Dual Nd isotopic archives in fossil teeth reveal bottom-current control of rare-earth element enrichment in deep-sea sediments

IF 13.9 1区综合性期刊 Q1 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES

Science Advances Pub Date : 2026-10-16 DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aej4446

Zongqi Zou, Shengping Qian, Qiong Wu, Xuran Liang, Fan Yang, Le Zhang, Pengli He, Yi-Gang Xu

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Abstract

The global emergence of deep-sea sediments enriched in rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY) after the Late Eocene cooling coincides spatiotemporally with Antarctic bottom water (AABW) expansion, yet the underlying mechanism remains unresolved. Here, we present in situ elemental and neodymium isotopic analyses of apatites extracted from Oligocene-Miocene sediments along the North Pacific AABW pathway. Results show ∼90% of the REY budget resides in inner dentin of fossil teeth. The dentin and coexisting authigenic fluorapatites display similar ε_Nd values (∼−5) matching North Pacific seawater, whereas outer dense layer carries a distinct, less-radiogenic ε_Nd (∼−10) resembling South Pacific seawater. This isotopic decoupling establishes fossil teeth as dual archives: The outer layer preserves the ε_Nd signature of the fish’s living environment, while the inner dentin records its depositional environment. We propose that AABW collects, transports, and sorts fossil teeth along its flow path, ultimately leading to the global occurrence of REY-rich sediments in downstream basins.

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牙齿化石的双Nd同位素档案揭示了深海沉积物中稀土元素富集的底流控制

晚始新世降温后全球出现的富含稀土元素和钇（REY）的深海沉积物在时空上与南极底水（AABW）扩张相吻合，但其背后的机制尚不清楚。这里,我们目前原位元素和钕同位素分析磷灰石提取Oligocene-Miocene沉积物沿着北太平洋AABW通路。结果表明，约90%的REY预算存在于化石牙齿的内牙本质中。牙本质和共存的自生氟磷灰石具有与北太平洋海水相似的ε Nd值（~−5），而外层致密层具有与南太平洋海水相似的明显的低放射性ε Nd值（~−10）。这种同位素解耦建立了牙齿化石的双重档案：外层保存了鱼类生活环境的ε Nd特征，而内部牙本质记录了其沉积环境。我们认为，AABW沿着其流动路径收集、运输和分选化石齿，最终导致下游盆地富含rey的沉积物在全球范围内出现。

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来源期刊

Science Advances 综合性期刊-综合性期刊

CiteScore

21.40

自引率

1.50%

发文量

1937

审稿时长

29 weeks

期刊介绍： Science Advances, an open-access journal by AAAS, publishes impactful research in diverse scientific areas. It aims for fair, fast, and expert peer review, providing freely accessible research to readers. Led by distinguished scientists, the journal supports AAAS's mission by extending Science magazine's capacity to identify and promote significant advances. Evolving digital publishing technologies play a crucial role in advancing AAAS's global mission for science communication and benefitting humankind.