The Influence of Seamounts on the Enrichment of Rare Earth Elements in Sediments—A Case Study of the Marcus-Wake Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean
Deep-sea sediments enriched in rare earth elements and yttrium (REY-rich sediments) are widely distributed on the deep-sea floor, and their formation mechanism remains elusive. Although studies have recognized the link between seamounts and REY-rich sediments, in-depth analysis of the specific roles...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/1/117 |
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| author | Tinglu Xiao Dong Xu Tao Deng Junyu Lin Liming Ye Qian Ge Xibin Han Yanhui Dong Fengyou Chu |
| author_facet | Tinglu Xiao Dong Xu Tao Deng Junyu Lin Liming Ye Qian Ge Xibin Han Yanhui Dong Fengyou Chu |
| author_sort | Tinglu Xiao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Deep-sea sediments enriched in rare earth elements and yttrium (REY-rich sediments) are widely distributed on the deep-sea floor, and their formation mechanism remains elusive. Although studies have recognized the link between seamounts and REY-rich sediments, in-depth analysis of the specific roles and effects of seamounts in the formation of REY-rich sediments is lacking. In this study, we analyzed surface sediments from the Marcus-Wake Seamounts for grain size, geochemistry, and mineral composition and classified the samples into three types: samples with moderate REY content and dominated by terrestrial detritus; samples with high REY and authigenic mineral content; and samples rich in CaCO<sub>3</sub> but poor in REY. The REY in the sediments of the study area partly originate from Asian dust input and partly from seawater and/or pore water, and are mainly enriched in REY carrier particles including bioapatite fossils and micronodules. The amount of REY carrier particles influences the REY content in the sediments. The current field, primary productivity, weathering process, and depositional environment around seamounts are different from those of abyssal plains, which are conducive to the formation of REY-rich sediments. Strong bottom currents may exist in the southeastern direction of some large seamounts (e.g., Niulang Guyot), leading to the selective accumulation of REY-rich bioapatite fossils and micronodules, resulting in the formation of REY-rich sediments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:45:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-487d83a9519e450aaa759de47bcffff4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:45:10Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-487d83a9519e450aaa759de47bcffff42024-01-26T17:16:00ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122024-01-0112111710.3390/jmse12010117The Influence of Seamounts on the Enrichment of Rare Earth Elements in Sediments—A Case Study of the Marcus-Wake Seamounts in the Western Pacific OceanTinglu Xiao0Dong Xu1Tao Deng2Junyu Lin3Liming Ye4Qian Ge5Xibin Han6Yanhui Dong7Fengyou Chu8Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaKey Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaKey Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaKey Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaKey Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaKey Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaKey Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaKey Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaKey Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaDeep-sea sediments enriched in rare earth elements and yttrium (REY-rich sediments) are widely distributed on the deep-sea floor, and their formation mechanism remains elusive. Although studies have recognized the link between seamounts and REY-rich sediments, in-depth analysis of the specific roles and effects of seamounts in the formation of REY-rich sediments is lacking. In this study, we analyzed surface sediments from the Marcus-Wake Seamounts for grain size, geochemistry, and mineral composition and classified the samples into three types: samples with moderate REY content and dominated by terrestrial detritus; samples with high REY and authigenic mineral content; and samples rich in CaCO<sub>3</sub> but poor in REY. The REY in the sediments of the study area partly originate from Asian dust input and partly from seawater and/or pore water, and are mainly enriched in REY carrier particles including bioapatite fossils and micronodules. The amount of REY carrier particles influences the REY content in the sediments. The current field, primary productivity, weathering process, and depositional environment around seamounts are different from those of abyssal plains, which are conducive to the formation of REY-rich sediments. Strong bottom currents may exist in the southeastern direction of some large seamounts (e.g., Niulang Guyot), leading to the selective accumulation of REY-rich bioapatite fossils and micronodules, resulting in the formation of REY-rich sediments.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/1/117REY-rich sedimentswestern Pacific Oceanseamountsbottom currents |
| spellingShingle | Tinglu Xiao Dong Xu Tao Deng Junyu Lin Liming Ye Qian Ge Xibin Han Yanhui Dong Fengyou Chu The Influence of Seamounts on the Enrichment of Rare Earth Elements in Sediments—A Case Study of the Marcus-Wake Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean Journal of Marine Science and Engineering REY-rich sediments western Pacific Ocean seamounts bottom currents |
| title | The Influence of Seamounts on the Enrichment of Rare Earth Elements in Sediments—A Case Study of the Marcus-Wake Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean |
| title_full | The Influence of Seamounts on the Enrichment of Rare Earth Elements in Sediments—A Case Study of the Marcus-Wake Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean |
| title_fullStr | The Influence of Seamounts on the Enrichment of Rare Earth Elements in Sediments—A Case Study of the Marcus-Wake Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Influence of Seamounts on the Enrichment of Rare Earth Elements in Sediments—A Case Study of the Marcus-Wake Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean |
| title_short | The Influence of Seamounts on the Enrichment of Rare Earth Elements in Sediments—A Case Study of the Marcus-Wake Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean |
| title_sort | influence of seamounts on the enrichment of rare earth elements in sediments a case study of the marcus wake seamounts in the western pacific ocean |
| topic | REY-rich sediments western Pacific Ocean seamounts bottom currents |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/1/117 |
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