摘要

Only few data for both tellurium and selenium in different geological materials including international reference materials have been available so far. In this study, the Te/Se ratio has been investigated in more detail to provide a better understanding of the correlation of these two elements in the geological environment. Nine international reference materials (IRMs) and 79 different geological samples spanning a wide range of formation times and conditions from the Paleoproterozoic to present were analyzed with quadrupole dynamic reaction cell (DRC)-ICP- MS. These samples include basalts, shales, river and beach sediments, loess, dolomites, a recent cold water coral, Precambrian manganese- and iron- formations and Cenozoic marine ferromanganese nodules and crusts. A wide range of concentrations between 0.01 and 1.5 mu g/g for Se and 0.01 and 90 mu g/g for Te was measured, and the most interesting feature was found to be the Te/Se ratio in the different geological matrices. While most rock and sediment samples fall within the range of Te/Se ratios typical of the average Earth%26apos;s crust, a significant enrichment of Te over Se is evident for modern marine Mn- Fe oxide precipitates, with the most pronounced Te enrichment found for hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts, which form under fully oxidizing conditions. The apparent positive trend of the degree of Te/Se fractionation with the redox potential of the formation environment suggests that the Te/Se ratio may represent a potential (paleo) proxy for redox environments.

  • 出版日期2014-5-29