The chert from Hongshan iron deposit is closely associated with the iron ore body, and some cherts are iron ores themselves. Trace element analysis of the chert shows that most of the trace elements are lower than the Clarke value and the total REE is lower. Normalized by the North American shale, HREE is richer than LREE, and the geochemical characteristics of the chert indicate that they are hydrothermally sedimentary origin, but with existence of certain continental sources. So it can be concluded that the Hongshan iron deposit is associated with hydrothermal deposit with terrigenous materials and it was formed in the environment of continental margin.