As potential mineral resources, rare earth elements (REY) and yttrium enriched sediments in the deep sea have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. It has been shown by studies that the enrichment process of REY is most likely to occur at the sediment-water interface (SWI), however studies on the early diagenetic processes in REY-enriched sediments are in general lacking. In this paper, we collected two short sediment cores in REY-enriched sediments in the Southeast Pacific Ocean, then we had conducted an in-depth analysis on the early diagenesis process of REY at SWI and its influence on the enrichment mechanism of REY in deep-sea sediment. The low Fe, Mn concentration and high Mo, U and V concentration in pore-water indicated that the sediment cores were in oxic environment. Compared to the REY in overlying water column, the dissolved REY in pore-water characterized by a middle rare earth elements (MREE). In sediment, phosphate phase is the main phase of REY, while the distribution pattern of REY in pore-water may be controlled by the phosphate content in sediments. Our results show that during the early diagenetic processes, the REY initially combined with Fe/Mn phase and other phases re-released into the pore-water, which is subsequently adsorbed by and eventually buried with the phosphate phase. Therefore, the early diagenetic process is an important mechanism of REY enrichment in deep sea sediments.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |