Study on rare-earth elements distribution in surface waters of Primorsky region

Abstract

Data obtained by the authors show that the background level of the rare-earth element (REE) content in the surface waters of southern Russian Far East is irregular and varies from 0.1 to 1.3 μg/l. The highest concentration of REE (0.48-1.3 μg/l) is characteristic for the rivers of Eastern Sikhote-Alin and Central Sikhote-Alin, catchment areas which are situated within the Sikhote-Alin volcanic belt. The lowest REE concentration was noted in the waters of Western Sikhote-Alin (0.09 μg/l). The profile of REE distribution in fresh waters of different areas of the region is uniform and is characterized with the deficit of Ce and enrichment of medium group REE.