Continental Shelf Research 136 (2017) 29–38

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Continental Shelf Research

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/csr

Source tracing of rare earth elements: A case study of core 07 on the MARK
southern coast of Laizhou Bay
⁎
Guo Feia,b,c, Gao Maoshenga,b, , Hou Guohuaa,b, Liu Sena,b, Wang Jinga,b,d
a
The Key Laboratory of Marine Hydrocarbon Resources and Environmental Geology, Ministry of Land and Resources, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology,
Qingdao 266071,China
b
Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China
c
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710061, China
d
School of Geosciences，China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266555, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A BS T RAC T

Keywords: Rare earth elements (REEs) have proven to be useful indicators of sediment sources. To identify the group of
Rare earth elements elements most suitable for provenance identification, coastal sediment samples collected from core 07 in
Provenance Laizhou Bay were analyzed for the presence of REEs. In addition, a corresponding analysis of contributions that
Laizhou Bay different source made to multi-source sedimentary system and provenance discrimination study were under-
Late Pleistocene
taken, with the twofold purpose of assessing the effectiveness of REEs as source indicators, and evaluating
Yellow River
Multi-source sedimentary system
relative inputs to the sedimentary system on the southern coast of Laizhou Bay from near source and distant
origin rivers (i.e. the Bailang River and Yellow River, respectively). The study revealed that various REEs
displayed similar cyclic variation in the vertical direction in core 07, with obvious changes at marine–
continental stratigraphic boundaries, which could be used as stratigraphic division index. According to
chondrite-normalized REE distribution patterns, the Bailang River and Yellow River comprise the main
provenance of sediments in core 07. REE discrimination diagrams and the Provenance Index (PI) reveal that the
sediments in early stage (Qp33~Qp31, 49.15–80.00 m) were primarily derived from Yellow River, and the
sediments in late stage (Qh3~Qp33，5.80–49.15 m) were stemmed from Bailang River. Following extensive
analysis, it was concluded that the main provenance of core 07 was the Bailang River, which has played an
important role in the sedimentary system of the southern coast of Laizhou Bay since the early Late Pleistocene.
Sediment from the Yellow River, rechannelled frequently in geological history, had limited influence in this area.

1. Introduction commonly concentrated in fine-grained sediments for their host

The chemical characteristics of clastic sediments have been widely
used in provenance determination, as well as in the investigation of
tectonics and weathering in sediment source regions (Bhatia, 1983;
McLennan and Taylor, 1983; Cullers, 1988; Feng and Kerrich, 1990;
Wu and Wang, 1991; Condie et al., 1992; Garver and Scott, 1995;
Nesbitt and Young, 1996; Holail and Moghazi, 1998; Singh and
Rajamani, 2001a, 2001b; Tripathi and Rajamani, 2003; Yang et al.,
2003a, 2003b; Wang et al., 2007). In particular, immobile trace
elements, which are known to be transported as particulate load, e.g.
Th, Sc, Zr and the rare earth elements (REEs), have proven to be useful
source indicators (Taylor and McLennan, 1985). The application of
these immobile elements in provenance determination is based on the
assumption that these elements undergo little geochemical fractiona-
tion during denudation. These elements (in particular, REEs) are
minerals, including accessory primary minerals as well as secondary
minerals, generally weather to that size range. Therefore, during the
process of sediment transport and deposition, these immobile elements
tend to concentrate in suspended load of the river leaving the bed-load
sediments depleted in them with higher proportions of quartz and
feldspars. Because of the size and mineral fractionation, associated
geochemical differentiation is expected.
The compositional characteristics of the parent rock are modified
by multiple geochemical and physicochemical processes (e.g. coagula-
tion, adsorption, flocculation, diagenetic remobilization, and resuspen-
sion) during the transport or temporary storage of sediments in
riverine, estuarine and coastal systems (Sholkovitz, 1976; Hoyle
et al., 1984; Sholkovitz, 1995; Johannesson et al., 1996; Censi et al.,
2004; Marmolejo-Rodriguez et al., 2007; Wang and Liu, 2008). On
account of their intrinsic chemical properties, rare earth

⁎
Correspondence to: 62 Fuzhounan Road, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Qingdao, Shandong Province 266071, China.
E-mail address: gms532@163.com (G. Maosheng).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2017.01.002
Received 11 April 2016; Received in revised form 7 January 2017; Accepted 8 January 2017
Available online 26 January 2017
0278-4343/ © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
G. Fei et al. Continental Shelf Research 136 (2017) 29–38

Fig. 1. The location of core 07 and sampling of sediments in Bailang River.

30
G. Fei et al.
elements(REEs; La–Lu) behave coherently with each other during
surface processes in aquatic environments. Although some differentia-
tion occurs among REE groups, such as light REEs (LREEs) and heavy
REEs (HREEs). Further, owing to redox changes of Ce and Eu, which
have been reported under specific conditions, REEs usually do not
fractionate from each other during aqueous processes and diagenesis
after deposition. In addition, the REE composition of individual
materials is often so distinctive that REE composition is frequently
used as a “tracer” in marine environments and source regions.
Sediments contain abundant environmental and source informa-
tion, which can be interpreted by using available elementary geochem-
ical method. Because of diversity chemical activity, certain elements in
parent rocks are less easily removed from their original matrices than
others during the processes of weathering, erosion, transportation,
deposition and diagenesis. These relatively immobile elements, which
include Th, Sc, Al, Co, Zr, Hf, Ti, Ga, Nb and REEs, can be used as
tracers of provenance (Shao et al., 2000). REEs are widely used in
provenance determination studies for their special geochemical proper-
ties. Factors including the contents, ratios, and distribution patterns of
REEs in sediments are important when reconstructing the genetic
sedimentary environments and the type of parent rocks in their
provenance. Recently, researches focus on REE geochemistry of fluvial
and surficial marine sediments. These researches have provided
important background information for exploring regional sediment
sources and sediment-forming environments and for comparing dif-
ferent sediments in terms of these parameters (Wu et al., 1991;Gu
et al., 1989; Shi et al., 1996; Chen et al., 2003; Lim et al., 2006; Pang
et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2012; Lan et al., 2009, 2010). However, these
studies mainly focus on the late Pleistocene marine strata of Laizhou
Bay (Wang et al., 1979; Zhuang et al., 1987, 1999; Zhou et al., 2007),
the sedimentary paleoenvironment and evolution, (Liu et al., 2004;
Peng et al., 1992; Lü, 1989; Zhang et al., 2005) seawater intrusion
events, and distribution characteristics of subsurface brine (Zhang
et al., 1996; Han et al., 1982). Thus far, no research has been
undertaken to investigate the ‘source and sink’ dynamics of the small
and medium sized rivers from the coast of Laizhou Bay.
2. Study area
Laizhou Bay is located between the branches of the Yi-Shu Rift (Gao
et al., 1980; Zhang et al., 2003). Since the Neogene, this region turns
into stable period, with few tectonic movements and peaceful deposi-
tion (Wu et al., 2006; Yu et al., 2008). Sedimentary regimes have
mainly alternated between deltaic, estuarine and tidal plain systems
(Xue and Ding, 2008). During regressions, the exposed area of Laizhou
Bay would have been replaced, at least in part, by diluvial fans, (Chen
et al., 1991), sandy dunes (Chen et al., 1991; Yu et al., 1999; Zhao,
1991, 1995) or alluvial fans (Meng et al., 1999).
The study area is located in the southern coast of Laizhou Bay,
Bohai Sea. Coastline of this section extends approximately 113 km.
There are numerous rivers which discharge into Laizhou Bay. All of
these, apart from the Yellow River, are small or medium sized rivers,
including the Xiaoqing, Mihe, Bailang, Yuhe, and Weihe Rivers. Among
these, the Weihe River catchment experiences the greatest runoff
volume, followed by the Xiaoqing River. The Weihe River also produces
the highest volume of sediment discharge, followed by Mihe River
(Zhuang et al., 1991).
The courses of these rivers, especially the Weihe and Mihe Rivers,
have migrated frequently in history.
In terms of physiognomy, Laizhou Bay is classified as a coastal
alluvial plain/marine deposition plain. Loose Cenozoic sedimentary
strata are widespread in this region. Outcropped strata in this area
mainly comprise of Holocene and Pleistocene alluvial and marine
sediments. The thickness of sedimentary layers increases gradually
from south to north (Leng et al., 2009). The sedimentary thickness of
the Bailang–Yuhe River delta is more than 500 m. The Weihe–Mihe
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Continental Shelf Research 136 (2017) 29–38
River delta has migrated 20–55 km seaward by acceleration since the
Late Pleistocene, and it represents a multi-source sedimentary system,
and the sediments in this area are the result of the contribution made
by all the rivers (Gao et al., 2015).
Based on the sedimentary record data from core 07 in Laizhou Bay,
as well as 12 sediment samples from the Bailang River and secondary
sedimentary data for the Yellow River catchment from previous
research, this paper analyses the geochemical characteristics of REEs
deposited in the sedimentary strata of Laizhou Bay since the late
Pleistocene, and makes a further discussion on the source of sediments
in core 07.
3. Materials and methods
Core 07 (119°09′20.33″ E, 36°50′41.95″ N) was extracted from the
multi-source Weihe–Mihe River fluvial delta, close to the Bailang River
estuary on the southern coast of Laizhou Bay and the artificial beach of
the reclamation area (Fig. 1), which used to be a shallow offshore area,
within the scope of the three major transgressions since the late
Pleistocene. Core 07 was completed in 2013, with the depth of
80.0 m, and an artificial backfilling depth of 5.8 m. In the laboratory,
the core was split into two sections and then photographed, described
and sampled. U-channel samples were continuously tested for the
whole core. The selected sample interval for the core was 10 cm, which
resulted in 614 samples. In addition, 12 riverine sediment samples
were collected along the Bailang River channel in Shandong Province
in 2014.
To reveal the sedimentary environment and evolutionary charac-
teristics of the sedimentary strata in the study area since 128 ka B.P., a
detailed description of this core's lithology, 14C dating, Optically
Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating, mineral identification, sedi-
ment granularity analysis, sporopollenin, analysis element and micro-
paleontology tests were undertaken by the experiment and testing
center of Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology.
3.1. Radiocarbon dates
Inorganic carbon of three molluscan shell samples from core 07
were taken for radiocarbon dating. Samples were measured by Beta
Analytic Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, using accelerator mass
spectrometry (AMS) in 2013. Radiocarbon ages were corrected for
the regional marine reservoir effect (ΔR =−143 ± 59 yr, a regional
average determined for the Laizhou Bay after Wang and Fan, 2005)
and calibrated by using Calib Revision 6.1 (Stuiver et al., 2009) with a
one standard deviation (1r) uncertainty. The dating result are 760 ± 30
B.P, 3140 ± 30 B.P, 6680 ± 30 B.P at the depth of 13.00 m, 15.00,
16.40 m.
3.2. OSL dates
We took 12 OSL samples by hammering metal cylinders vertically
into the cores. The cylinders were completely full of sediment in order
to avoid mixing during transport. Besides, in order to prevent light
exposure and water loss, we sealed cylinders at both ends with
aluminum foil and plastic tape, then remove the light-exposed sedi-
ment from both ends. The samples were dealt with 10% HCl and 30%
H2O2 to remove carbonates and organics, respectively. Then treated
testing samples with silica saturated fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) for
about two weeks or hydrofluoric acid (HF) for about an hour to remove
feldspars. The purity of the prepared quartz was tested by routine
infrared radiation (IR) stimulation. Using neutron activation analysis
tested the concentrations of uranium (U), thorium (Th) and potassium
(K) and utilizing the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol
method measured equivalent dose(De). The saturated water content
was tested for the dose rate calculation for all samples. Measurements
were performed by using a Daybreak 2200 automated OSL reader in
G. Fei et al.
the experiment and testing center of Qingdao Institute of Marine
Geology, Chinese Geological Survey. More details about dating result
can be refer to the research made by Guo et al. (2016).
3.3. REEs test
Powdered bulk sediments (approximately 0.2g) were leached with
20 ml hydrochloric acid (HCl) for 24 h at room temperature to
determine the REE concentrations in the labile fraction. After being
run through a centrifuge, the supernatants (solutions) were analyzed
for leachable concentrations of REEs using ion-coupled plasma-mass
spectroscopy(ICP-MS). Multiple analysis and standard sample(GSS,
Geochemical Standard Reference Sample Soils, Ministry of Land and
Resources of the People's republic of China) analysis were used for
quality control of the measurements. Analytical uncertainties (relative
standard deviation) were less than 5%. Thus, the analysis results are
considered reliable. In order to eliminate influence from few error
values and smooth curve, the data used in Figs. 3 and 4 was processed
by five-point sliding average method.
This study aims to ascribe sedimentary inputs from the Bailang and
Yellow Rivers to different depositional regimes. The study necessitated
the collection of hundreds of samples providing a real data-base of
sediments from all possible locations and regimes. This enables the
critical evaluation of the effects of weathering and different fluvial
processes on sediment chemistry in different kinds of river and also
allows for the assessment and identification of the group of elements
most suitable for provenance identification. This study also provides
some information on geochemical differentiation by surface geological
processes during transport and deposition, and investigates post-
depositional changes in sediment chemistry due to enroute changes
in climate as the sediment is transported from source to deposition.
4. Results
4.1. Mineralogy and REE characteristics of core 07
Based on the test data and sedimentary characteristics, the shallow
geological core can be divided vertically into five sedimentary units.
Generally, the REEs displayed similarly cyclic variation in the vertical
direction, with obvious changes at the marine-continental stratigraphic
boundaries at depths of 18.58 m, 23.27 m, 49.15 m and 63.70 m,
respectively (see Fig. 2).
At depths of 5.80–18.58 m below the surface, core sediments
transition from dark grey fine sand to silty sand, and finally to grey/
light grey silty sand and clayey silt. The average grain size varies
between 3.5 and 7.5Ф, displaying an overall downward coarsening. The
REEs follow a similar trend. The bottom of this unit is an organic-rich
layer, which can be used as a marker for stratigraphic correlation in
this study area. OSL dating of the bottom interface of this core unit is
11.6 ka B.P. This unit has been deposited alternately by marine and
continent formation processes since the Holocene.
At depths of 18.58–23.27 m (below the surface), sediments com-
prise grey-brown and grey silt and fine sand, which was formed in
fluvial deposition environment. The average grain size varies between
4.7 and 6.3Ф. Again, there is a net downward coarsening in this core
unit. In general, the REE content in this section is relatively stable. The
changing curve displays U-shaped feature. OSL dating of the bottom
interface in this unit places it chronologically at 24.0 ka B.P. This unit
represents a Late Pleistocene continental deposit.
REE contents at depths of 23.2–49.15 m vary widely from top to
bottom but exhibit three distinct peaks, suggesting a multi-cyclic
variation. The upper sediment in this unit comprises yellow-grey silty
sand, light yellow clayey silt and silty sand. The bottom sediment
composes mainly fawn-grey clayey silt, silty clay, and silty sand. The
average grain size in this unit varies between 3.5 and 7.0Ф. OSL dating
of the bottom interface of this unit places it at 61.0 ka B.P. This
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Continental Shelf Research 136 (2017) 29–38
transgression unit was deposited in the late stages of the Late
Pleistocene.
For the 4th unit (49.15–63.70 m), the REE content reduces
gradually, but exhibits a local high value in the middle. The upper
sediment in this unit comprises light grey and yellow clayey silt. The
bottom sediments primarily contain light yellow silt and light grey
clayey silt. The average particle size in this unit varies from 3.7 to 6.9Ф,
with granularity once again coarsening gradually from top to bottom.
OSL dating of the bottom interface of this unit dates it at 74.0 ka B.P.
Thus, this continental layer formed in the early Late Pleistocene.
The core unit that extends, approximately, from 63.70 to 80.00 m
below the surface reveals a further gradual decrease in REE content.
Here, the upper sediments contain mainly grey/light grey fine sand and
silt. Lower sediments, however, comprise mainly yellow-grey and light
grey clayey silt, and yellow-grey coarse sand and fine sand. The average
particle size in this unit varies widely from 2.2 to 7.2Ф. OSL dating of
the bottom interface of this unit places it, chronologically, at 128 ka
B.P. This Cangzhou transgression layer was formed in the early stages
of the Late Pleistocene.
4.2. Eigenvalues and chondrite-normalized REE patterns
Using chondrite to standardize the rare earth elements of core 07,
the δEu values of the samples vary between 0.58 and 0.82, revealing
obvious negative abnormality. δCe values, however, vary from 0.86 to
1.06, with no obvious abnormality. Besides, the variation trends of
LREE and HREE, δCe is the similar to that of ΣREE in the vertical
direction. Nevertheless the δEu values show the opposite change rule.
These eigenvalues show obvious change in REEs at marine-continental
stratigraphic boundaries, except for LREE/HREE values which range
from 7.06 to 14.11, and whose variation rule is different from that of
the other eigenvalues. From the early Würm glacial stage of the Late
Pleistocene to the present, the LREE/HREE value has not showed any
apparent change in vertical profile of core 07. However, from the early
stages of the Late Pleistocene to the early Würm glacial stage of the
Late Pleistocene, the LREE/HREE value changed noticeably. The
LREE/HREE value mainly reflects the degree of chemical weathering
and the nature of the parent rock in source areas. In this instance, this
value is weakly correlated with grain size, which indicates that the
depositional paleo-environment and the sedimentary source of Laizhou
Bay underwent substantial change in late stages of the Late Pleistocene.
As shown in Fig. 3, the REE content in core 07 is closely related to
sediment type. REEs are abundant in the clay and silty clay fractions,
and are concentrated in fine-grained sediments. Whereas, there also
exists some special situation. Fig. 3 shows that at depths of 70.00–
73.00 m in core 07, the REE content is higher in the sandy sediment
fraction than the other sandy sediments. A possible reason for this may
be associated with the existence of heavy minerals (apatite and
monazite) rich in REE components (Gao et al., 2003). The REE content
of some fine-grained sediments is low, and may be diluted by the
presence of bioclasts (Zhao et al., 1994).
Through correlation analysis, it is shown that LREE content is
poorly correlated with SiO2 (R2=0.16), while it is strongly positively
correlated with Al2O3 and TiO2 (deriving from terrigenous clast)
(R2=0.71, 0.88 respectively). This indicates that REEs origin from
terrigenous clastic sediments. Average sediment particle size is posi-
tively correlated with ΣREE, LREE, and HREE (R2 values are 0.47,
0.47, and 0.48, respectively). However, LREE/HREE is poorly corre-
lated with average particle size (R2=0.03, see Fig. 4). REEs in the
parent rock do not easily migrate, or are hardly transferred to clastic
sediments during the processes of weathering, erosion, transportation,
deposition and diagenesis. Even if the sediment is carried to a shallow
sea, undergoing the processes of resuspension, transportation and
redeposition along the way, the effect on the overall REE value is
negligible. LREE/HREE is mainly affected by chemical weathering and
source change. In the case of the Bailang and Yellow Rivers, which are
G. Fei et al. Continental Shelf Research 136 (2017) 29–38

Fig. 2. The distributions of the REE contents in borehole 07.

mainly influenced by physical weathering, LREE/HREE can be used to
indicate historical changes in sedimentary paleo-environment and
provenance.
In analyzing Bailang River sediments (BLH1–BLH12) and Yellow
River sediments (Yang et al., 2003a, 2003b), REE values of all samples
are standardized according to chondrite. ΣREE contents vary from
65.77 to 263.49 μg/g, with an average content of 135.01 μg/g. δCe
shows weak negative abnormality (see Fig. 5), ranging from 0.86 to
1.06 (with an average of 0.94). δEu values display moderate losses,
ranging from 0.57 to 0.82 ( average value is 0.69). The ΣREE content in

33
G. Fei et al.
Fig. 3. Variations of sediment grain size, ΣREE, LREE, HREE, ΣLREE/ΣHREE, δEu and δCe in Core 07.
Yellow River sediments ranges from 80.4 to 185 μg/g, with an average
content of 142.8 μg/g. δEu values for Yellow River sediments vary from
0.54 to 1.05, with an average value of 0.67, which is close to the δEu
variation range for core 07 (Yang et al., 2003a, 2003b). Yellow River
sediments originate primarily from the loess plateau, and physical
weathering plays a dominant role in their disintegration (Chen et al.,
1984). Generally, physical weathering will not produce differentiation.
Thus, the Yellow River sediments have inherited loess features, mean-
ing that the degree of differentiation between LREE and HREE is
relatively low (Chen et al., 1984; Yang et al., 1999). The ΣREE content
of Bailang River sediments varies from 62.84 to 161.23 μg/g, with a
large variation and an average of 99.48 μg/g. δCe exhibits a slightly
negative abnormality, with values ranging from 0.76 to 0.96 (and an
average of 0.90). δEu varies between 0.63 and 0.95 (with an average
value of 0.81).
All three values, i.e. ΣREE, δEu and δCe for the three different kinds
of sediment display similar variation ranges and averages. In addition,
all three types of sediment (i.e. core 07, Bailang River, and Yellow River
sediments) shows similar chondrite-normalized REE patterns with
rightward inclined type (see Fig. 5). However, certain important
differences do exist between the different sediment samples.
Although both the Yellow River and Bailang River sediments are
mainly affected by physical weathering, when the effects of chemical
weathering on the two samples are analyzed, the Bailang River
sediment shows a much weaker response to chemical weathering
processes than the Yellow River sediment. This implies a lower degree
of differentiation between LREE and HREE. As is shown in Fig. 5,
chondrite-normalized REE patterns at depths of 5.80–49.15 m in core
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Continental Shelf Research 136 (2017) 29–38
07 are more similar to those derived for the Bailang River sediments,
while chondrite-normalized REE patterns at depths of 49.15–80.00 m
in core 07 are more similar to those pertaining to the Yellow River
sediments.
All of these suggest that the Bailang River and Yellow River are the
main provenances of the Mihe–Weihe multi-source fluvial delta
sedimentary system in the south of Laizhou Bay, contributing alter-
nately to its sedimentary strata in different period.
5. Discussion
To explore the respective contributions of different provenance
areas to core 07 in Laizhou Bay, we utilize the EuN-ΣREEs discrimina-
tion diagram and the provenance index (PI) in this paper to distinguish
them.
As is shown in Fig. 6, δEuN and ΣREE values calculated for the
Bailang and Yellow River sediments, respectively, are clearly corre-
lated. According to data collected during this study, as well as
published the secondary reference data (Yang et al., 2003a, 2003b), a
correlation curve can be drawn among these data at the point where:
y=−154.5lnx+71.23 (R2=0.78). The data are relatively evenly distrib-
uted across different regions. Most data for the Bailang River sedi-
ments fall below the curve (Bailang River Sedimentary Area), whilst
most data for the Yellow River sediments lie above the curve (Yellow
River Sedimentary Area). For the purposes of this study, 15 samples
with equal intervals were selected from the five respective sedimentary
units in core 07. δEuN and ΣREE discrimination diagrams plotted for
core 07 sediments clearly indicate that the different units have different
G. Fei et al.
Fig. 4. Correlation between REE, LREE/HREE and average grain diameter (Ф), LREE between SiO2, Al2O3 in Core 07.
sediment sources (Fig. 6). Most samples from depth intervals of 5.80–
18.58 m, 18.58–23.70 m, and 23.27–49.15 m, fall on the Bailang River
Sedimentary Area. However, major samples collected at depth intervals
of 49.15–63.70 m and 63.70–80.00 m closely gather in the Yellow
River Sedimentary Area.
Following from the above preliminary analyses, further investiga-
tion switch to the quantitative analysis of sediment sources, as well as
the calculation of the respective sources’ relative contributions to total
deposition, was undertaken by using the provenance index (PI). The PI
equation was firstly used by Yang to distinguish provenance of
postglacial sediment in the northern Jiangsu Coastal Plain (Yang
et al., 2000);. And the calculation is as follows:
PI = ∑ Cix − Ci1 /(∑ Cix − Ci1 + ∑ Cix − Ci 2 ) .
where, i represents an element or a ratio of two elements; Cix
stands for the content of the element i in the sediments to be
distinguished; Ci1 and Ci2 represent the relative contents of two
particular elements in different end member sediments (Xie et al.,
2006; Wang et al., 2007).
The PI reflects the general degree of similarity between two
sediments with respect to chemical ingredients. PI ranges from 0 to
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Continental Shelf Research 136 (2017) 29–38
1. If PI is less than 0.5, it indicates that the chemical composition of the
determinant sediment is similar to that of the former sediment (end
members sediment 1). If PI is more than 0.5, it indicates that the
chemical composition of the determinant sediments is close to that of
the latter sediment (end members sediment 2). This article refers to the
Yellow River and the Bailang River sediments. The two elements
selected for the PI study differ greatly in terms of their respective
contents. These should be chosen to help distinguish different sediment
sources. According to correlation analysis, La/Sm and LREE/HREE
exhibit no significant correlation with average particle size in Yellow
River sediments (Yang and Li, 1999a, 1999b). As is the case for the
Bailang River sediments, the relative contents of La, Sm, LREE, and
HREE differ significantly from one another in the Yellow River
sediments. Therefore, La/Sm and LREE/HREE are chosen to calculate
PI.
Table 1 shows that the data (PI) calculated according to the La/Sm
and LREE/HREE values indicate that when encountered the following
sediment units: 5.80–18.58 m, 18.58–23.27 m, and 23.27–49.15 m,
Bailang River is the main provenance of core 07. In contrast, the Yellow
River catchment turns into the major provenance of sediments at
G. Fei et al. Continental Shelf Research 136 (2017) 29–38

depths of 49.15–63.70 m and 63.70–80.00 m, respectively. That is, the

primary provenance of sediments in core 07 on the southern coast of
Laizhou Bay transitions from the Bailang River sediments to the Yellow
River sediments from top to the bottom in the profile.
The bottom interface of the 5.80–18.58 m unit is dated at 11.6 ka
B.P. Sediments in this unit have been deposited alternately by marine
and continental formation processes since the Holocene. Thus, this
unit includes the early Holocene continental layer, the middle
Holocene Huanghua transgression layer, and the late Holocene con-
tinental layer. At this stage, the Huanghua transgression range is
relatively larger (as shown in Fig. 1), but with shorter duration, and
during this stage the Yellow River diverted frequently. Thus Bailang
River is still the main provenances in this area.
At the depth of 18.58–23.27 m, the bottom interface dating is 24.0
ka B.P. During this time, it developed fluvial facies deposition in wurm
late glacial age. At this stage, the sea level gradually fell, with
terrigenous clastic as well as the contribution of small and medium-
sized rivers increasing. Therefore, the main sedimentary source is
Bailang River in the southern coast of Laizhou Bay.
The bottom interface of the 23.27–49.15 m unit in core 7 is dated at
61.0 ka B.P. During that time, this unit was deposited sedimentary
Fig. 5. The Chondrite-normalized REE distribution patterns in surficial sediments of strata, formed alternately with transgression layers and continental
Bailang River and Yellow River and sediment samplings of 07 core. layers. Among the three major transgression events represented in this
unit, the range of the Xianxian Transgression is relatively smaller.
Moreover, related studies have shown that heavy mineral combination
of the old Yellow River delta in the late stage of late Pleistocene is under
the control of the source of the moden Yellow River delta (Li et al.,
1998). During the regressive period represented by this unit, the Yellow
River flowed into the Yellow Sea, which became the main source of the
East Sea and Yellow Sea shelves (Lan et al., 2010). Therefore, it can be
concluded that the Yellow River sediments made little overall con-
tribution to core 07 on the southern coast of Laizhou Bay, whose source
is predominantly the Bailang River catchment.
The bottom interface of the 49.15–63.70 m unit is dated at 74.0 ka
B.P. During this stage, the continental layers formed in late Pleistocene
late wurm early glacier. The sediments are mainly composed of light
grey and light yellow clayey silt, and fine silt. In the early Pleistocene,
the neotectonic activity in the region switched from relative uplift to
absolute subsidence (Wang and Tian, 1999), which made it possible to
interconnect the Yellow River. Hence, the Yellow River interconnected
to affect the North China Plane around the early Pleistocene (Yang
et al., 2001). In the process of diverting, almost every Yellow River
estuary experienced four stages, namely sheet flooding, distribution,
convergence and rechanneling (Xia et al., 1993). The Yellow River was
frequently rechanneled during this geological period. In the final stages
of the Late Pleistocene, the Yellow River was in the diverting stage
transferring from the East Sea to the Bohai Sea. This diversion is what
Fig. 6. Correlation between δEuN and ΣREEs for sediments in Core 07. led to the Yellow River becoming a major source of Laizhou Bay
sediments.
Table 1 Finally, the bottom interface of the 63.70–80.00 m unit is dated at
Comparison of provenance index (PI) of sediments in Core 07 from Laizhou Bay. 128 ka B.P. The Cangzhou transgression layer formed in the early Late
Pleistocene. Yellow River turns into the main provenance. Many
Depth/m PI of Bailang River PI of Yellow River Provenance
discrimination studies have confirmed that the main channel of the Yellow River
LREE/ La/Sm LREE/ La/Sm was located in the north China plain during this period (Gao et al.,
HREE HREE 1989; Alexander et al., 1991). Due to lacks of sedimentary inputs, near
source rivers are vulnerable to being influenced by climate change.
5.80– 0.33 0.26 0.67 0.74 Mainly Bailang River
18.58 During sea level rise, sediment showed retrogradation superimposes
18.58– 0.32 0.17 0.68 0.83 Mainly Bailang River style. And the sedimentary contribution of the Bailang River and
23.27 Yellow River gradually reduced from land to sea, while because of
23.27– 0.47 0.35 0.53 0.65 Mainly Bailang River larger runoff and clastic input, the influence of Yellow River was much
49.15
49.15– 0.62 0.51 0.38 0.49 Mainly Yellow River
greater. Therefore, the main source of the sediments in this unit is the
63.70 Yellow River catchment.
63.70– 0.63 0.64 0.37 0.36 Mainly Yellow River
80.00 6. Conclusion

A detailed study of the geochemical characteristics of Bailang and

36
G. Fei et al.
Yellow river sediments has provided a means of clearly discriminating
the provenance of sediments in core 07 of Laizhou Bay. According to
the sedimentary characteristics and the test data, core 07 can be
divided vertically into five sedimentary units. At marine-continental
stratigraphic boundaries, the REE, relative parameters and ratio of
core 07 displayed similarly cyclic variation in the vertical direction,
with distinct changes. Thus the REEs can be used as stratigraphic
division indexes. There is a distinct source change in different period
that is evident when change rule of REE, δEu and δCe, chondrite-
normalized REE distribution patterns are analyzed. Yellow River and
Bailang River sediments were the main provenance of sediments in
core 07. Meanwhile, REE discrimination diagrams and PI provide an
improved procedure for discriminating contribution from different
sedimentary end members, which revealed that the early sediments
in core 07 (Qp33–Qp31; 49.15–80.00 m) were primarily derived from
Yellow River catchment, and that the recent sediments in core 07
(Qh3–Qp33; 5.80–49.15 m) primarily stemmed from the Bailang River
catchment. Following extensive analysis, it was concluded that the
main provenance of Laizhou Bay was the Bailang River and Yellow
River, which has played an important role in the multi-source
sedimentary system of the southern coast of Laizhou Bay since the
early Late Pleistocene. Because of frequent rechanneling of the Yellow
River in history, it shows characteristics of generation and segment.
And small or medium sized rivers have unneglectable influence on
sedimentary system in southern coast of Laizhou Bay.
Acknowledgements
This work is financially support supported by Natural Science
Foundation of China (40476051 and 41406082), special guarantee
project of National Marine Geology (No. GZH201200505), State Basic
Research Special Program of China (No. 2014FY210600), China
Geological Survey's Project (No. DD20160144), National Key
Research and Development Program (No. 2016YFC0402800). The
authors would like to acknowledge the help of them. Special thanks
are owed to editors and anonymous reviewers whose comments helped
to improve the paper.
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