Metal accumulation rates in northwest Atlantic pelagic sediments

Abstract

Measurements of 230Th, 87Sr 86Sr and twenty-four metals were made on cores from the Nares Abyssal Plain. The sediment is characterized by slowly-accumulating (0.3–0.7 g/cm 2 10 3 yr) pelagic red clays and rapidly deposited grey clays transported by turbidity currents. Despite their colour differences and the enrichment of Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, V and, to a lesser degree, the rare earths in the red clays, Sr isotope evidence demonstrates that the clays have the same terrigenous origin. The excesses of metals in the red clays have been attributed to metal removal from the water column and a comparison with the grey clays has enabled the authigenic fluxes of metals to be estimated. The fluxes obtained are in the ranges 20–50 μmol/cm 2 10 3 yr for Mn and Fe, 0.1–0.4 μmol/cm 2 10 3 yr for Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, V, Sr and Ce, 10–20 nmol/cm 2 10 3 yr for La and Nd, and 0.5-3 nmol/cm 2 10 3 yr for Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er and Yb. Authigenic fluxes of Y, Nb, Cr, Zr, Rb, U and Th were not resolvable. Fluxes appear to be near constant on the Plain but comparison with other areas shows that they are quite variable both between and within ocean basins. The chief factor controlling authigenic fluxes is the geochemical abundances of the elements but fractionation within both the transition element and rare earth series can be recognized from inter-element comparisons and from differences in fluxes between Atlantic and Pacific red clays corresponding to the oceanic reactivities of the elements.