Abstract
The rare earth elements (REEs) are an important tool for understanding biogeochemical cycling and sedimentary processes in the global ocean. However, ambiguities in the marine REE budgets, including questions around the dominant source of REEs to the ocean, hinder the application of this tool. A bottom-up model for REE release into the ocean has recently been proposed, driven by early diagenetic processes such as sediment dissolution, with potentially significant implications for the interpretation of marine REE and Nd isotope paleo-records. Here, our goal is to identify the phase or phases that interact with the pore waters to drive such a benthic flux. We use new pore water REE, microbeam imaging and mineralogical data in combination with published pore water REE data to evaluate potential sedimentary REE host phases. Mineralogical and direct imaging observations suggest that authigenic Fe or Mn oxyhydroxides, which are widely considered a dominant REE host phase, are not sufficiently abundant sediment components to account for the high Nd concentrations recovered in reductive leaches, and are unlikely to be the primary source of pore water REEs. Pore water REE signatures similar to river sourced clays indicate a detrital clay dissolution source, while the spread in heavy to light REE enrichment in pore waters and bottom waters relative to this clay source is best explained by fractionation during authigenic clay uptake of REEs. We therefore conclude that clay mineral dissolution and authigenesis are likely the primary influences on the REE cycling near the seafloor. We propose that the balance between dissolution and authigenesis controls the concentration, ratio of heavy and light REE abundances, and the isotopic composition of the pore waters. We discuss the implications of this hypothesis on an oceanic REE budget controlled by a benthic flux from a sedimentary REE source, and the use of authigenic neodymium isotopes as a paleoproxy for shifts in ocean circulation.
Introduction
The rare earth elements (REEs) are widely used in paleoceanographic studies. Also known as the lanthanides, the REEs are a series of 14 elements with largely coherent chemical properties () used for applications ranging from reconstructing circulation and oxygen content to examining the influence of diagenesis. These applications rely on examining fractionation within the REEs or the behavior of individual REEs. The fractionation of REEs is visualized through normalization to a reference such as shale or chondrite and can reveal information on oceanic and sedimentary processes (e.g., ; Sholkovitz et al., 1994; ; ; ; ; ; ; Skinner et al., 2019). For example, an increased stability of heavy rare earths (HREEs) in aqueous complexes results in the HREEs complexing more readily and remaining in solution (e.g., ; Turner et al., 1981; Wood, 1990; ) whereas the light rare earths (LREEs) will more readily adsorb on particle surfaces (e.g., ; Sholkovitz et al., 1994). Neodymium (Nd) is one REE that is commonly used individually as the Nd isotopic composition of seawater is considered a useful tracer of water mass circulation (e.g., von Blanckenburg, 1999). The isotopic signature (εNd) of ferromanganese coatings, fossil fish teeth, and foraminifera recovered from the marine sedimentary record is a widely used tool for reconstructing past ocean circulation. Changes in global ocean circulation are inferred from the changes in the εNd of these authigenic records under the assumption that εNd is quasi-conservative in the global oceans (e.g., Vance and Burton, 1999; ; ; ; ; ).
The usefulness of REEs to our understanding of the ocean is hampered by ambiguities in the modern cycling and oceanic budget of these REEs. Despite extensive progress in field and laboratory research on the utility of REE proxies (e.g., ; ; ; Singh et al., 2012; ; ; ; Skinner et al., 2019) and REE cycling in the ocean (e.g., ; ; ; ; ; Zhang and Nozaki, 1996; ; ; , ; ; Zhang et al., 2008; ; ; ; Rousseau et al., 2015; ; ), the processes governing the modern budget remain surprisingly poorly constrained. The riverine dissolved flux was long considered the primary source of neodymium to the ocean (e.g., ; Sholkovitz et al., 1999; ) but oceanic budgets that consider dissolved riverine and dust Nd sources still cannot balance the oceanic budget for either Nd concentrations or Nd isotopes (e.g., ; Tachikawa et al., 2003). Recent estimates suggest that upward of 90% of oceanic neodymium inputs are “missing from the budget” (Tachikawa et al., 2003; ; ) with sediment dissolution, submarine groundwater discharge, dust, hydrothermal input, fluid-particle interaction, and reversible scavenging among the potential sources investigated to date (e.g., ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Rickli et al., 2014; Rousseau et al., 2015; Stichel et al., 2015; ; ; Stewart et al., 2016; van de Flierdt et al., 2016; Zheng et al., 2016). Similar gaps are predicted for the budgets of the other lanthanides. Since the particulate flux dominates fluvial REE transport to the ocean, dissolution of less than 3% of the particulate input could represent the largest oceanic REE source term (), consistent with recent estimates that a benthic flux may account for near 90% of oceanic REE budget (; ). Furthermore, the apparent decoupling between the non-conservative behavior of Nd concentrations and the quasi-conservative behavior of Nd isotopes, coined the “neodymium paradox” (e.g., ; ; ) raises questions around the validity of εNd as a quasi-conservative tracer of ocean circulation.
The uncertainties surrounding oceanic REE cycling are at least in part due to gaps in our understanding of the sedimentary host phase or phases acting as either REE sources or REE sinks. The relevance of these host phases to both the oceanic REE budget and the application of REE paleoproxies centers around (i) whether and under what conditions each potential phase acts as a sink of REE from the fluid phase (e.g., scavenging), a source of REE to the fluid phase (e.g., dissolution, remineralization), or exchanges with the fluid phase and (ii) over what time scale these solid-fluid interactions are occurring. A particulate phase acting as a sink when in contact with seawater will provide the best record of changes in ocean conditions through time. However, a phase that continues to act as a sink during burial will have any original seawater signature diagenetically overprinted as has already been proposed for biogenic phosphates and foraminifera (; Toyoda and Tokonami, 1990; Takahashi et al., 2015; Trotter et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2016; Skinner et al., 2019).
A wide range of sediment components have been identified as potentially important REE host phases. These could either contribute REEs to the dissolved phase and drive a benthic source of REEs to the ocean or act as a sink of REEs from the fluid phase and thus potentially record environmental conditions. However, to date little robust, direct evidence of the role of these phases has been found. Potential host phases include Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides (e.g., Sholkovitz et al., 1994; ; ; Ren et al., 2015; Takahashi et al., 2015), cerium oxides (e.g., ), phosphates (e.g., ; Takahashi et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2016), biogenic silicates (e.g., ), organic matter (e.g., ; ; Schacht et al., 2010; ; ), volcanic ash (e.g., Vance et al., 2004; ; Wilson et al., 2013), and clays (e.g., ; ; Zhang et al., 2016). These sediment components may not contribute equally to REE cycling, and their contributions will vary in space and time as the amount of REEs remobilized from each phase is likely a function of mineralogy, mineral chemistry, reactivity, surface area, and other factors such as local pore water chemistry and redox state (e.g., ; Wilson et al., 2012). The distinct conditions of formation, alteration or dissolution of each potential host phase makes the identification of this phase important to paleo-interpretations. Currently, Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides are widely considered a sink for seawater REEs found ubiquitously throughout the global ocean and thus an important reactive pool of REEs in the sediments (e.g., ), but clays are likely a larger total reservoir in the sediments (e.g., ) and the overall impact of silicate dissolution is potentially dominant (e.g., ). Uncertainty as to the major REE host phases can be attributed to limitations in the operationally defined techniques used to quantify their abundance and REE signature. The standard protocols used to target the Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide phases, for instance, use prescribed leaching procedures and are often assumed successful based on chemical characterization of the recovered leachate (e.g., Fe/Al and Nd/Fe ratios), while lacking direct observation of the targeted phase. The limitations of this purely geochemical approach is illustrated in recent work which showed that the “oxide coating” in foraminifera consists of Fe, Mn, and REEs absorbed directly from the surrounding pore fluids rather than a discrete oxyhydroxide phase (Skinner et al., 2019).
Here, we combine geochemical, mineralogical, and sedimentological data from sites in the North Pacific and Tasman Sea to identify the sedimentary phase or phases that control benthic cycling of REEs. We use standard mineralogical techniques (i.e., X-ray diffraction) coupled to novel microbeam imaging and mineral mapping for direct, unambiguous identification of potential REE host phases in marine sediments, allowing us to examine the relative abundance of these phases and determine their likely origin. We employ REE fingerprinting to identify the processes influencing the REEs in marine sediments and in the ocean via a pore water controlled benthic flux and examine the implications on the oceanic budget of REEs as well as the use of REEs as proxies in paleoceanographic studies. We argue that a significant role of surface sediments in the REE cycle is consistent with observations that corals, Fe-Mn nodules, and co-located sediment phases have the same εNd as bottom waters, with sediment diagenesis providing the Nd to bottom waters as well as the nodules and corals (e.g., ; ; Roberts and Piotrowski, 2015).
Materials and Methods
Sites and Sample Collection
We focus on sediment cores collected from three sites in the eastern North Pacific (2012–2013, R/V Oceanus) and three sites in the western Tasman Sea (2016, R/V Investigator) at water depths of approximately 200, 1500, and 3000 m (Figure 1 and Table 1). For simplicity, we will refer to the 3 North Pacific sites as NP200, NP1500, and NP3000 and the Tasman Sea sites as TS200, TS1500, and TS3000, respectively. Exact water depths, locations, and site names from previous literature are available in Table 1. Detailed descriptions of core and pore water collection are available elsewhere (; ). Briefly, a multi-corer was deployed and cores with a visibly intact sediment-water interface were sectioned on board the ship into HCl cleaned centrifuge tubes in a glove bag filled with an inert (N2) atmosphere. After centrifugation, pore water was pulled off using an HCl cleaned syringe, filtered with a 0.45 μm syringe filter, and acidified to pH ≤ 2 with distilled HCl. Sediments were frozen and later freeze dried prior to analyses.
FIGURE 1
TABLE 1
| Site name | Latitude | Longitude | Water depth | |
| Tasman Sea sites | ||||
| TS200∗ | −34°07′ | 151°14′ | 150 m | |
| TS1500∗ | −34°29′ | 151°12′ | 1550 m | |
| TS3000∗ | −34°57′ | 153°18′ | 2660 m | |
| North Pacific sites | ||||
| NP200∗∗ | 43° 55′ | 124° 41′ | 202 m | |
| NP1500∗∗ | 43° 50′ | 124° 59′ | 1216 m | |
| NP3000∗∗ | 43° 52′ | 125° 38′ | 3060 m |
Site locations and water depths.
Sites denoted with a ∗ are from
REE Analyses
Rare earth element analyses for the North Pacific pore waters have been previously reported (
Grain Size
Grain size was measured on the Tasman Sea samples using a MasterSizer 2000 laser granulometer at Macquarie University. Samples were analyzed pre-leach (freeze-dried) and post a buffered acetic acid decarbonization step (leach procedure after
Mineralogy
Bulk mineralogy of representative samples from each site was determined by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) at Macquarie University. Freeze-dried but otherwise untreated samples were homogenized in an agate mortar and pestle, before back-loading into 25 mm internal diameter stainless steel sample holders. X-ray powder diffraction patterns spanning 5 to 90 ∘2θ were collected using a PANalytical Aeris benchtop XRD instrument (0.02∘ step size, Cu-radiation source with 40 kV generator voltage and 15 mA tube current, 1/8 inch divergence slits, and 23 mm beam mask). Diffraction patterns were interpreted using Panalytical HighscorePlus software with the ICSD database for phase identification. The detection limit for bulk XRD analyses depends on the density, Z number, and crystal structure of the compounds in the sample, but corresponds to approximately 1% by volume (
The mineralogy of the clay fraction in representative samples from each site was determined on oriented preparations of <2 μm separates. The <2 μm fraction was obtained by settling after carbonate removal using sodium acetate buffered acetic acid (for Tasman Sea sites only because North Pacific sites are low carbonate) and ultrasonic dispersal. An aliquot was pipetted onto low background Si samples holders, air-dried and measured using the same instrument (Tasman Sea samples: 2–30 ∘2θ, 0.02∘ step size, 1/8 inch slits, 23 mm beam mask, beam knife in low position) or on a PANalytical Xpert-Pro MPD System (Oregon Margin samples: 2–65 ∘2θ, 0.0167∘ step size, Cu source with 45 kV generator voltage and 40 mA tube current, automatic slits). Clay diffraction patterns were collected both on air-dried samples and after treatment with ethylene glycol, with interpretation following
Electron Microscopy and Mineral Mapping
Polished resin mounts of the freeze-dried but otherwise untreated sediments were prepared using standard methods. The samples were not homogenized prior to resin embedding in order to preserve the spatial associations present within the sediment. Resin mounts were subsequently ion polished using a Hitachi IM4000 Argon Ion Mill (30 min at 10° beam incident angle, 5 kV accelerating voltage and continuous sample rotation) to remove surface damage from mechanical polishing which can otherwise obscure phase relations and the presence of nm-scale coatings. Ion milled samples were carbon-coated prior to scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis on an FEI Teneo LoVac field emission SEM equipped with dual Bruker XFlash Series 6 energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detectors. High-resolution back-scatter electron (BSE) images and mineral maps of 1 to 3 regions of interest were collected for each sample (13 mm working distance, 15 kV accelerating voltage). BSE image tilesets (100 nm pixel resolution) and EDS spectra (1 μm step size, 8 ms acquisition time) for mineral mapping were collected sequentially using the FEI Maps Mineralogy software, followed by classification of the individual EDS spectra using the FEI Nanomin software (
Fractionation Feasibility Modeling
We expect the REE pattern of the pore water to be influenced by both the source of REEs to the pore water and any sink of the REEs from the pore water. The fine-grained nature and intermingled distribution of most authigenic clays complicates an assessment of their REE content, and therefore of their potential influence on the pore water REE signature. However, glauconite is a widely occurring authigenic clay mineral which forms easily separated, macroscopic pellets (
where Pc is the percentage of PW0 lost to glauconite (G) formation.
Results
Pore water REE concentrations are up to two orders of magnitude enriched relative to ambient seawater with pore water concentrations ranging from 25 to 790 pmol Nd L–1 and 1 to 30 pmol Lu L–1 at these sites. In general, the highest pore water REE concentrations were observed in the North Pacific (
FIGURE 2

General trends in pore water shale-normalized REE pattern by concentration. REE concentrations from North Pacific and Tasman Sea sites (Figure 1) were ranked by neodymium concentration and split into quartiles, the range is displayed for each quartile. Normalized to PAAS values of Taylor and McLennan (1985). Europium data is excluded for samples with suspected oxide formation (e.g.,
Grain size distributions were consistent down-core at each site for both pre- and post-leach measurements. Tasman Sea grain size distributions are largely bimodal pre-leach with only a single peak in post-leach (Supplementary Material). The primary grain size in pre-leached samples was coarse silt to very fine sand at both the 200 and 1500 m Tasman Sea sites, and the two dominant pre-leach grain sizes at the 3000 m site are very fine clay and medium silt. The primary grain size in post-leached samples was very fine clay at the 1500 and 3000 m sites and medium silt at the 200 m site, reflecting dissolution of coarser biogenic carbonates during the acetic acid leach. The 200 m site in the North Pacific had a similar grain size distribution to the 200 m Tasman Sea site with medium silt the dominant grain size. The 3000 m site in the North Pacific was most similar to both the 1500 m and 3000 m Tasman Sea sites with a dominant grain size of very fine clay in the post-leach samples (
At all three Tasman Sea Sites clay fraction XRD reveals a consistent clay mineral assemblage comprised of kaolinite, illite, smectite and mixed-layer illite-smectite (Figure 3). However, two distinct sediment types can be distinguished on the basis of bulk XRD (Supplementary Material) and SEM-based mineral mapping (Figure 4). The shallow TS200 site features a poorly sorted, clay to fine sand (up to 150 μm) comprised of a mixture of terrestrially derived silt to fine sand grains (quartz, feldspar (albite), kaolinite, ankerite, lithics with quartz and feldspar ± ankerite ± rutile), biogenic calcite, aragonite and high-magnesium calcite (intact and fragmented foraminifera, bivalves, echinoid spines) and opal (sponge spicules) as well as a <5 μm fraction comprised of clay minerals and coccolithophore remains (Figure 4). Samples recovered at the deeper sites TS1500 and TS3000, by contrast, are calcareous oozes containing calcite, quartz, feldspar (albite), along with muscovite/illite, kaolinite, and smectite (Figures 3, 4). SEM analysis reveals potentially wind-blown silt size quartz, feldspar and kaolinite at TS1500, with abundant silt and sand size foraminiferal tests, as well as siliceous sponge spicules (Figure 4 and Supplementary Figure 2). The <5 μm fraction is predominantly clay minerals and coccolithophore remains, with trace abundances of Fe-oxide, rutile, barite and silt-size zircon. TS3000 is very similar to TS1500, but has terrestrially derived detrital grains up to 150 μm in size.
FIGURE 3

Representative X-ray diffractograms of the air dried (black) and ethylene glycol-treated (orange) <2 μm fraction from the shallow and deep North Pacific and Tasman Sea sites. Peaks corresponding to smec., smectite; chl., chlorite; I/S, mixed-layer illite-smectite; kaol., illite and kaolinite are indicated. Bulk XRD information is provided in the Supplementary Material.
FIGURE 4

SEM images BSE (left) and mineral map (right) for panel (A) TS200 1–2 cm, (B) TS1500 1–2 cm, (C) TS3000 1–2 cm, (D) NP200 2–3 cm, (E) NP1500 0–1 cm, and (F) NP3000 0–1 cm with selected features labeled as: L, lithic grain; cal, calcite; sps, sponge spicule; ank, ankerite; FeO, iron oxide; dol, dolomite; hmc, high Mg calcite; qtz, quartz; rtl, rutile; fsp, feldspar; afp, feldspar partially weathered to kaolinite; dtm, diatom; zrc, zircon; epi, epidote; olv, olivine; il-sm, illite and smectite; apt, apatite; chl, chlorite; brt, barite. Scale bars are 40 μm for all panels.
Bulk XRD analysis identifies a mineral assemblage consisting of quartz, feldspar (primarily albite), chlorite, mica (muscovite and/or illite), pyroxenes (augite or clinopyroxene), and amphibole (magnesian hornblende) at all three North Pacific sites (Supplementary Material). In addition, the two deeper sites show evidence for a significant X-ray amorphous component, identified as opaline silica (see below). Clay fraction XRD confirms the presence of illite, chlorite and smectite at all three sites (Figure 3). Mineral mapping confirms the presence of a similar mineral assemblage across all three North Pacific sites, but with a systematically decreased grain size, increased clay mineral, and increased biogenic component with depth (Figure 4). NP200 is a poorly sorted fine sand. The silt to sand size fraction is primarily comprised of quartz, Na-feldspar, pyroxene (augite), epidote, and a Mg-silicate phase identified as Mg-olivine. Lithic grains (quartz and feldspar ± rutile, mica/illite, chlorite, and illmenite) are abundant, while glass shards of likely volcanic origin are also observed (Figure 5). Abundant chlorite occurs both as discrete silt to fine sand-sized grains and within larger lithic grains. Siliceous biogenic remains (diatom frustules and sponge spicules) are present in both the silt and clay size fractions. NP1500 has a mineral assemblage similar to NP200, but with detrital mineral grains of silt size or finer (<60 μm diameter), fewer pyroxene, epidote and olivine, and no volcanic glass. Authigenic Fe smectite and glauconite pellets up to 1500 μm are abundant at this site (Figure 5), and there is an increased contribution of clay minerals and siliceous biogenic debris relative to the shallower site. The EDS elemental maps and subsequent Nanomin mineral maps reveal a wide range of textural maturities of the glauconite and Fe-smectite pellets present, ranging from fully formed mature pellets to fragile incipient pellets. While the mature pellets would be relatively resistant to physical breakdown if transported, the presence of incipient pellets that would not survive such transport makes in-situ clay authigenesis most likely. NP3000 is a well sorted siliceous ooze dominated by diatom remains. Detrital grains (feldspar, quartz, chlorite and muscovite, no lithic grains, volcanic glass, or glauconite) are up to 20 μm diameter, with trace abundances of zircon, rutile, and apatite (Figure 4). However, the bulk of the detrital sediment component is <5 μm in size, comprising clays, minor feldspar and quartz, and trace amounts of barite and Fe oxides.
FIGURE 5

Elemental iron (green) maps overlaid on SEM BSE images of (A) an incipient glauconite grain from NP200 2–3 cm, FeSmc, iron rich smectite (B) sediment grains from TS1500 1–2 cm, (C) an immature glauconite grain from the NP1500 0–1 cm that is low in K, high in iron, (D) volcanic glass shards surrounded by clay minerals from NP200 2–3 cm, and (E,F) iron rich clay aggregations from TS3000 1–2 cm. Small detrital iron oxide grains are visible in panels (B,E,F) as indicated by yellow arrows. All scale bars are 10 μm except for panel (C) (100 μm). Selected features labeled as: MgOl, magnesium olivine; apt, apatite; qtz, quartz; scm, smectite; tnt, titanate; chl, chlorite; dtm, diatom; ccl, coccolithophore; cal, calcite; fsp, feldspar; L, lithic grain; rtl, rutile.
Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides are not evident in bulk X-ray diffraction patterns of any site studied here but can be difficult to detect when present as poorly crystalline or amorphous forms. Mineral mapping does reveal trace quantities of Fe oxides present as discrete, μm size grains which are likely of detrital origin (Figure 5) at all sites. However, EDS elemental maps show that iron is primarily hosted in the clay size fraction (all sites, Figure 5), but is also present in silt/sand size chlorite grains, their unaltered igneous precursor minerals (NP sites only – Figure 4), as well as Fe-smectite and glauconite pellets (NP1500 only – Figure 5). Mineral mapping does not identify Mn oxyhydroxides, but Mn elemental maps show patches of Mn enrichment relative to background at Site NP3000, which may represent local enrichments of nm-scale Mn oxyhydroxide intermingled with the clay mineral fraction. Positive identification of this Mn enriched material is beyond the instrumental resolution. However, while the 1 μm step size and potentially several μm3 beam interaction volume during the mineral mapping and EDS analyses does not permit the direct identification of nm-scale coatings, the high Z-number of Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides relative to siliciclastic sediment components mean that aggregates of nanoscale Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides and coatings >100 nm should be visible as bright zones in the high resolution backscatter electron images. Higher resolution (∼30 nm) field emission reveals some high Z-number material intermingled with the clay fraction, which may be Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides, but could also be barite, rutile, and apatite minerals as identified in larger grains through mineral maps. While this material is present in all samples, the amount of the material is ≪1% in all cases. This leads us to conclude that authigenic Fe or Mn grain coatings are a minor component of the sediments studied here, although we cannot rule out the presence of oxyhydroxide nanoparticles (10 s of nm) intermingled with the clay size fraction.
Discussion
Fe-Mn Oxyhydroxide Unlikely to Account for Pore Water or Leachable “Authigenic” REE Compositions
Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides in marine sediments are a commonly targeted archive for reconstructing paleocirculation because they are assumed to precipitate directly from ambient seawater, preserving a record of seawater REE composition (Rutberg et al., 2000;
Attempts to quantify the abundance of these coatings have mostly relied on indirect, operationally defined chemical extractions rather than direct crystallographic, microscopic, or microbeam identification. This is also true more broadly of our knowledge of sedimentary trace element and REE host phases, which is largely informed by operationally defined chemical extractions; procedures known to be hampered by incomplete dissolution of the target phase, redistribution of elemental species through dissolution and subsequent secondary mineral precipitation, and dissolution of non-target phases (e.g., Taylor and McKenzie, 1966; Schwertmann and Pfab, 1994;
In addition, the large proportion of REEs recoverable through the same operationally defined sediment leaching procedures discussed above suggest that the phase or phases driving REE cycling in early sediment diagenesis should be sufficiently abundant to be readily identified by XRD or microscopically. Specifically, mass balance calculations show that 55 to 70% of the bulk sediment REE content is recoverable through combined acetic acid and hydroxylamine hydrochloride sequential leaching, with up to 55% of those REEs recovered during the reductive hydroxylamine hydrochloride leach that is believed to target the oxyhydroxide phase (
where Sp is the calculated percent of sediment, R is the recovered Nd through reductive leaching (in mg Nd kg–1) and N is the measured concentration of Nd in the nodules (in mg Nd kg–1). This value ranges from 1.5 to 13% if we consider the entire spread of Fe-Mn nodule Nd concentrations reported by
This is not to say that nanoscale Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides are not present. Recent work by
The complex, but commonly observed relationship between Fe and Nd in marine pore waters and the range of observed Nd/Fe ratios (e.g.,
Mechanisms of REE Release From Clay Minerals
Chemical transfer reactions among terrestrially derived particles and seawater include adsorption/desorption, ion exchange, and dissolution/precipitation reactions (e.g.,
A disproportional contribution to this 0.001 to 3% total sediment dissolution from clay minerals is likely because mineral dissolution rates are commonly a function of surface area (e.g., Schott et al., 2009, 2012). For comparison, the specific surface areas of common clay minerals [N2 sorption Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface areas of illite and smectite are 76–91 m2g–1 and 32–97 m2g–1, respectively; Van Olphen and Fripiat, 1979] are up to two orders of magnitude greater than that of the ground mineral powders used in typical laboratory dissolution experiments (e.g.,
Pore Water REE Patterns Support a Clay Dissolution Source
If we assume that a single process, or source, dominates the benthic REE cycle then the REE pattern and concentrations of the pore water should be a function of the source of REEs and any simultaneous sink, such that:
whereas PW is the pore water, S is the host phase of REE in the sediments acting as the source and P is the loss of REEs through adsorption or authigenic mineral precipitation. In our considerations of P, we ignore the diffusive flux out of the sediments as this flux is not considered a mechanism for fractionation and thus will not change the REE pattern or isotopic signature of the pore water. Using this basic framework, we can examine the range of REE patterns observed in pore waters and authigenic phases in order to test the hypothesis that clays are the primary drivers of benthic REE cycles.
We expect the pore water REE signature to be most similar to the source phase REE signature at depths that have the highest overall pore water REE concentrations, i.e., the depth at which P is most likely to approach 0 (“source” depth of
FIGURE 6

Range of shale-normalized REE patterns of pore water source depths from the Tasman Sea (this study) and available published pore water data (
FIGURE 7

Range of shale-normalized REE patterns of pore water with the lowest REE concentrations from the Tasman Sea (this study) and available published pore water data (
Authigenic Clay Formation May Modulate Pore Water REE Signature
As noted in section “Mechanisms of REE Release From Clay Minerals,” experimental quantification of the rates and extent of dissolution of detrital sedimentary material is complicated by simultaneously occurring precipitation reactions producing a range of secondary minerals (e.g.,
FIGURE 8

Range of shale-normalized REE patterns of potential authigenic host phases including glauconite (green,
FIGURE 9

HREE/LREE versus MREE∗ of pore water and sedimentary phases including pore water (brown) and seawater (blue) from the six sites (
Several other independent lines of evidence support our inference that the HREE enrichment of the lower concentration pore waters is largely due to fractionation from clay authigenesis rather than the formation of authigenic oxyhydroxide or phosphate phases. Firstly, while not conclusive, microbeam characterization of the samples reveals only trace quantities of Fe oxyhydroxide and calcium phosphates, neither of which are of authigenic origin suggesting that these phases are not abundant enough to drive the REE composition of pore water. Secondly, findings that authigenic clays are the primary sink for Li in the ocean (e.g., Vigier et al., 2008) support the importance of authigenic clay formation in marine elemental cycling. Pore water Li concentrations decrease with depth and with decreasing REE concentration at the same North Pacific sites (
Implications for the Oceanic REE Budget
Observations of the non-conservative behavior of neodymium isotopes in the ocean have largely been concentrated around the margins (e.g.,
Significant variation in εNd between suspended and dissolved riverine loads, dissolved riverine load and local bedrock, different sized sediment grains, as well as between organic matter and detrital material (VanLaningham et al., 2008; Viers et al., 2008;
The array of REE patterns associated with authigenic phases such as those measured in sediment leaches, fish teeth, and pore waters (Figure 9; the “authigenic array” of
Implications to Paleoreconstructions
The association of iron and REEs with clay phases in the sediments emphasizes the need for caution in interpretations of the marine authigenic record. We suggest the leaching protocols typically employed to recover this authigenic record are not only targeting oxyhydroxide phases, but also attacking clay host phases. Conventional leaching techniques mobilize significant quantities of silicate hosted REEs particularly in carbonate poor sediments and can release up to 16% of sedimentary iron (e.g., Wilson et al., 2013;
The magnitude and character of the REE flux is likely to change in response to changing climate and the resulting changes in sediment supply. In this way, the apparent correlation between authigenic εNd records and major climatic events (e.g.,
Conclusion
This study combined new high-resolution SEM images, mineral maps, pore water REE data, and sedimentological measurements to identify the phases actively involved in REE cycling in the upper sediment column. We conclude that:
- •
Although the Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide phases commonly invoked as sedimentary REE host phases are likely present as nanoscale grains smaller than the resolution of the imaging techniques used here, our calculations suggest that they are not present at sufficiently high abundances to account for the REEs recovered using reductive leaching protocols.
- •
The REEs are likely associated with iron-bearing phases, but we argue that clay minerals are likely more significant REE host phases than Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides. The REE patterns associated with the pore water source depth are consistent with clay dissolution as the primary source of REEs.
- •
The fractionation associated with REE uptake during clay authigenesis provides a mechanism to explain the HREE/LREE spread of the authigenic array. An additional process or MREE depleted authigenic phase may be needed to completely explain the observed MREE anomalies depending on the variability of clay REE patterns not captured by WRAC and the glauconites included in this model.
- •
A clay driven benthic REE model also suggests that the sedimentary REE and εNd record will be subject to changes in sediment provenance and continental weathering, but potentially also sensitive to processes such as surface water export production which impact on pore-water pH and redox state and must be interpreted with caution.
A benthic control model of REE cycling that is driven by clay dissolution and clay authigenesis during early diagenesis would be widely applicable throughout the global ocean as a result of the ubiquitous distribution of clay minerals. This suggests sediments from the deep sea play an important role in the oceanic REE budget by supplying a significant benthic flux of REEs that has gone largely undetected due to the similarity between the isotopic value of the flux and the bottom water.
Statements
Author contributions
AA collected the samples on board R/V Oceanus and R/V Investigator including pore water separations and filtration, and completed the REE analyses on the SeaFAST II. SL and MT prepared the sediment samples and completed the XRD analyses and grain size measurements. SL and AA prepared the samples for SEM imaging, supervised MT during her undergraduate research experience, drafted the manuscript, and prepared the figures. SL performed the mineral classifications. All authors contributed to the data representation and interpretation.
Funding
All analyses were made possible by internal funding from Macquarie University to AA and SL.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the Captain and Crew of the R/V Investigator and the R/V Oceanus as well as Mark Lewis, Jason Fazey, and Rebecca D’arcy for making sample collection possible; Benat Oliveira Bravo for help with data analyses; and Martin Kennedy, Damian Gore, Peter Wieland, Bruce Schaefer, Brian Haley, Chris Russo, and Russell Field for laboratory access and support. We also sincerely thank our reviewers and editor for improvements on previous versions of this manuscript.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Supplementary material
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00504/full#supplementary-material
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Summary
Keywords
rare earth elements, diagenesis, clay minerals, neodymium isotopes, isotope geochemistry, benthic source, sediment phases, paleoclimate
Citation
Abbott AN, Löhr S and Trethewy M (2019) Are Clay Minerals the Primary Control on the Oceanic Rare Earth Element Budget?. Front. Mar. Sci. 6:504. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00504
Received
30 November 2018
Accepted
29 July 2019
Published
20 August 2019
Volume
6 - 2019
Edited by
Catherine Jeandel, UMR5566 Laboratoire d’Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (LEGOS), France
Reviewed by
Will Homoky, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Martine Buatier, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, France
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© 2019 Abbott, Löhr and Trethewy.
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*Correspondence: April N. Abbott, april.abbott@mq.edu.au
This article was submitted to Marine Biogeochemistry, a section of the journal Frontiers in Marine Science
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