The Wutaishan (Wutai Mountains) area is a typical region developed with Archea n banded ironf orm ations (BIF) in China. Systematic studies of the characteristics of REE and trac e elements show that all kinds of BIF in this region have significant Eu positive anomalies, higher HREE contents in comparison to NASC, and are depleted in incom patible elements like Zr, Ba, Sr and Pb in contrast with the upper continental crust of the earth. Combining the results from the former study of the geochemistry of modern submar ine hydrothermal deposition, it can be concluded that BIFs in this region were d er ived from the chemical deposition of palaeosubmarine hydrothermal system close ly related to the basic volcanic activity in the Archean