The source of sediments is a principal factor that determines the constitution of rare earth elements (REE) in deposits. The REE distribution of rocks in the Jiyang Depression indicates the following; Firstly, the REE distribution of the Paleozoic in Jiyang Depression has very similar features with that of the rocks in the same formation in the other parts of the North China Platform (NCP), indicating that the whole NCP where the Jiyang Depression lies on was a stable craton basin of deposition that had laterally stable formations, a common source and the same geological setting during the Late Paleozoic; Secondly, the provenance of the Mesozoic came from the Paleozoic in the Jiyang Depression, implying the conversion of a stable platform during the Paleozoic to an intermountain basin during the Mesozoic, and the sediment in that Mesozoic sag mainly came from the denudation of the Paleozoic formation of the near a swell; Thirdly, the REE distribution from samples of the Cenozoic and Mesozoic is greatly similar, suggesting that the conversion of geological patterns occurred from the Mesozoic to Cenozoic and some sags of the Mesozoic became arch area of source in the Paleogene.