Significance Cold seep activity has a significant impact on marine ecosystems and global climate change， and has been widely developed globally at active and passive continental margins. The fundamental process operating at seeps is the anaerobic oxidation of methane （AOM） mediated by a combination of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea （ANME） and sulfate-reducing bacteria （SRB）. This increases the alkalinity of pore water， forming a favorable environment for carbonate mineral precipitation. Cold seep carbonates are the product of submarine cold seep activity， and their geological and geochemical characteristics are often used to trace seepage fluid information and changes in sedimentary environments. Progress Taiwan area of China is located in the collision zone between the Luzon Island Arc of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian continental margin， and possesses complex geological structures such as extensive faults， providing appropriate conditions for the development of cold seeps. Cold seep carbonates in the Taiwan area are mainly found in Miocene to Pleistocene strata， which are ideal for the study of ancient cold seeps. A relatively detailed study has been conducted on their fundamental geological and geochemical properties， including mineralogy， petrology and carbon and oxygen isotope content. This study includes a comprehensive analysis of the geological occurrence， mineralogical and petrological characteristics， carbon and oxygen isotopes content， rare earth element （REE） geochemistry， and macrofossil content of cold seep carbonates in the Taiwan area. In addition， it explores the fluid seepage activities and the depositional environment recorded by the cold seep carbonates， taking account of the geological and geochemical features of cold seep carbonates from other regions globally. Conclusions and Prospects The predominantly blocky and chimney-like forms of the cold seep carbonates in the Taiwan area indicate two types of seepage activity： the blocky forms indicate prolonged periods of low-flux diffuse seepage； the chimney-like forms represent shorter periods of high-flux convective seepage. The primary carbonate minerals are dolomite and calcite， with a significant presence of framboidal pyrites. The size of the pyrite grains may be related to the redox conditions during deposition. The carbon isotope composition of cold seep carbonates indicates that the primary sources of carbon were biogenic and thermogenic methane， with additional influence of seawater or residual CO₂ from methanogenesis. Notably， Pliocene cold seep carbonates exhibit the widest range in carbon isotope values， suggesting a greater diversity of carbon sources， potentially due to the complex geological structures in Taiwan area at that time. Furthermore， the δ¹⁸O values of cold seep carbonates from the Miocene to the Pleistocene in the Taiwan area exhibit an increasingly positive trend， suggesting that these carbonates might have undergone a transition from gas hydrate formation to dissociation and release. The geochemical characteristics of the REE indicate a predominantly reducing depositional environment. The cold seep macrofossils are dominated by bivalves， representing few biological species in the Miocene and Pliocene but a greater range in the Pleistocene， possibly as a result of different water depths. For greater in-depth understanding of the ancient cold seep systems in the Taiwan area， future research on cold seep carbonates could focus on in situ micro-scale analysis of carbon and oxygen isotopes， and molybdenum element and isotope， in the carbonate minerals， as well as the spatial differences in the growth of macrofauna of different genera of the Lucinidae family， in conjunction with geochemical analysis.