laddershaped, capshaped, pointshaped, crenateshaped, elongateshaped, and othershapes. Analysis showed that, there were relations between the phytolith distribution and the latitude, the altitude, temperature and heat: with the increase of the latitude and altitude, the contents of dumbbellshaped, saddleshaped, fanshaped, squareshaped, rectangularshaped and laddershaped phytolith decrease, or vice versa; a warmer temperature is always corresponding with higher contents of fanshaped and dumbbellshaped phytolith, the more humid, the higher content of fanshaped phytolith.

Key words: Northeast China, surface peat deposits, phytolith, distribution