New data on the trace metal composition of the planktonic foraminifera microfossils of the Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

This paper reports new data on the trace metal composition of planktonic foraminifer shells from surface sediments and cores (fraction >0.1 mm) in the central part of the Atlantic Ocean. This investigation has made it possible to identify a considerable accumulation of trace elements from water due to calcite entering into the crystal lattice under biomineralization and adsorption on the shell surface and pores, despite the fact that the shells are depleted in trace elements relative to pelagic clays. The trace element content in planktonic foraminifer microfossils is characterized by temporal variability, which is the most pronounced in long cores (Holocene–Upper Pleistocene) and reflects the sedimentation paleoenvironment in the ocean.