The rare earth element geochemistry of glauconites and celadonites

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Abstract
The few available rare earth element (REE) data on glauconites (Balashov & Kazakov 1968) show that, like authigenic phases and sediments in general, they are enriched in the light relative to the heavy REE and suggest that glauconites preferentially incorporate Ce from seawater and have distinct positive Ce anomalies. In order to add to these data the REE contents of 15 glauconites and, for comparison, 4 celadonites were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. These analyses indicate that the REE abundances in glauconites are similar to those in other sedimentary materials and that glauconites rarely exhibit significant Ce anomalies. Sea-floor samples have no or only slight negative Ce anomalies, indicating no significant preferential uptake of Ce. Glauconites from Cambrian and Cretaceous terrestrial outcrops, however, generally exhibit small positive Ce anomalies, possibly because they formed in extensive shallow seas rather than under truly oceanic conditions. Celadonites contain lower REE abundances than glauconites. Marine celadonites, unlike ones from terrestrial outcrops, exhibit distinct negative Ce anomalies. Most of the REE contents of glauconites and celadonites seems to come from lithogenous material; little is apparently contributed by