Rare earth element geochemistry in the inner shelf of the East China Sea and its implication to sediment provenances

Gravity core EC2005, located in the mud wedge off the Zhejiang-Fujian coast in the inner shelf of the East China Sea (ECS), was analyzed for its lithology, grain size, rare earth elements (REE) and AMS14C dating. Results revealed high-resolution paleoenvironmental evolution and multiple switches of sediment provenances in the inner shelf of ECS. The lithology, grain size and REE concentrations of sediments varied significantly down the core. Mean grain size ranged from 8 to 121 μm, and the values of ΣREE were 152.8–227.9 μg/g. The chondrite- and shale-normalized REE patterns indicated their similarity to the terrigenous sediments in the study area. Between 17.3–12.3 ka BP the sediments in the inner shelf of ECS were mainly originated from local drainage basins. The source then gradually switched to the Yangtze River between 12.3 and 9.8 ka BP. Since about 10–9.8 ka BP, the sediments in the study area were dominantly derived from the Yangtze River. The continuous rising of sea level and formation of coastal current along the inner shelf played a key role in the switches of sediment provenances.