The history of natural fire since 37 kaBP and its relationship to climate for the northern part of the South China Sea are revealed from the statistic study of charcoal particles and associated pollen data from deep sea core 17940 (20° 07’N, 117° 23’E, 1 727 m in water depth). Our study indicates that, during the last glaciation, the concentration of charcoal and the ratio of concentration between charcoal and terrestrial pollen are much higher than that of the Holocene. This can be explained as the relatively high strength and frequency of natural fire during glaciation which is probably due to the drier climate; during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the substantial rising of the concentration of large and medium charcoal particles probably suggests the local source area of the natural fires, i.e. the exposed continental shelf; moreover, the correlation between charcoal concentration with different size and pollen percentage may elucidate different transport dynamics. During the glacial time, almost The history of natural fire since 37 kaBP and its relationship to climate for the northern part of the South China Sea are revealed from the statistic study of charcoal particles and associated pollen data from deep sea core 17940 (20 ° 07’N, 117 ° 23 ’E, 1 727 m in water depth). Our study indicates that, during the last glaciation, the concentration of charcoal and the ratio of concentration between charcoal and terrestrial pollen are much higher than that of the Holocene. This can be explained as the relatively high strength and frequency of natural fire during glaciation which is probably due to the drier climate; during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the substantial rising of the concentration of large and medium charcoal particles will suggests the local source area of ​​the natural fires , ie the exposed continental shelf; moreover, the correlation between charcoal concentration with different size and pollen percentage may elucidate different transport dynamics. During the gl acial time