REE fractionation and quantification of sediment source in the Yellow Sea mud deposits, east asian marginal sea

Abstract Discriminating sediment sources quantitatively of several unique shelf-mud deposits in the Yellow Sea has received considerable attention, because they are active sedimentary depocenters that can elucidate the river sediment dispersal patterns and the depositional systems of the sea. Here, we propose a new sediment source proxy model of rare earth elements (REEs) that reflects innate characteristics of their fractionation distribution patterns and provides a reasonable and practical estimation for quantifying sediment source apportionments in the Yellow Sea. REEs of riverine and shelf-mud sediments were granulometrically and chemically partitioned, and the unique characteristics of their fractionation patterns were recorded and numerically indexed. We found distinct differences in the REE fractionation pattern index of riverine sediments, possibly due to the different source rock compositions. Notably, the acid-leached phase of the clay fraction may be a better material for quantitative evaluation of river contributions in the Yellow Sea. Using the REE-source index model presented here, proportional contributions of Chinese river sediments to the central and southeastern Yellow Sea mud deposits were estimated to be 55–80% and 10–40%, respectively, with higher percentage in the leached fraction. Our results elucidate the disagreement between mud budget and river discharge, particularly in Korean coastal mud deposits, as well as the source interpretation of the Yellow Sea shelf-mud deposits, which have been debated since the 1980s.