Abstract：Taking the northern Da Hinggan Mountains for example, the relation between the chemical compositions of soils and bedrocks in shallow overburden areas is studied. The study indicates that the major rock-forming elements in residual soils in shallow overburden areas have the inherited characteristics of the element assemblage of the bedrocks, and that the redistribution and migration of elements in the processes of rock weathering and soil formation result in the homogenization of the contents of most elements (oxides) in soils. Based on the study, the problems about the recognition and appraisal of geochemical anomalies of residual soils are discussed and proposals are advanced in this paper.