Diagenesis of oxyanions (V, U, Re, and Mo) in pore waters and sediments from a continental margin

摘要

This research tests the hypothesis that trace metals respond to the extent of reducing conditions in a predictable way. We describe pore water and sediment measurements of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), vanadium (V), uranium (U), rhenium (Re), and molybdenum (Mo) along a transect off Washington State (USA). Sediments become less reducing away from the continent, and the stations have a range of oxygen penetration depths (depth to unmeasurable O-2 Concentration) varying from a few millimeters to five centimeters. When oxygen penetrates similar to 1 cm or less, Fe is reduced in the pore waters but reoxidized near the sediment-water interface, preventing a flux of Fe2+ to overlying waters, whereas Mn oxides are reduced and Mn2+ diffuses to overlying waters. Both Re and U authigenically accumulate in sediments. Only at the most reducing location, where the oxygen penetrates 0.3 cm below the sediment-water interface, does the surface 30 cm of sediments become reducing enough to authigenically accumulate Mo.