Rare earth elements in a sampled coal from the Pirin deposit, Bulgaria

Abstract

Rare earth elements (La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, and Lu) in a columnar section of the coal of the Pirin deposit, Bulgaria, have been determined by neutron activation analyses. The REE content in the coals is lower than the average REE content of shales from North America, Europe, and the Soviet Union. The REE abundances increase with the increasing ash content of the coals. The bottom of the seam is slightly enriched in REE, the trend being more pronounced in HREE (Tb, Yb, Lu). The REE content depends on the thickness of the coal layers: the thin coal layers are enriched in REE as compared to the thick ones. The chondrite-normalized distribution patterns are very uniform. They are characterized by a negative Eu anomaly whose mean value is 0.30 (varying in the individual samples from 0.21 to 0.49) and a positive Lu anomaly. It is supposed that the Eu anomaly is inherited from the source rocks. The shale-normalized distribution patterns show a distinct relative enrichment in HREE and a negative Eu anomaly. The relative enrichment in HREE is a specific feature of the REE geochemistry in the Pirin deposit. The LREE/HREE ratio is lower than that of composite shale; it increases with the increasing ash content of the coals and from the bottom to the top of the coal bed. REE are bound predominantly to the aluminosilicates of the mineral matter in the coals. All REE are positively correlated to the ash, Si, Al, Fe, and Na. The source of REE in coals is mainly the suspended terrigenous material. The specific enrichment of REE in the ash of low-ash coals is a result of the interaction between the dissolved REE and the products of disintegration and decay of organic substances, mainly the humic acids.