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Apr.  2026
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GAO Xue, LÜ ChengFu, ZHANG Ying, DANG ZhaoQing, YANG Fei. Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Molybdenum in the Surface Sediments of Qinghai Lake[J]. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 2026, 44(2): 454-467. doi: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2024.060
Citation: GAO Xue, LÜ ChengFu, ZHANG Ying, DANG ZhaoQing, YANG Fei. Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Molybdenum in the Surface Sediments of Qinghai Lake[J]. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 2026, 44(2): 454-467. doi: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2024.060

Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Molybdenum in the Surface Sediments of Qinghai Lake

doi: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2024.060
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  • Corresponding author: LÜ ChengFu, E-mail: bailu2005@163.com; YANG Fei, E-mail: yfyaolan@sina.com
  • Received Date: 2023-04-05
  • Accepted Date: 2024-05-14
  • Rev Recd Date: 2024-04-20
  • Available Online: 2024-05-14
  • Publish Date: 2026-04-10
  • Objective Trace elements play an important role in the reconstruction of the paleoredox states of marine sediments. Among them, molybdenum(Mo) has become an ideal proxy for the reconstruction of the redox state of ancient water bodies because it is mainly enriched in the form of autogenetic chemical deposition and less affected by terrigenous debris. However, compared with the ocean, lakes are more susceptible to terrigenous detritus and have more complex sedimentary environment, and the difference in the environment affects the settlement, distribution, and enrichment of Mo. In this study, the surface sediment of Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in China is the main research object. The enrichment mechanism and controlling factors of Mo element in alkaline, suboxic, and brackish water lakes were identified to provide a scientific basis for the applicability of Mo element in the reconstruction of lake paleoenvironment. Methods The planar distribution characteristics of Mo in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake were determined by high density sampling and systematic testing, including X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In addition, the coupling relationship between Mo content and terrigenous input, particle size, element content, total organic carbon (TOC), and depositional environment was established to determine the main controlling factors of Mo enrichment in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake. Results The preliminary results show that Qinghai Lake is a brackish water lake with alkaline and weak oxidation. The planar distribution of Mo in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake increases from the coastal shallow water area to the deep water area in the lake, and Mo is slightly enriched in the deep water area. Under sulfidic conditions, the soluble Mo in the water body is converted to particle reactive thiomolybdates. Because the overall water body of Qinghai Lake is in a state of oxidation, the enrichment of Mo in the sediments is unrelated. The enrichment of Mo in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake may be controlled by the adsorption effect, that is, it is adsorbed and precipitated by clay minerals, Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides, organic matter, and other substances. The correlation analysis between Mo content and terrigenous input, particle size, element content, and TOC in the selected two transects shows that Mo has a positive correlation with TOC, and the change is similar, whereas Mo has a weak correlation with Al2O3 and Zr, which represents the terrigenous detritus input, and the change is significantly different. There was no correlation with clay minerals and Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides. This indicates that the influence of terrigenous detrital input on the distribution of Mo content in Qinghai Lake sediments is weak. Affected by the pH of water and the redox state of surface sediments, clay minerals, Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides have little influence on Mo enrichment in this environment, and TOC is the main controlling factor of Mo enrichment. Conclusions For alkaline and brackish water lakes with weak oxidation of bottom water, such as Qinghai Lake, organic matter adsorption and preservation are the main controlling factors for Mo enrichment in sediments. The type of organic matter could also affect the application effect of Mo as a proxy for redox identification of palaeolakes. Although the type of organic matter may influence the identification of redox conditions by Mo enrichment degree, Mo enrichment in weakly oxidized lake sediments is mainly controlled by the adsorption and preservation of organic matter, and Mo enrichment in sulfidic lake sediments is controlled by both the adsorption and preservation of particles such as organic matter and the reaction with H2S in the water and the final preservation in the sediment (MoS2); thus, the Mo enrichment capacity is stronger. Therefore, Mo is an effective proxy for judging the redox state of palaeowater in the lake basin.
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  • Received:  2023-04-05
  • Revised:  2024-04-20
  • Accepted:  2024-05-14
  • Published:  2026-04-10

Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Molybdenum in the Surface Sediments of Qinghai Lake

doi: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2024.060

Abstract: Objective Trace elements play an important role in the reconstruction of the paleoredox states of marine sediments. Among them, molybdenum(Mo) has become an ideal proxy for the reconstruction of the redox state of ancient water bodies because it is mainly enriched in the form of autogenetic chemical deposition and less affected by terrigenous debris. However, compared with the ocean, lakes are more susceptible to terrigenous detritus and have more complex sedimentary environment, and the difference in the environment affects the settlement, distribution, and enrichment of Mo. In this study, the surface sediment of Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in China is the main research object. The enrichment mechanism and controlling factors of Mo element in alkaline, suboxic, and brackish water lakes were identified to provide a scientific basis for the applicability of Mo element in the reconstruction of lake paleoenvironment. Methods The planar distribution characteristics of Mo in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake were determined by high density sampling and systematic testing, including X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In addition, the coupling relationship between Mo content and terrigenous input, particle size, element content, total organic carbon (TOC), and depositional environment was established to determine the main controlling factors of Mo enrichment in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake. Results The preliminary results show that Qinghai Lake is a brackish water lake with alkaline and weak oxidation. The planar distribution of Mo in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake increases from the coastal shallow water area to the deep water area in the lake, and Mo is slightly enriched in the deep water area. Under sulfidic conditions, the soluble Mo in the water body is converted to particle reactive thiomolybdates. Because the overall water body of Qinghai Lake is in a state of oxidation, the enrichment of Mo in the sediments is unrelated. The enrichment of Mo in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake may be controlled by the adsorption effect, that is, it is adsorbed and precipitated by clay minerals, Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides, organic matter, and other substances. The correlation analysis between Mo content and terrigenous input, particle size, element content, and TOC in the selected two transects shows that Mo has a positive correlation with TOC, and the change is similar, whereas Mo has a weak correlation with Al2O3 and Zr, which represents the terrigenous detritus input, and the change is significantly different. There was no correlation with clay minerals and Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides. This indicates that the influence of terrigenous detrital input on the distribution of Mo content in Qinghai Lake sediments is weak. Affected by the pH of water and the redox state of surface sediments, clay minerals, Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides have little influence on Mo enrichment in this environment, and TOC is the main controlling factor of Mo enrichment. Conclusions For alkaline and brackish water lakes with weak oxidation of bottom water, such as Qinghai Lake, organic matter adsorption and preservation are the main controlling factors for Mo enrichment in sediments. The type of organic matter could also affect the application effect of Mo as a proxy for redox identification of palaeolakes. Although the type of organic matter may influence the identification of redox conditions by Mo enrichment degree, Mo enrichment in weakly oxidized lake sediments is mainly controlled by the adsorption and preservation of organic matter, and Mo enrichment in sulfidic lake sediments is controlled by both the adsorption and preservation of particles such as organic matter and the reaction with H2S in the water and the final preservation in the sediment (MoS2); thus, the Mo enrichment capacity is stronger. Therefore, Mo is an effective proxy for judging the redox state of palaeowater in the lake basin.

GAO Xue, LÜ ChengFu, ZHANG Ying, DANG ZhaoQing, YANG Fei. Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Molybdenum in the Surface Sediments of Qinghai Lake[J]. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 2026, 44(2): 454-467. doi: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2024.060
Citation: GAO Xue, LÜ ChengFu, ZHANG Ying, DANG ZhaoQing, YANG Fei. Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Molybdenum in the Surface Sediments of Qinghai Lake[J]. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 2026, 44(2): 454-467. doi: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2024.060
  • 氧化还原条件是海洋、湖泊水体及沉积物的关键环境参数,控制着盆地水体—沉积物体系中有机质、敏感矿物及元素的状态、循环、分异和富集,其已成为全球性大洋氧化—缺氧事件、碳循环和有机质富集机理等研究的重要内容(韦恒叶,2012彭俊文,2022)。目前,已有大量研究通过生物标志物、主微量元素及同位素等指标成功恢复了古海洋的氧化还原环境。其中微量元素在沉积物中的富集与氧化还原条件密切相关,因此成为古氧化还原状态重建过程中的重要指标(Kimura and Watanabe,2001Galarraga et al.,2008Algeo et al.,2012Adegoke et al.,2014汤冬杰等,2015)。但近年来的研究表明,微量元素在沉积物中的富集同时受扰动、再氧化、成岩作用、粒控效应、沉积速率、陆源物质输入等多种因素的影响,再加上不同海洋湖泊环境的差异性,导致在使用微量元素指标指示氧化还原条件时经常失灵(Jones and Manning,1994Rimmer,2004Over et al.,2019Algeo and Liu,2020),微量元素指标在重建古湖泊氧化还原环境方面遭遇了严重挑战。因此在进行相关研究时,需要注意多种影响因素的作用,根据研究区特征,选择合适的元素指标。

    近年来Mo元素受到人们的广泛关注,与其他微量元素相比,Mo元素对氧化还原环境的变化更敏感,且主要以自生化学沉积形式富集在湖相沉积物中,保证其免受生物等因素的干扰,此外,Mo在碎屑物质中的含量相对较少,说明其受陆源碎屑影响较小,因此,Mo成为重建古水体氧化还原状态的更为理想的指标。Mo在地壳中的含量较低,研究表明地壳中Mo的含量介于1~2 μg/g,通常以硫化物MoS2形式存在,少部分以PbMoO4,CaMoO4形式赋存在浆岩副矿物(Miller et al.,2011),现代海洋中的Mo主要来自河流输入,也有少量来源于海底高温热液(Neely et al.,2018)。基于Mo不同的地球化学行为,前人研究发现Mo同位素、U-Mo共变、Mo/TOC等元素指标在重建古海洋的氧化还原条件、水化学条件、海平面波动以及水循环周期等方面具有重要指示意义(Crusius et al.,1996Algeo and Tribovillard,2009Tribovillard et al.,2012吕荐阔等,2021张晓潼等,2022)。

    然而与海洋相比,湖泊更容易受陆源碎屑的影响,且具有更复杂的沉积环境。湖泊环境的差异性影响着Mo的沉降、分布及富集。如Chappaz et al.(2008)研究加拿大东部湖泊认为,常年氧化、pH值(5.3~5.6)较低的湖泊中,Mo的沉淀主要受控于铁氢氧化物吸附,常年缺氧湖泊或季节性缺氧湖泊中,Mo沉淀符合FeS吸附或共沉淀的固定机制;Dahl et al.(2010)研究瑞士常年缺氧硫化的卡达尼奥湖,认为Mo的主要沉积途径是硫化水柱中的有机物颗粒吸附。Helz et al.(2011)分析了克罗地亚近永久分层的喀斯特湖和其他硫化盆地,认为硫化水体中的Mo沉淀可能受Fe-Mo硫化矿物的沉淀控制,水体pH值为7(或者更低)显著促进了H2S对Mo的固定。Glass et al.(2013)研究了加利福尼亚季节性缺氧的城堡湖,指出该湖泊现今沉积物中的Mo主要来源于有机物和铁锰氢氧化物。可见湖泊沉积中Mo的沉降机制、分布特征及富集特征认识还存在很大争议,这对重建古湖泊氧化还原条件及沉积环境造成极大困难。本文以我国最大湖泊——青海湖的表层沉积物为主要研究对象,利用高密度的样品采集和系统性测试,明确湖泊沉积物中Mo的平面分布规律,建立Mo含量与沉积环境要素、粒度、矿物、TOC及其他元素的耦合关系,查明弱氧化微咸水湖泊中Mo元素的富集机制及控制因素,以期为Mo元素在古湖泊环境恢复中的适用性提供科学依据。

  • 位于青藏高原东北部的青海湖(99°36’~100°47’ E,36°32’~37°15’ N)是我国面积最大的湖泊,类型上属于内陆高原微咸水构造型湖泊,湖面海拔约3 260 m,平均水深21 m,最大水深为30 m,湖泊面积为4 550 km2。湖区受高海拔半干旱寒冷气候控制,气温介于-12.6 ℃~28.0 ℃。青海湖湖水补给来源主要是河水以及大气降水,湖周围有大小河流40余条,其中布哈河、黑马河、泉吉河、沙柳河和哈尔盖河是主要的入湖河流(朱正杰等,2010),入湖径流呈明显的不对称分布,西北部水系发育且流量大,布哈河是青海湖最主要的入湖河流,可占青海湖入湖径流总量的60%(卢凤艳和安芷生,2010)。

    青海湖流域面积为29 660 km2,流域内岩性主要包括岩浆岩及变质岩(陈骥,2016)。大通山北部出露下古生界浅变质岩和花岗岩,在刚察以西地层主要由中生界砂页岩组成,以东则出露前震旦系及震旦系变质岩。湖区以东的日月山由前震旦系的片麻岩、花岗岩以及花岗闪长岩等组成。湖区南侧的青海南山由二叠、三叠系灰岩、变质砂岩、板岩、花岗岩、闪长岩、片麻岩等组成(中国科学院兰州地质研究所等,1979),青海湖流域岩性分布如图1所示。湖区周围发育多种土壤,类型以高山草甸土、高山寒漠土、栗钙土、山地草甸土和风沙土为主,植被类型是C3植物(陈桂琛和彭敏,1993曹生奎等,2013李娜娜,2021)。

    Figure 1.  Lithologic distribution of Qinghai Lake(Wang, 2019)

    青海湖是中新世喜马拉雅第二期运动形成的构造型湖泊(陈克造等,1964),根据本次测深仪高密度网格化测量,青海湖湖盆可以进一步划分为海北凹陷、海南凹陷和海东凹陷三个凹陷,湖底相对平坦,各凹陷湖底深度差小于3 m。沉积类型整体以湖相的滨湖亚相、半深湖相和深湖相为主,局部发育河口三角洲相、湖湾相、湖流浊积相和水下风砂堆积相沉积物(中国科学院兰州地质研究所等,1979)。

  • 本次研究样品来自青海湖湖底表层沉积物。2020年8—9月,利用刮底式采样器以4 km×4 km的网格密度进行样品采集(图2),现场获取了220个未受扰动、距水—沉积物界面2~5 cm深度的沉积物样品,并立即冷冻保存。同时在每个点位距离湖底1 m处进行密封式采集水样,现场利用德国WTW-Multi 3510IDS便携式分析仪测定了水样和沉积物的pH、溶解氧等参数。

    Figure 2.  Distribution of sampling points in Qinghai Lake

    在实验室将冷冻的沉积物样品进行常温解冻、自然风干后,利用高分辨电感耦合等离子质谱仪(ICP-MS)测定了湖盆全部沉积物样品的Mo和Zr等微量元素含量。选取了贯穿青海湖的横、纵2条剖面上38个沉积物样品进行测试分析,其中,理学3080E3X型X射线荧光光谱仪测试Al2O3、MnO和Fe2O3等主量元素;LECOCS-900碳硫分析仪测试有机质含量;Rigaku Ultima Ⅳ型X射线衍射仪测试黏土矿物含量;粒度测试采用筛分与马尔文Mastersizer 3000激光粒度分析仪相结合的方法。

  • 220个青海湖表层沉积物中Mo含量介于0.111~2.884 μg/g,平均为1.418 μg/g,平面分布特征整体表现为沿岸浅水区向湖内深水区逐渐升高的特点(图3)。湖内三个不同凹陷总体上Mo含量及平面分布较为相似,但也有所区别(表1),海东凹陷表层沉积物中出现Mo含量的最大值为2.88 μg/g,而海北凹陷的Mo平均含量最高。三个凹陷水深大于20 m的深水区表层沉积物的Mo含量区别较大,海北、海东凹陷Mo含量分布较为均匀,其平均值分别为1.90 μg/g和2.03 μg/g,而海南凹陷南侧Mo含量一般介于1.25~1.5 μg/g,导致其深水区平均值仅为1.64 μg/g。

    Figure 3.  Horizontal distribution of Mo in the surface sediments, Qinghai Lake

    特征参数Mo
    海北凹陷海南凹陷海东凹陷
    最大值2.552.732.88
    最小值0.110.120.26
    平均值1.531.351.47
    标准偏差0.750.710.86

    Table 1.  Mo content and its characteristic parameters in the surface sediments, Qinghai Lake (μg/g)

  • 由于元素Al基本来源于碎屑物质,并且化学性质较稳定,在成岩过程中不易流失,因此通常选用Al作为参考元素,进行标准化后的富集系数(EF元素)来判断某种特定元素在沉积物中的相对富集程度(常华进等,2009刘文等,2019杨存和高云佩,2020)。富集系数的计算公式如下。

    XEF=(X/Al)样品/(X/Al)标样 (1)

    式中:X代表元素,标样通常是后太古代澳大利亚平均页岩(PAAS)、上大陆地壳(UCC)或者全球平均页岩(AS),如果富集系数大于1,表示元素富集,反之表示元素亏损(董宏坤等,2022)。

    青海湖流域的表层土壤中Cr、Mn、Co、Ni、Cu、Cd、Zr等多种微量元素背景值(王平等,2010)与UCC、PAAS、AS(杨存和高云佩,2020)差异较大,并且以往历年青藏高原土壤元素含量调查和青海湖流域表层土壤环境背景值研究中,并未同时给出该地区Mo、Al元素含量数据(成延鏊和田均良,1993王平等,2010Sheng et al.,2012杨安等,2020)。因此,无法选用青海湖周边区域土壤Mo、Al元素作为参考元素,但是我们发现青海湖周边土壤与中国土壤元素具有比较接近的背景值(中国环境监测总站,1990),为此本次研究选取中国土壤元素含量作为标准。Mo的富集系数计算公式如下:

    MoEF=(Mo/Al)样品/(Mo/Al)中国土壤 (2)

    式中:(Mo/Al)样品是样品中Mo元素和Al元素的比值,(Mo/Al)中国土壤是中国土壤中Mo与Al元素的比值。

    贯穿青海湖东西和南北方向两条剖面MoEF的计算结果如图4所示,MoEF与Mo含量具有高度一致性,MoEF介于0.17~1.87,平均值为1.10,其中63%的采样点MoEF大于1,这说明青海湖表层沉积物大多富集Mo元素。从湖盆平面上来看,近岸区域以及砂脊附近MoEF一般小于1,表现为Mo亏损,而湖盆各凹陷深水区MoEF一般介于1~2,表现为轻度富集。

    Figure 4.  Cross section of MoEF and Mo contents in the surface sediments, Qinghai Lake

  • 青海湖表层沉积物中可能影响Mo元素分布的主要包括代表内源的TFe2O3、MnO和代表陆源输入的Al2O3、Zr等。两条剖面采样点分析测试显示,表层沉积物TFe2O3含量介于1.81%~5.83%,平均为4.05%,其含量分布特点表现为入湖口>湖内深水区>近岸浅水区;MnO含量介于0.04%~0.11%,平均为0.08%,哈尔盖河入湖口处泥质沉积物的MnO含量较高,二郎剑附近砂质沉积物MnO含量较低,其他区域MnO含量没有明显变化。Al2O3含量介于7.47%~14.30%,平均为9.41%;Zr含量介于85.10~311.10 μg/g,平均为130.84 μg/g,陆源输入指示元素Al以及Zr均在入湖口、砂脊以及近岸区域具有较高的含量。TOC的含量介于0.06%~3.01%,平均为1.40%。主要元素和TOC总体上表现出较为明显的近岸浅水区含量低,湖内深水区含量高的分布特点(表2)。

    剖面特征参数粒级组分含量/%平均粒径/ΦTOC/%Al2O3/%Zr/(μg/g)Fe2O3/%MnO/%Mo/(μg/g)
    粉砂黏土
    剖面1最大值8.2971.8976.6935.285.953.0114.30311.105.830.112.55
    最小值03.4722.701.880.970.207.47107.403.310.070.30
    平均值0.5215.7659.1724.554.961.479.17138.704.080.081.51
    标准偏差2.0721.5914.4610.461.390.671.4851.540.520.010.83
    剖面2最大值12.7377.1375.9633.006.242.0312.08282.805.030.102.55
    最小值02.569.220.92-0.380.067.8585.101.810.040.32
    平均值0.9715.9161.5821.544.831.359.58125.124.030.081.67
    标准偏差3.0619.6314.129.801.780.531.1339.070.720.010.68
    全部最大值12.7377.1376.6935.286.243.0114.30311.105.830.112.55
    最小值02.569.220.92-0.380.067.4785.101.810.040.30
    平均值0.7815.8560.5622.814.881.409.41130.844.050.081.60
    标准偏差2.6720.1914.1210.061.610.591.2944.610.640.010.74

    Table 2.  Character parameters of grain size composition, mean grain size, total organic carbon (TOC), and contents of main and trace elements for the surface sediments from two transects in Qinghai Lake

  • 青海湖两个剖面表层沉积物的粒度组成包括砾石、砂、粉砂和黏土(依次为>2 mm、2~0.062 5 mm、0.062 5~0.003 9 mm以及<0.003 9 mm)四个粒级。两条剖面涉及采样点的砂含量介于2.56%~77.13%,平均为15.85%,其中,50%的样品砂含量不足5%,68.42%的样品砂含量不足10%,砂组分的变异系数为1.27。粉砂含量介于9.22%~76.69%,平均为60.56%,其中,粉砂含量高于50%的样品占89.47%,粉砂组分的变异系数为0.23。黏土含量介于0.92%~35.28%,平均为22.81%,其中,含量高于20%的样品占65.79%,但是含量高于30%的样品下降为31.58%,黏土组分的变异系数为0.44(表2)。综合来看,粉砂和黏土总含量高于50%的样品占92.11%,高于70%的样品占78.95%,这说明表层沉积物以粉砂、黏土为优势粒级。根据Folk et al.(1970)无砾分类法三角图解(图5),青海湖表层沉积物类型以粉砂为主,其次为砂质粉砂和泥,以上类型沉积物主要发育在湖盆广阔的深水区,而浅水区也沉积少量粒度较粗的粉砂质砂和砂。

    Figure 5.  Triangular diagram of surface sediment types in transects1 and 2 of Qinghai Lake

  • 借鉴前人关于海相水体及沉积物中Mo的形态、分布、迁移转化及吸附机制的研究成果(Sundby et al.,2004Tribovillard et al.,2004McManus et al.,2006许淑梅等,2007Xu et al.,2013),本文从陆源输入、氧化还原环境、粒度控制效应、吸附效应和沉积有机质等角度,分析青海湖表层沉积物中Mo含量及富集的影响因素。

  • 沉积物中的Mo元素主要来自陆源碎屑颗粒或者水体。鉴于元素Al、Zr基本来源于碎屑物质且在成岩过程中不易流失,因此,沉积物中的Al、Zr元素与Mo元素含量的相关性可以用来判断受陆源碎屑的影响程度(杨存和高云佩,2020)。根据青海湖两个剖面表层沉积物中Al2O3、Zr与Mo的含量变化(图6)可以看出,入湖口、砂脊附近以及近岸区域Al2O3以及Zr的含量较高,Al2O3、Zr与Mo的含量变化存在明显不同的趋势,Mo与Al2O3、Zr的相关系数分别只有-0.36、-0.43(图7a、图8),相关性较弱。这说明,物源区陆源碎屑输入对青海湖沉积物Mo含量分布影响较弱,湖泊沉积物Mo富集可能主要受控于湖泊内部各种沉积环境下的沉积作用。

    Figure 6.  Changes of Al2O3, Zr, and Mo contents in the surface sediments, Qinghai Lake transects

    Figure 7.  Correlation between Mo and other elements, clay components, and TOC in the surface sediments, Qinghai Lake transects

    Figure 8.  Correlation coefficients between Mo and other elements, mean grain size, clay components, and TOC in the surface sediments, Qinghai Lake transects

  • 青海湖温跃层以上的浅水区及表层水的溶氧量约为6.8 mg/L,而温跃层以下底层水体中的溶氧量一般在3.5 mg/L左右,虽然青海湖水体整体为氧化水体,但是相较于浅水区强氧化水体,深水区底层的氧化性明显减弱,更趋向于弱氧化(李善营等,2006)。

    不同的氧化还原条件下,Mo的富集机制不同。缺氧和硫化水体中,当H2S浓度大于11 μM时,MoO42-与H2S反应生成硫代钼酸根(MoO4-xSx2-,x=1~4),并且通过一系列复杂的过程,最终被还原为MoS2保存在沉积物中(Erickson and Helz,2000Dahl et al.,2013Brüske et al.,2020),青海湖深水区表层沉积物Mo富集显然不满足这一条件。在碱性、氧化条件下,Mo主要以钼酸根离子(MoO42-)的形态溶解在水中(Xu et al.,2013),其可以被铁(氢)氧化物、锰—铁(氢)氧化物和有机物吸附并共同沉积下来(Algeo and Maynard,2004Chappaz et al.,2008Scholz et al.,2017),一般氧化水体下富Mn沉积物中Mo的含量也很高。另据现场实测,青海湖水体的pH值一般在9.2左右,其碱性、氧化—弱氧化环境为Mo吸附沉淀提供了有利条件。

  • 根据粒度、矿物及有机质与Mo含量相关性分析可知,青海湖氧化—弱氧化环境下,其沉积物中Mo的富集主要受控于有机质吸附,沉积物粒度对Mo富集有一定影响,这与海相泥质沉积物中Mo还原型富集有很大区别。

  • 沉积物中元素含量随着沉积物粒度的变化呈现规律性变化,称之为元素的“粒控效应”(程俊等,2019)。青海湖表层沉积物Mo含量与平均粒径的相关系数为0.48,具有中等相关性(图8),总体上,随着沉积物平均粒径Φ的值变大,即粒度越细,Mo含量有所升高,但是这一现象只发生在盆地边缘至深湖区,而青海湖深水区平均粒径较为相似,Mo含量出现了较为明显的波动,尤其是湖内砂脊和布哈河前缘区域的沉积物粒度与Mo含量完全背离(图9)。这说明,虽然“粒控效应”对Mo分布具有一定影响,但控制并不明显。粒度分异在一定程度上控制了沉积物岩性、矿物及比表面积的分异,间接影响黏土矿物、铁(氢)氧化物、锰—铁(氢)氧化物及有机质对Mo的吸附作用。

    Figure 9.  Relationship between Mo and mean grain size in the surface sediments, Qinghai Lake transects

  • 测试数据分析结果表明,青海湖表层沉积物中黏土矿物、铁(氢)氧化物与Mo含量的变化规律存在明显差异(图10),两者与Mo之间的相关性很差,黏土矿物与Mo的相关系数仅有0.018,Fe2O3与Mo的相关系数仅有-0.009(图8),青海湖黏土矿物、铁(氢)氧化物并未对Mo的富集产生影响。原因在于,黏土矿物、铁(氢)氧化物对Mo的吸附呈pH依赖性。当水体pH值介于4~5时,两者对Mo的吸附作用最强,随着水体pH继续增大,黏土矿物和铁(氢)氧化物对Mo的吸附迅速下降,当水体pH上升至8以上变为碱性环境时,两者对Mo的吸附几乎为零(Xu et al.,2013)。因此,青海湖碱性水体使黏土矿物和铁(氢)氧化物无法吸附Mo进行沉淀。

    Figure 10.  Changes of clay components, Fe2O3, and Mo contents in the surface sediments, Qinghai Lake transects

  • 青海湖表层沉积物中Mo和MnO的含量变化规律存在差异,两者的相关系数仅为0.15(图811),这表明青海湖沉积物中锰(氢)氧化物的吸附作用不是Mo富集的主因。可能由于青海湖沉积物处于还原环境(李善营等,2006),氧化水体中的锰(氢)氧化物沉降到沉积物后会发生还原性扩散,锰(氢)氧化物吸附的Mo也随之逸散到水体中。

    Figure 11.  Changes of MnO and Mo contents in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake transects

  • 青海湖表层沉积物中Mo和有机质的含量变化规律体现很好的一致性,两者相关系数为0.59(图812),说明青海湖沉积有机质控制着Mo分布。有机质吸附并导致Mo富集是非常有可能的,因为水体中MoO42-的Mo原子可以与有机质大分子形成共价键(Tribovillard et al.,2006),导致MoO42-被有机碎屑吸附,Mo随着有机质沉降一起进入沉积物。青海湖表层沉积物具有很高的有机质含量,深湖区有机质含量一般介于1.4%~2.0%,水体中大量有机质与MoO42-发生吸附作用,在有机质沉积过程中把Mo带入沉积物中,虽然沉积有机质经过一定程度的降解,但是仍有很多有机质保存下来,Mo也随之保存下来。另外,前人也已经发现有机质可能会影响Mo在沉积物中的含量和分布的实例(Nameroff et al.,2002许淑梅等,2007)。需要说明的是,并非所有有机质丰度高的沉积物都具有较高的Mo含量,研究区浅水区哈尔盖河口样品的TOC含量高达3.1%,是青海湖样品中有机质含量最高的,而其Mo含量仅有0.6 μg/g,与浅水区其他有机质含量低的样品相似。原因在于,该样品的有机质主要来源于陆源高等植物输入,而不是湖盆内的水生生物,进一步说明沉积有机质类型对Mo的吸附有一定影响。

    Figure 12.  Changes of TOC and Mo contents in the surface sediments of Qinghai Lake transects

  • (1) 青海湖沉积物Mo元素平面分布具有沿岸浅水区向湖内深水区逐渐升高的特点,湖盆深水区沉积物大多富集Mo元素,并且属于轻度富集。

    (2) 湖泊沉积物的陆源碎屑输入及粒度不影响Mo的富集,碱性湖盆中Mo元素无法利用黏土矿物和铁(氢)氧化物的吸附机制进行富集,锰—铁(氢)氧化物虽然可能吸附Mo并发生沉降,但是随着沉积物表生作用转化为还原环境,Mo将会从沉积物重新释放到水体。

    (3) 碱性咸水湖泊深水区弱氧化底层水的还原性增强,有机质吸附及保存是沉积物中Mo富集的主控因素,可能有机质类型也会影响Mo作为古湖泊氧化还原判别指标的应用效果。虽然有机质类型可能会对利用Mo富集程度判识古湖泊氧化还原产生一定影响,但弱氧化湖泊沉积物中Mo富集主要受控于有机质吸附及保存,而缺氧硫化湖泊沉积物中Mo富集同时受控于有机质吸附及保存、底层水硫化(MoS2)两种形式,Mo的富集能力更强。因此,Mo是判别湖盆古水体氧化还原状态的良好指标。

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