Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Sedimentary Flux Of Dissolved Rare Earth Elements To The Ocean, April Abbott, Brian Haley, James Mcmanus, Clare Reimers

James McManus

We determined pore fluid rare earth element (REE) concentrations in near-surface sediments retrieved from the continental margin off Oregon and California (USA). These sites represent shelf-to-slope settings, which lie above, within, and below the oxygen minimum zone of the Northeast Pacific. The sediments are characterized by varying degrees of net iron reduction, with pore fluids from the shelf sites being generally ferruginous, and the slope sediments having less-pronounced iron reduction zones that originate deeper in the sediment package. REE concentrations show maxima in shallow (upper 2–10 cm) subsurface pore fluids across all sites with concentrations that rise more than two …