Geochemical mapping can provide significant basic data for solving problems such as cobalt resource and environmental influence. A thorough understanding of the factors influencing cobalt concentration in sediments is a prerequisite for scientific utilization of cobalt geochemical mapping data. Based on the spatial distribution of cobalt and other elements in the South China-West Qinling geochemical corridor, correlation coefficient R , linear regression equation and geographically weighted regression (GWR)were used to systematically evaluate the influence of different factors on the cobalt concentration in sediments. In intermediate-basic rock and clastic sedimentary rock region,the source rocks play a dominant role in the cobalt concentration within sediments. In carbonate and acidic rock regions, the local fitting degree and regression coefficient of source rock-sediment decrease, indicating that the correlation and contribution of source rock to sediments' cobalt content is weakened. The increase in enrichment coefficient and negative regression coefficient indicate that secondary enrichment become dominant factors. In carbonate and acidic rocks region, Fe-Mn oxides and organic matter have a significant effect on the secondary enrichment of cobalt in sediments; especially under alkaline conditions and strong oxidation conditions, the correlation between Mn-oxides and organic matter and secondary enrichment is R Mn=0.54~0.63 and R org=0.75. The geoweighted regression method is introduced to study the influence of source rocks in different geological backgrounds on the cobalt content in sediments, which further deepens the understanding of the influencing factors of the cobalt content in stream sediments, and provides theoretical support for resource exploration and environmental assessment.