Abstract: It is almost 40 years since the first seabed cold seep was discovered. Cold seeps mainly occur on the edge of continental margins and marginal-sea basins. The geophysical, geochemical and geological characteristics of submarine cold seeps are of great significance to the understanding of cold seeps. Geophysical and biogeochemical indicators, biomarker compounds and in-situ monitoring are important to the study of the forming mechanism and environments of cold seeps. As far as the elements of sediments are concerned, major component may contribute to the discrimination of source materials and provide a background for study of cold seeps. A total of 7 cold seep areas from China and 3 areas abroad are selected for comparison of authigenic carbonates and their biocenosis. Discussion is made on future tasks in cold seep studies.