Abstract: Prydz Bay is one of the key areas of scientific investigation and marine environment research in the Antarctica. In this study, three short sediment cores were obtained in Prydz Bay and the adjacent areas during the 29^th Antarctic scientific investigation of China. The composition of grain size, ²¹⁰Pb, major and trace geochemical elements of samples were measured, and the distribution characteristics and control factors of heavy metals were discussed. The results show that the deposition rate of sediments in Prydz Bay and the adjacent areas is between 0.05 and 0.18 cm/a. There was no obvious vertical variation of heavy metals in the sediment columns, and the source of the heavy metals in the sediments has not changed greatly in the past 100 years. The correlation between heavy metals and the provenance indexes indicates that the sediments are mainly derived from the terrestrial materials from the Antarctic continent. These findings are important components of the environmental baseline of Prydz Bay and provide indispensable basic data for the Antarctic marine scientific investigation of China.