Abstract: In order to study the strain rate sensitivity of laminate composites with brick-and-mortar microstructure, the mechanical properties of nacre were tested by nanoindentation test system. Continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) technique was adopted to obtain hardness and elastic modulus values under different strain rates. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the microstructure of nacre in different directions. The effects of indentation depths and strain rates on the mechanical properties of nacre both in the surface and the cross-section were investigated. Results show that, under the same loading condition, elastic modulus in the surface is lower than that in the cross-section, but hardness is higher, and under constant strain rate, elastic modulus and hardness of nacre are increased with the increase of indentation, and when indentation reaches 750 nm, the elastic modulus stays unchanged with indentation increasing, while when indentation is a constant, the hardness, elastic modulus and elastic recovery increase with the increase of strain rate.