Revisit of rare earth element fractionation during chemical weathering and river sediment transport

Although rare earth element (REE) has been widely applied for provenance study and paleoenvironmental reconstruction, its mobility and fractionation during earth surface processes from weathering to sediment deposition remain more clarification. We investigated the REE fractionations during chemical weathering and river sediment transport based on the systematic observations from a granodiorite‐weathering profile and Mulanxi River sediments in southeast China. Two chemical phases (leachates and residues) were separated by 1 N HCl leaching and the leachates account for 20–70% of the bulk REE concentration. REEs in the weathering profile have been mobilized and fractionated to different extents during chemical weathering and pedogenesis. Remarkable cerium anomalies (Ce/Ce* = 0.1–10.6) occur during weathering as a result of coprecipitation with Mn (hydro)oxides in the profile, while poor or no Ce anomalies in the river sediments were observed. This contrasting feature sheds new light on the indication of Ce anomaly for redox change. The hydraulic sorting‐induced mineral redistribution can further homogenize the weathering and pedogenic alterations and thus weaken the REE fractionations in river sediments. The mineral assemblage is the ultimate control on REE composition, and the Mn‐Fe (hydro)oxides and secondary phosphate minerals are the main hosts of acid‐leachable REEs while the clay minerals could be important reservoirs for residual REEs. We thus suggest that the widely used REE proxies such as (LREE/HREE)UCC ratio in the residues is reliable for the indication of sediment provenance, while the ratio in the leachates can indicate the total weathering process to some extent. Key Points Remarkable REE fractionations occur during chemical weathering, but can be weakened by hydraulic sorting Mineral assemblage controls the acid‐leachable and residual REE compositions of sediments REE proxies such as (LREE/HREE)UCC and ∑REEUCC ratios can indicate weathering and sorting processes