The podiform chromite deposit constitutes the main source of metallurgical-grade chromite in industry, but its genesis remains one of the problems for which geologists all over the world show great concern. This paper outlined the status and latest progress in the study of podiform chromite deposits. The latest studies show that podiform deposits mainly occur in a certain layer of the mantle peridotite, which has been the lowest part of ophiolite (CMB, crust-mantle boundary) since Phanerozoic. The podiform chromite deposit-bearing mantle peridotites in the world usually exhibit vertical zoning of melting, with more basic material in the upper part and more acid material in the lower part. With the increasing of partial melting from the bottom upward, there appears lherzolite, harzburgite and dunite in turn. Alpine-type podiform chromite deposits generally have a fairly thick dunitic "envelop". After the mineralization of the podiform chromite deposit, the gravity of itself caused the sinking and dragging of some of the dunite around the ore body downward into the harzburegite facies side under the contact interface with the upside dunite facies, thus forming the typical dunitic "envelop" of the Alpine-type chromite deposit. The authors have thus reached the conclusion that the harzburgite facies under the contact interface is the best target area in search for large chromite deposits. Podiform deposits have a very close genetic relationship with harzburgite and dunite; however, it is really rare to find chromite deposits in lherzolite. The abundance of chromium in primitive mantle is much higher than that in the crust, the chromium element of chromitite was derived from primitive mantle itself, mainly coming from the alteration of associated spinel and the incongruent melting of the two pyroxene (chromium diopside and enstatite). With the increase of partial melting, the mantle peridotite gradually evolved in the magnesium-rich direction, and the mineralization of spinel evolved in the magnesium-rich and chromium-rich direction. With the evolution from lherzolite to harzburgite and dunite, the Mg^# values increased significantly. With the decrease of the fusible components of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, CaO in rocks, the refractory components of MgO, NiO, Cr₂O₃ content increased relatively. Meanwhile, with the increase of partial melting, the silicate minerals in mantle peridotite gradually evolved in the magnesium-rich direction, while the mineralization of spinel evolved in the magnesium-rich and chromium-rich direction. The discovery of such ultra-pressure minerals as diamonds, SiC and many other "abnormal mineral groups" in mantle peridotite and podiform Cr-deposits suggests that mantle peridotite was mainly derived from deep mantle (transition zone, or even lower mantle). As Cr has a very priority in occupying the octahedral site in the deep mantle, the authors infer that the primitive Cr-rich minerals in the mantle might have been the Cr-rich octahedral silicate minerals which were not conducive to the formation of Cr-spinel, but Cr was easily released from Cr-bearing minerals to from Cr-spinel which became abundant in the shallow upper mantle environment. The ore bodies of the podiform deposits are very complex in form, with most of them mainly having lenticular and tabular forms, and the host rocks extensively developed cleavages always parallel to the long axis of the ore body, suggesting that podiform Cr-deposits were enriched by the mantle plastic deformation under the plastic condition. The mineralization of podiform chromite deposits is characterized by multi-stage, polygenesis and a variety of tectonic settings. Based on a study of the correlation between Cr^# and Mg^# of Cr-spinel and petromineralogy, the authors hold that the formation of the Cr-deposits underwent the process of preconcentration at the early expansion stage of MOR and the subsequent transformation to the subduction setting, and the expansion of the fore-arc basin above the subduction zone (SSZ) in the intra-oceanic island arc was the most favorable structural environment for the formation of metallurgical-grade chromite ore. Podiform chromite deposits, dunite and boninite are products of the highest melting degree of depleted mantle peridotite. Obviously, boninite could not provide the chromium element for chromite deposits; nevertheless, the more boninitic magma existed outside the mantle peridotite, the more Cr-rich chromite deposits could be formed. Therefore, the size of the mantle peridotite, the degree of partial melting and the existence or nonexistence of boninite can serve as a recognition indicator as to whether the mantle peridotite has the potential of podiform chromite mineralization. As we all know, boninite, which has a very close genetic relation with podiform chromite deposit, is one of the typical rocks that always occur in the forearc basin, so we can reach the conclusion that the podiform chromite deposit is also a typical product in the forarc basin.