Geochemistry of Zr, Hf, and REE in a wide spectrum of Eh and water composition: The case of Dead Sea Fault system (Israel)

Along the Jordan Valley‐Dead Sea Fault area several natural waters in springs, wells, and catchments occur. The chemical‐physical characters of the studied waters allowed for the first time the investigation of the Zr and Hf geochemical behavior, apart from REE, extended to a wide range of Eh, temperature, salinity, and pH conditions. The results of this study indicate that the dissolved Zr and Hf distribution in natural waters is strongly influenced by redox conditions since these in turn drive the deposition of Fe‐oxyhydroxides or pyrite. In oxidizing waters saturated or oversaturated in Fe‐oxyhydroxides (Group 1), superchondritic Zr/Hf values are measured. On the contrary, in waters where Eh