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Distribution pattern and geochemical analysis of rare earth elements in deep-ocean sediments

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Abstract

The content and distribution pattern of rare earth elements (REEs) in surface sediments from the Eastern and Western Pacific Ocean, the Northern and Southern Atlantic Ocean, and the Southwestern Indian Ocean were explored and the resources and geochemical characteristics of REEs in deep-ocean sediments from different oceans were studied. The total REE abundances (ΣREE) in the different oceans ranged as follows: Eastern Pacific, 56.88–500.02 µg/g; Western Pacific, 290.68–439.94 µg/g; NorthernAtlantic, 55.33–154.90 µg/g; Southern Atlantic, 40.83–69.30 µg/g; and Southwestern Indian Ocean, 20.24–64.76 µg/g. Their corresponding LREE (La-Eu)/HREE (Gd-Lu) average values were 5.18, 5.86, 9.01, 5.21, and 4.59, which indicated that the light REEs were all evidently enriched. δEu and δCe showed slight Eu-negative anomalies and significant Ce-positive anomalies in all sediments. Although the contents of REEs in the sediments varied among the different oceans, the distribution patterns of REEs were similar, and the correlation coefficient was greater than 0.929 0. In the Eastern Pacific sediments, ΣREE showed a significantly positive correlation with Co, Cu, Zn, Mn, Mo and a weak correlation with Fe. In the Western Pacific and Southern Atlantic sediments, ΣREE presented no obvious correlation and a weakly negative correlation with Co, Cu, Zn, Mn, Mo and Fe, respectively. ΣREE in the Southwestern Indian Ocean sediments positively correlated with Cu, Zn, Mn, Mo, Fe, and had a weakly negative correlation with Co.

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Acknowledgment

We would like to thank the Project for Overseas Innovative Talents of the Taishan Scholars, China. We were also very grateful for the great support of the oceanic voyage.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-environmental Science and Technology, Marine Bioresource and Environment Research Center, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Jingxi Li, Chengjun Sun, Fenghua Jiang, Fenglei Gao & Yifan Zheng

  2. Laboratory of Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Chengjun Sun

Authors
  1. Jingxi Li
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  2. Chengjun Sun
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  3. Fenghua Jiang
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  4. Fenglei Gao
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  5. Yifan Zheng
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Correspondence to Chengjun Sun.

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Data Availability Statement

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Supported by the Basic Scientific Fund for National Public Research Institutes of China (No. 2020Q10) and the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (Nos. DY135-E2-1-07, DY135-E2-4)

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Li, J., Sun, C., Jiang, F. et al. Distribution pattern and geochemical analysis of rare earth elements in deep-ocean sediments. J. Ocean. Limnol. 39, 79–88 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-020-9249-8

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