This paper dwells upon the composition of heavy residues found in the upper sediments of the active continental margin at the junction of Euro-Asian and Philippine plates. It singles out and describes mineral provinces of this region. Values for discriminant functions of main mineral associations are presented. Using correlation and factor analyses, the authors distinguished mineral associations of provinces and described probable causes for their information. The comparison has been carried out for the composition and structural parameters (granulometric fraction content, median diameter, sorting, kurtosis, skewness) of the provincial associations of the East China Sea shelf and slope. It has been found that the formation of the mineral associations in sediments of the transitional zone is mainly affected by the rock composition of source land and volcanism.