Abstract
Two redox-sensitive metalloids, arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb), are examined here to determine what can be their help in the deciphering of past depositional conditions. The enrichment factors of the two elements are compared for a set of geological formations and marine deposits covering a relatively wide range of paleoenvironmental settings, from oxic to euxinic conditions. This work confirms that As and Sb are not robust paleoredox proxies but examining their relative enrichment may be useful. These preliminary results indicate that a co-enrichment of both elements with Sb being more enriched than As could be the mark of the so-called particulate shuttle effect. Notably, Sb would be more sensitive to Mn-shuttling than As. If confirmed, this trend could be used to further identify the cause of As-enrichment in marine sediments impacted by cold seepage fluids.
Highlights
Arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) are two metalloids often mentioned together due to their belonging to group V of the periodic table, which gives them common characteristics (Tab. 1)
The formations studied correspond to one situation only, but the samples of the Pigmy and Cariaco basins can be grouped in subsets belonging to two or three situations
In the present work, the enrichment factors are calculated using the upper crust composition of McLennan (2001), i.e., 1.5 ppm for As and 0.2 ppm for Sb. This choice wad guided by the fact that the paper of McLennan (2001) is a widely-used reference in paleoenvironmental reconstructions
Summary
Arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) are two metalloids often mentioned together due to their belonging to group V of the periodic table, which gives them common characteristics (Tab. 1). They are most often mentioned for problems of toxicity and pollution of soils, lakes and drinking water supply; a large literature is available on this subject.
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