Abstract: The contents of Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ni in the soils of the quasi protected areas and catchments of Qiufeng reservoir and Hexi reservoir in Shantou City were determined and analyzed. The single pollution index and Nemerow comprehensive pollution index were used for evaluation. The correlation, principal component and cluster analysis were adopted for source interpretation. The results showed that the soil around Hexi reservoir was mainly polluted by Cd, while the soil around Qiufeng reservoir was mainly polluted by Hg. The average comprehensive pollution index of soil around Hexi reservoir and Qiufeng reservoir is 5. 770 and 3. 837, respectively. In addition, Cd and Pb were the first principal components, mainly from the application of cadmium containing fertilizer and automobile exhaust; Cr, Zn, As and Ni were positively correlated, mainly from soil diagenesis; Hg and Cu were the second principal components, mainly from coal combustion and livestock manure.