Authigenic green marine clays represent a dynamic and evolving area within sedimentary and geochemical research. Comprised of diverse phyllosilicate minerals such as glauconite, odinite-berthierine, celadonite, and greenalite, these minerals have traditionally been undervalued in the context of sedimentary rock formation. Recent decades have highlighted their importance in processes like sorption, ion exchange, elemental buffering, and the transformation of organic matter—functions that intimately link them to the evolutionary history of Earth’s oceans and biosphere. Green marine clays, which first appeared as rare components in the ancient Archean sedimentary record, expanded notably throughout the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic, serving as sensitive markers of shifts in ocean water chemistry and redox conditions. Despite strides in understanding the mineralogy and the geochemical pathways involving major oxides, significant gaps persist concerning the behavior of rare-earth elements (REEs) within these authigenic systems, particularly as economic and technological demand for REEs accelerates.
This Research Topic aims to advance the understanding of green clay authigenesis with particular focus on the mechanisms, controls, and implications of REE enrichment. By integrating recent developments in analytical geochemistry and sedimentology, this effort seeks to unravel how green clays record and potentially concentrate REEs over geological time. Contributions are expected to clarify the interplay between mineralogical evolution, ambient marine chemistry, and the processes that mobilize, partition, and retain REEs within green authigenic clays. Key aims include establishing robust data sets for REE concentrations in these minerals and investigating their potential as both paleoenvironmental proxies and future economic resources.
To gather further insights into the geochemical, mineralogical, and economic implications of green clay authigenesis, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Mechanisms of green clay formation and diagenesis in ancient and modern sedimentary settings • Controls on REE sorption, incorporation, and partitioning within green clays • Analytical developments in quantifying REEs in marine and terrestrial green clay minerals • The role of green clays as archives of ocean chemistry and redox history • Economic implications and resource assessment of REE-bearing greensand deposits • Comparative studies of different green clay minerals (e.g., glauconite vs. berthierine) and their REE profiles • Experimental and modeling approaches to understanding green clay–REE interactions
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Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
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