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

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 (sigma REE) in the different oceans ranged as follows: Eastern Pacific, 56.88-500.02 mu g/g; Western Pacific, 290.68-439.94 mu g/g; NorthernAtlantic, 55.33-154.90 mu g/g; Southern Atlantic, 40.83-69.30 mu g/g; and Southwestern Indian Ocean, 20.24-64.76 mu g/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. delta Eu and delta Ce 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, sigma REE 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, sigma REE presented no obvious correlation and a weakly negative correlation with Co, Cu, Zn, Mn, Mo and Fe, respectively. sigma REE in the Southwestern Indian Ocean sediments positively correlated with Cu, Zn, Mn, Mo, Fe, and had a weakly negative correlation with Co.