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In the Late Mesozoic, the Eastern North China Craton changed from being controlled by the Palaeo‐Asian tectonic domain to the marginal Pacific tectonic domain. The Eastern North China Craton transformed the E–W compression to NNE–SSW extensional tectonics under the influence of two tectonic domain transformations. However, the timing of the transformation of the tectonic domains remains controversial. The North Yellow Sea Basin is located in an important position in the Eastern North China Craton at the junction of the Pacific and Eurasian plates and is controlled by two tectonic domains. Therefore, the sediments in the basin are faithful records of the transformation of the two tectonic domains. Based on the latest and high‐precision detrital zircon U–Pb dating data, sandstone modal analysis, and elemental geochemical analysis in the North Yellow Sea Basin combined with regional tectonic, palaeontological, and palaeoclimatic evidence, this paper discusses the provenance from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, which responds to the Late Mesozoic tectonic domain transformation in the Eastern North China Craton, and provides important evidence of provenance in the North Yellow Sea Basin to determine the time of tectonic domain transformation. These results suggest that the source rocks of sediments in the North Yellow Sea Basin have changed from ancient sediments (ancient craton/recycle orogenic belt) in the Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic, to felsic igneous rocks in the Early Cretaceous. The peak of zircon U–Pb ages changed from 234, 1,842, and 2,429 Ma in the Late Jurassic to 217 and 1,871 Ma in the Early Cretaceous. The provenance changed from the Sulu Orogenic Belt and Precambrian basement of the Jiaodong Peninsula in the Late Jurassic, to the igneous rocks and Precambrian basement of the Liaodong Peninsula and Korean Peninsula in the Early Cretaceous. The provenance direction of the sediments changed from south‐west in the Late Jurassic to the north and south‐east in the Early Cretaceous. The tectonic setting of the basin changed from compression to extension. The changes in the peaks of zircon U–Pb age, characteristics of the source rocks, provenance direction, and basin tectonic setting in the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous in the North Yellow Sea Basin are a response to the change from E–W compression to NNE–SSW extensional tectonics caused by the transformation of two tectonic domains. In the Early Cretaceous, the Eastern North China Craton completed the transformation of two tectonic domains that were influenced and controlled by the marginal Pacific tectonic domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sedimentary provenances in the North Yellow Sea Basin changed in the Middle Jurassic – Early Cretaceous. • The change of sedimentary provenance was associated with the transition from compressive to extensional tectonic setting. • The transformation of tectonic regime was completed in the Early Cretaceous. During the Mesozoic, the Eastern North China Craton experienced a transformation from the compressive to extensional tectonic setting. The Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the North Yellow Sea Basin in the Eastern North China Craton may contain information about possible changes of sources of sediments. Based on the detrital zircon U-Pb ages of sedimentary rocks and the statistics of detritus of clastic rocks, this paper deal with the provenances of these rocks from the Middle Jurassic-Early Cretaceous in the North Yellow Sea Basin. The Middle Jurassic detritus of clastic rocks were from the basement of the basin and the Sulu Orogenic Belt in the Jiaodong Peninsula. In the Late Jurassic, the detrital particles from the Jiaobei Uplift and Sulu Orogenic Belt increased, and the detritus of clastic rocks from the Liaodong Peninsula also flowed into the basin. In the Early Cretaceous, the detritus of clastic rocks from the Jiaodong Peninsula decreased, while detritus of clastic rocks from the Liaodong Peninsula dominated. The provenances of the Middle-Upper Jurassic sedimentary rocks in the basin were controlled by multiple directions, while the provenance of the Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rocks changed from multiple directions to single direction. Obviously, with the passage of time (from Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous), the spatial transformation of the provenances in the North Yellow Sea Basin was a response to the transformation of regional tectonic setting. In the Early Cretaceous, the Eastern North China Craton completed transformation from the Paleo-Asian tectonic domain to the marginal Pacific tectonic domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]