A new method for determining?the partial melting depth of mantle-derived magma and lithospheric thickness in continental regions is derived from REE geochemistry. This effective technique uses variations in the Ce/Yb and Sm/Yb ratios found in mainly volcanic rocks in continental China. The ratios change with the depth of origin consistent with the correlation between lithospheric thickness and the Ce/Yb and Sm/Yb ratios found in oceanic basalt. These ratios increase exponentially with the depth of origin, the lithospheric thickness, of a wide variety of Cenozoic volcanic basalt and Paleozoic kimberlite in the North China Craton, northeastern China continent and vicinity. This functional relationship with depth is shown in a plot of the ratios that forms a concordia curve, which is closely expressed by formulas using 8–degree polynomials. These provide a more accurate gage in measuring the lithospheric thickness than the traditional geophysical methods. When applied to volcanic rock of different ages it also reveals how the thickness has changed over time and thus, greatly aids the understanding of the tectonic history. Relations between the CO2 content, mineral reactions and pressure in the upper asthenosphere beneath the base of the lithosphere appears to affect the proportions of REE in partial melts and brings about a close correlation between lithospheric thickness and the Ce/Yb and Sm/Yb ratios in mantle–derived magmatic rock. This thickness gauge, for both continental and oceanic lithosphere, provides a new approach in analyzing the lithospheric thickness in different tectonic settings and geologic times.