The distribution and variation of elements in sediments off the Huanghe （Yellow） River mouth

• Published in: 中国海洋湖沼学报：英文版 2013 (4), p.876-885
• Main Author: 乔淑卿 石学法 高晶晶 刘焱光 杨刚 朱爱美 王昆山
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: X射线荧光光谱法; 元素浓度; 关闭; 微量元素; 河口沉积物; 研究区域; 黄河三角洲地区; 黄色
• ISSN: 0254-4059; 1993-5005

Surface sediment samples collected off the Huanghe （Yellow） River mouth during the period 2007-2009 were analyzed for major and trace element concentrations. Concentrations of 16 elements were measured using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Results demonstrate that sediment grain size is the dominant factor controlling the spatial variations of elemental concentrations. Correlation and cluster analyses allowed classification of the study area into four geochemical regions： Regions Ⅰ and Ⅲare characterized by high concentrations ofAl2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, Na2O, K2O, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn, and contain fine-grained sediments with mean grain size （Mz）〈22 μm; and; Regions Ⅱ and Ⅳcontain mostly coarse-grained sediments, and are characterized by high concentrations of SiO2, Na2O, and Zr. The sediment entering the sea from the Huanghe River and its tributaries is enriched in Ca. Thus, the Ca/Al ratio was used as an indicator of the proportion of sediments in the study area that originated from the Huanghe River. Ca/Al ratios decrease from Regions Ⅰ and Ⅱ（located in the nearshore zone of the Huanghe River delta） to Regions Ⅲand Ⅳ（distributed in the offshore zone of the northern Huanghe River delta, southern and southeastern Laizhou Bay area）.