Development of a Simple Technique to Analyze Rare Earth Elements in Pore Fluids to Investigate the Potential Cycling of REE in Near-Surface Sediments

University Of California-San Diego Scripps Inst Of Oceanography, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

This is a proposal to develop a method to analyze the rare earth elements in small samples (1-4 ml) of sediment pore water, using a new high resolution ICPMS instrument available at SIO. The technique, if successful, will help in fundamental understanding of the behavior of REE in sediments, an important goal. In addition, with shiptime provided by Scripps, the PI will collect sediment cores from the California borderlands, where there exist large differences in the redox state of surface sediments. Analysis of pore waters in these cores will thus be useful for investigating the chemical behavior of the rare earth elements (REE) in sediment pore waters under different redox conditions