Geochemistry of the Laptev and East Siberian seas sediments with emphasis on rare-earth elements: Application for sediment sources and paleoceanography

Abstract

Deciphering the origin of sedimentary material in the Arctic can contribute to a deeper understanding of modern transport and sedimentation processes. Here, the application of rare earth elements (REEs) is particularly promising, as they can serve as indicators of sources as well as chemical and physical conditions and processes. This study aimed to determine the distribution of REE sources in the bottom sediments and the forms of their occurrence on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf. The concentrations and distributions of the REEs and major and trace metals, grain size, and mineral composition of 72 surficial sediment samples and two sediment cores that were collected from the Laptev and East Siberian seas were studied. Increasing REE content, the predominance of light REE, and close correlation with Zr, Nb, Y, Sc, and Ti were revealed in the Laptev and western East Siberian sea sediments in the zone of influence of the Lena River runoff. The source of the REEs was the eroded Yedoma complex along the coast. The REE content in the sub-colloidal fraction of the sediments was comparable to the REE concentration of the bulk bottom sediments and varied in the East Siberian Sea from 104 to 220 mg kg−1, with the maximum content around the submarine valley of the Indigirka River, in the Laptev Sea, ranging from 124 to 197 mg kg−1. The findings could be used to study ice dynamics and to conduct lithostratigraphic and paleoceanographical reconstructions of the Central Arctic.