Determination of rare earth, major and trace elements in authigenic fraction of Andaman Sea (Northeastern Indian Ocean) sediments by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry

Downcore variation of rare earth elements (REEs) in the authigenic Fe-Mn oxides of a sediment core (covering a record of last similar to 40 kyr) from the Andaman Sea, a part of the Indian Ocean shows distinctive positive Ce and Eu anomalies. These positive Ce anomalies (Ce* = 1.1 similar to 1.8) are ascribed to be due to oxidation of deep sea sediments. The large positive Eu anomalies (i.e., Eu* > 1.8 to 3.2) occur within a time span near the glacial/interglacial transition (similar to 7000-14,000yr BP) which could be due to the past hydrothermal activity or to the effects arising from sea level changes. During glacial times, the Andaman Sea was almost completely isolated due to low sea level, leading to a reduction in sediment supply from the Ayeyarwady River. The variations of metal abundances (i.e., Ca, Al, Mn, and Fe) in the authigenic fraction provided independent information to evaluate the water column physicochemical changes during the glacial/interglacial transition period. The studied sediment core records changes in riverine inputs and reflects depositional changes related to sea level fluctuations and climatic events over the past 40 kyr in the Andaman Sea. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.