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To elucidate the properties of pedogenic Cr and Ni in serpentine soils in terms of mobilization, three pedons on the shoulder (Entisol), backslope (Inceptisol), and footslope (Alfisol) along a toposequence in eastern Taiwan were examined for metal partitioning and their geochemical origins. The analysis combined bulk soil analysis by selective sequential extraction (SSE) with mineralogical methods, including x‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) analyses. Experimental results showed that Cr and Ni were mainly concentrated in chromites and silicates, respectively, and were gradually exposed by weathering of the parent materials. The SEM/EDX analysis indicated that chemical modification of the chromites was more prevalent near the soil surface and that the chemical modification increased as available Cr content increased from the shoulder …