Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Major and trace element geochemistry of bulk composition of recent sediments from upper and middle Amur River (Eastern Siberia, Russia): description of sorting and transporting processes of river sediments

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Amur River is one of the largest rivers in Asia and the world. The initial data on major, trace geochemistry of the bulk composition of recent sediments from upper, and middle Amur River suggests that concentrations of most major and trace elements in the Amur sediments correspond to the upper continental crust. However, there are significant differences in the bulk composition of recent sediments in different river parts, e.g. ƩREE, (La/Yb)n, Eu/Eu*. Besides, from “Upper Amur” down the river to “Amur–Zeya valley” the values of indices CIA, CIW, PIA, V increase, whereas STI and R values decrease. Farther down the river to “Khingan canyon” the opposing process occurs. That may be explained by the changes of river reaches, namely from mountain to valley and contrariwise. The statistical analysis results show a significant positive correlation of ƩREE with indices PIA, CIA, CIW, and a significant negative correlation with STI and R indices. Eu/Eu* values have a positive correlation with WIP. The correlations may be explained by the peculiarities of sorting and transporting river sediments, not chemical weathering.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bluth GJ, Kump LR (1994) Lithologic and climatologic controls of river chemistry. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 58(10):2341–2359

    Google Scholar 

  • Borges J, Huh Y, Moon S, Noh H (2008) Provenance and weathering control on river bed sediments of the eastern Tibetan Plateau and the Russian Far East. Chem Geol 254:52–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaudhuri S, Cullers RL (1979) The distribution of rare-earth elements in deeply buried Gulf Coast sediments. Chem Geol 24(3–4):327–338

    Google Scholar 

  • Chetelat B, Liu C-Q, Wang Q, Zhang G (2013) Assessing the influence of lithology on weathering indices of Changjiang river sediments. Chem Geol 359:108–115

    Google Scholar 

  • De Jayawurdena US, Izawa E (1994) A new chemical index of weathering for metamorphic silicate rocks in tropical regions: a study from Sri Lanka. Eng Geol 36:303–310

    Google Scholar 

  • Derakhshan-Babaei F, Nosrati K, Tikhomirov D, Christl M, Sadough H, Egli M (2020) Relating the spatial variability of chemical weathering and erosion to geological and topographical zones. Geomorphology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas GB, Hart BT, Beckett R, Gray CM, Oliver RL (1999) Geochemistry of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the Murray-Darling River System: a conceptual isotopic/geochemical model for the fractionation of major, trace and rare earth elements. Aquat Geochem 5:167–194

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupré B, Gaillardet J, Rousseau D, Allègre CJ (1996) Major and trace elements of river-borne material: the Congo Basin. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 6(8):1301–1321

    Google Scholar 

  • Elderfield H, Upstill-Goddard R, Sholkovitz ER (1990) The rare earth elements in rivers, estuaries, and coastal seas and their significance to the composition of ocean waters. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54(4):971–991

    Google Scholar 

  • Fedo CM, Nesbitt HW, Young GM (1995) Unraveling the effects of potassium metasomatism in sedimentary rocks and paleosols, with implications for paleoweathering conditions and provenance. Geology 23:921–924

    Google Scholar 

  • Feng R, Kerrich R (1990) Geochemistry of fine-grained clastic sediments in the Archean Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada: implications for provenance and tectonic setting. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54:1061–1081

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaillardet J, Dupre B, Allegre CJ, Négrel P (1997) Chemical and physical denudation in the Amazon River Basin. Chem Geol 142(3–4):141–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaillardet J, Dupré B, Allègre CJ (1999a) Geochemistry of large river suspended sediments: silicate weathering or recycling tracer? Geochim Cosmochim Acta 63(23–24):4037–4051

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaillardet J, Dupré B, Louvat P, Allegre CJ (1999b) Global silicate weathering and CO2 consumption rates deduced from the chemistry of large rivers. Chem Geol 159(1–4):3–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrels RM, Mackenzie FT (1971) Gregor’s denudation of the continents. Nature 231(5302):382–383

    Google Scholar 

  • Garzanti E, Andó S, France-Lanord C, Censi P, Vignola P, Galy V, Lupker M (2011) Minerlogical and chemical variability of fluvial sediments 2. Suspended-load silt (Ganga–Brahmaputra, Bangladesh). Earth Planet Sci Lett 302(1):107–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Gislason SR, Oelkers EH, Eiriksdottir ES, Kardjilov MI, Gisladottir G, Sigfusson B, Snorrason A, Elefsen S, Hardardottir J, Torssander P, Oskarsson N (2009) Direct evidence of the feedback between climate and weathering. Earth Planet Sci Lett 277(1–2):213–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein SJ, Jacobsen SB (1988) Rare earth elements in river waters. Earth Planet Sci Lett 89(1):35–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Harnois L (1988) The CIW index: a new chemical index of weathering. Sed Geol 55(3–4):319–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Haskin L, Haskin MA, Frey FA (1968) Relative and absolute terrestrial abundances of the rare earths. In: Ahrens LH (ed) Origin and distribution of the elements. Pergamon, Oxford, pp 889–912

    Google Scholar 

  • Herron MM (1988) Geochemical classification of terrigenous sands and shales from core or log data. J Sediment Petrol 58(5):820–829

    Google Scholar 

  • Holm S (1979) A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scand J Stat 6(2):65–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruskal WH, Wallis WA (1952) Use of ranks in one-criterion variance analysis. J Am Stat Assoc 47(260):583–621

    Google Scholar 

  • Kump LR, Brantley SL, Arthur MA (2000) Chemical weathering, atmospheric CO2, and climate. Annu Rev Earth Planet Sci 28(1):611–667

    Google Scholar 

  • Li C, Yang S (2010) Is chemical index alteration (CIA) a reliable proxy for chemical weathering in global drainage basins? Am J Sci 310:111–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Colin C, Huang W, Le KP, Tong S, Chen Z, Trentesaux A (2007) Climatic and tectonic controls on weathering in South China and the Indochina Peninsula: clay mineralogical and geochemical investigations from the Pearl, Red, and Mekong drainage basins. Geochem Geophys Geosyst. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GC001490.Q05005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Wang H, Hantoro SW, Sathiamurthy E, Colin C, Zhao Y, Li J (2012) Climatic and tectonic controls on chemical weathering in tropical Southeast Asia (Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra). Chem Geol 291:1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Louvat P, Allègre CJ (1997) Present denudation rates on the island of Reunion determined by river geochemistry: basalt weathering and mass budget between chemical and mechanical erosions. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 61(17):3645–3669

    Google Scholar 

  • Maher K, Chamberlain CP (2014) Hydrologic regulation of chemical weathering and the geologic carbon cycle. Science 343(6178):1502–1504

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonough WF, Sun SS (1995) The composition of the Earth. Chem Geol 120(3–4):223–253

    Google Scholar 

  • McLennan SM (1989) Rare earth elements in sedimentary rocks: influence of provenance and sedimentary process. Rev Mineral 21:169–200

    Google Scholar 

  • McLennan SM (1993) Weathering and global denudation. J Geol 101:295–303

    Google Scholar 

  • McLennan SM (2001) Relationships between the trace element composition of sedimentary rocks and upper continental crust. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 2(4):2000GC00109. https://doi.org/10.1029/2000GC000109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLennan SM, Hemming SR, Taylor SR, Eriksson KA (1995) Early Proterozoic crustal evolution: geochemical and Nd–Pb isotopic evidence from metasedimentary rocks, southern North America. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 59:1153–1177

    Google Scholar 

  • Muranov AP (eds) (1966) Resources of surface waters of the USSR. The Far East. Issue. 1: Upper and Middle Amur. L.: Gidrometeoizdat

  • Nessbit HW, Young GM (1982) Early Proterozoic climates and plate motion inferred from major element chemistry of lutites. Nature 299:715–717

    Google Scholar 

  • Nessbit HW, Young GM, McLennan SM, Keays RR (1996) Effects of chemical weathering and sorting on the petrogenesis of siliciclastic sediments, with implications for provenance studies. J Geol 104(5):525–542

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker A (1970) An index of weathering for silicate rocks. Geol Mag 107:501–504

    Google Scholar 

  • Petruk NN, Kozlov SA (2009) State Geological Map of the Russian Federation on a Scale 1 : 1000000. Sheet N-51 (Skovorodino). 3rd Generation. Far East Series (VSEGEI, St. Petersburg) (in Russian)

  • Petruk NN, Volkova YR (2012) State geological map of the Russian Federation. Scale 1:1000000. N-51 (Skovorodino) S-Petersburg: VSEGEI (in Russian)

  • Pettijohn FJ, Potter PE, Siever R (1987) Sand and sandstone, 2nd edn. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Price JP, Velbel MA (2003) Chemical weathering indices applied to weathering profiles developed on heterogeneous felsic metamorphic parent rocks. Chem Geol 202:97–416

    Google Scholar 

  • Roaldset E (1972) Mineralogy geochemistry of quaternary clays in the Numedal Area, southern Norway. Norsk Grolisk Tidsskrift 52:335–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Roddaz M, Viers J, Brusset S, Bady P, Boucayrand C, Hérail G (2006) Controls on weathering and provenance in the Amazonian foreland basin, insights from major and trace element geochemistry of Neogene Amazonian sediments. Chem Geol 226:31–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruxton BP (1968) Measures of the degree of chemical weathering of rock. J Geol 76:518–527

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer EW (1986) The influence of source rock type, chemical weathering and sorting on the geochemistry of clastic sediments from the Quetico metasedimentary belt, on the Superior Province, Canada. Chem Geol 55(1):77–95

    Google Scholar 

  • Shao J, Yang S, Li C (2012) Chemical indices (CIA and WIP) as proxies for integrated chemical weathering in China: inferences from analysis of fluvial sediments. Sediment Geol 265–266:110–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro SS, Francia RS (1972) An approximate analysis of variance test for normality. J Am Stat Assoc 337:215–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Sholkovitz ER (1988) Rare earth elements in the sediments of the North Atlantic Ocean, Amazon Delta, and East China Sea: reinterpretation of terrigenous input patterns to the ocean. Am J Sci 288:236–281

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh P, Rajamani V (2001) REE geochemistry of recent clastic sediments from the Kaveri floodplains, Southern India: implication to source area weathering and sedimentary processes. Geochem Cosmochim Acta 65:3093–3108

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorokin AP (2013) Young platforms of the Eastern Margin of Eurasia (deep structure, formational conditions and metallogeny). Dal’nauka, Vladivostok

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorokina OA (2020) Chemical composition of the Zeya River sediments in weathering trend of river sediments of Asia. Environ Earth Sci 79:49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8686-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Su N, Yahg S, Gao Y, Yue W, Wang X, Yin P, Huang X (2017) Revisit of rare element fractionation during chemical weathering and river sediment transport. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 18:935–955

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor SR, McLennan SM (1985) The continental crust: its composition and evolution. Blackwell, Malden

    Google Scholar 

  • Torres MA, West AJ, Clark KE (2015) Geomorphic regime modulates hydrologic control of chemical weathering in the Andes-Amazon. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 166:105–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Tosiani T, Loubet M, Viers J, Valladon M, Tapia J, Marrero S, Yanes C, Ramirez A, Dupre B (2004) Major and trace elements in river-borne materials from the Cuyuni basin (southern Venezuela): evidence for organo-colloidal control on the dissolved load and element redistribution between the suspended and dissolved load. Chem Geol 211(3–4):305–334

    Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi JK, Ghazanfari P, Rajamani V, Tandon SK (2007) Geochemistry of sediments of the Ganges alluvial plains: evidence of large-scale sediment recycling. Quat Int 159:119–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Viers J, Dupre B, Braun J-J, Deberdt S, Angeletti B, Ngoupayou JN, Michard A (2000) Major and trace element abundances, and strontium isotopes in the Nyong basin rivers (Cameroon): constraints on chemical weathering processes and elements transport mechanisms in humid tropical environments. Chem Geol 169:211–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Viers J, Dupré B, Gaillardet J (2009) Chemical composition of suspended sediments in World Rivers: new insights from a new database. Sci Total Environ 407:853–868

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogt T (1927) Sulitjemafeltets geologi og petrografi. Norg Geol Unders 121:1–560

    Google Scholar 

  • West AJ, Galy A, Bickle M (2005) Tectonic and climatic controls on silicate weathering. Earth Planet Sci Lett 235(1–2):211–228

    Google Scholar 

  • Winnick MJ, Maher K (2018) Relationships between CO2, thermodynamic limits on silicate weathering, and the strength of the silicate weathering feedback. Earth Planet Sci Lett 485:111–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang SY, Jung HS, Li CX (2004) Two unique weathering regimes in the Changjiang and Huanghe drainage basins: geochemical evidence from river sediments. Sediment Geol 164:19–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu KK, Xu H, Lan JH, Sheng EG, Liu B, Wu HX (2017) Climate change and soil erosion in a small alpine lake basin on the Loess Plateau, China. Earth Surf Proc Land 42:1238–1247. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4071

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zarubina OV, Kuznetsova AI, Sklyarova OA (2002) Control of correct determination of trace elements in soils and bottom grounds using different analytical techniques. Analitika Kontrol 6(5):579–583

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project no. 18-05-00151.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology and Nature Management, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Blagoveshchensk, Russia

    Olga A. Sorokina

Authors
  1. Olga A. Sorokina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olga A. Sorokina.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (XLSX 18 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sorokina, O.A. Major and trace element geochemistry of bulk composition of recent sediments from upper and middle Amur River (Eastern Siberia, Russia): description of sorting and transporting processes of river sediments. Environ Earth Sci 80, 253 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09526-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09526-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation