Study on Geochemical Characteristics of Rare Earth Elements of Xinhua Phosphate Rocks in the Upper Yangtze, South China by ICP-MS/AES and Its Sedimentology Implications

Xinhua phosphorus is a sedimentary phosphate deposit in China with strong REEs enrichment. In this study, Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) as well as rock-mineral identification, major and trace elements analysis together with sedimentology theory have been used to study geochemical characteristics of REEs in Xinhua phosphate rocks. ∑REEs of Xinhua phosphate rocks range from 800×10^-6 to 1200×10^-6 and are dominated by LREEs and Yttrium. REEs occur in collophanite by isomorphism dominantly. REEs pattern curves show remarkably negative Ce anomaies with values ranging from 0.28 to 0.36 in Xinhua phosphate rocks, which are similar to those of Kunyang phosphate rocks, indicating phosphorus in the south of the upper Yangtze was formed in an oxidative environment and precipitated at the stable epicontinental sea of the passive continental margin. However, REEs pattern curves of the upper black shales and weak Ce and Eu anomalies are different from those of Xinhua phosphate rocks, which reflect black shales were formed in a deep and bathyal sea of a reductive environment. The Meishucunian period had a transgression process and the Meishucunian stage had an upward deep regressive sequence, the boundary between phosphate rocks and black shales possibly being a third-order even less scale sequence boundary. All of this sedimentology information is helpful to reveal the sequence of stratigraphy and marine sedimentary environment, which provides evidence for biological outbreak and stratigraphy sequence of early Cambrian in the Yangtze area, South China.