School of Engineering and Science - Jacobs University
School of Engineering and Science - Jacobs University
School of Engineering and Science - Jacobs University
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appropriate to briefly discuss: 1) basic rare earth element geochemistry, 2) rare earth<br />
element behavior in seawater, 3) Sm-Nd isotopic signatures in the Earth’s crust <strong>and</strong><br />
seawater, <strong>and</strong> 4) the use <strong>of</strong> IFs as archives <strong>of</strong> ancient seawater chemistry.<br />
1.5.1. Rare earth element geochemistry<br />
The rare earth elements include Sc, Y, <strong>and</strong> the fifteen lanthanide elements which<br />
have atomic masses between 57 <strong>and</strong> 71 (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho,<br />
Er, Tm, Yb, Lu). Hereafter in this thesis, the lanthanides will be exclusively referred to<br />
as the rare earth elements (REE), excluding Sc <strong>and</strong> Y. However, as described below,<br />
yttrium is useful when grouped with the lanthanides for studying geochemical<br />
processes, <strong>and</strong> where yttrium data are available discussions <strong>of</strong> the REE <strong>and</strong> Y will be<br />
indicated by the acronym REY.<br />
Among the lanthanides promethium (Pm) is a special case, as it has three<br />
radioactive isotopes ( 145 Pm, 146 Pm, 147 Pm), <strong>of</strong> which 145 Pm has the longest half-life <strong>of</strong><br />
~17.7 years. As such Pm is considered an extinct element in natural samples <strong>and</strong> is not<br />
included in discussions <strong>of</strong> REY behavior in geological studies. The remaining REY<br />
display similar geochemical behavior, primarily as a result <strong>of</strong> their +3 valence state,<br />
though Ce <strong>and</strong> Eu may also exist in the +4 <strong>and</strong> +2 valence states, respectively. This<br />
geochemically coherent behavior among the REY is also a consequence <strong>of</strong> very similar<br />
ionic radii between 0.977 Å (Lu) <strong>and</strong> 1.16 Å (La). The similar ionic radii results from a<br />
progressive filling <strong>of</strong> the 4f electron orbital that produces a monotonic decrease in the<br />
ionic radii with increasing atomic mass (Figure 2). As a result, lanthanide behavior<br />
tends to vary smoothly <strong>and</strong> predictably as a function <strong>of</strong> ionic radii (i.e., atomic mass) in<br />
many geochemical systems.<br />
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