The effect of particulate dissolution on the neodymium (Nd) isotope and Rare Earth Element (REE) composition of seawater

The exchange of material between particulates and seawater along the continental margins, a process commonly referred to as boundary exchange, is thought to play a significant role in controlling the neodymium (Nd) isotope and Rare Earth Element (REE) composition of the oceans. This study provides experimental verification of this concept by quantifying the effect of particulate dissolution in seawater on dissolved εNd and REE compositions. Three closed-system experiments were performed using basaltic particulate material of riverine, estuarine and marine origin. The release of Nd from this basaltic material increased the εNd composition of seawater in all three experiments, with a εNd value close to that of the associated sediment being achieved within 80 days in all experiments. Mass balance indicates that up to 0.4% of Nd from the particulate phase was released to the seawater over the duration of these experiments, and that the rate of release varied according to particulate origin and surface area. Progressive variations in the PAAS normalised REE patterns, as well as the Eu and Ce anomalies and La/Yb ratio, demonstrate that REEs were also transferred from the basaltic particulates to seawater during the experiments. Despite evidence for the release of REEs from the particulate material, dissolved REE abundances decreased during the experiments, and are thought to reflect incorporation into the REE-phosphate mineral rhabdophane. Together these experimental results confirm that elemental release from basaltic sediments on the ocean margins is a significant marine flux that can have a major control on the composition of seawater. •We experimentally assess the nature of basaltic particulate dissolution in seawater.•We quantify the importance of this process for marine εNd and REE compositions.•Particulate released Nd dominates seawater εNd by the end of the experiment.•REE patterns reflect particulate dissolution and scavenging into secondary phases.•These results verify the importance of boundary exchange on the ocean margins.