Abstract: The Shanghai City is located in the south bank p1ain of Yangtze River．With a thickness about 130m, the Late Quaternary loose sediments in the Shanghai area have a complicated three-dimensional distribution. Their lithological and mechanical properties are affected by sedimentation dynamics, sea-level fluctuation, paleoclimate and paleo-environment. As the foundation soil, the Late Quaternary sediments play an important role in the cost and safety of engineering construction in the Shanghai urban area. In this paper, the authors will present the engineering data derived from 20 typical bore cores. The Late Quaternary strata in the area were divided into 12 engineering layers and a series of sub-layers according to their types of formation, chronology, lithology and mechanics. The authors also made a comprehensive study on the spatial distribution of soil, engineering geology and geotechnical changes of the foundation soil(1ess than 100 deep), as well as the paleo-geography of different a of engineering geology. The geotechnical and geolgica1 conditions of natural areas and three stub foundation areas are also discussed. The results of this study could provide reliable scientific data for the engineering survey, designing and construction in the Shanghai area.