Synonyms
Definition
The rare earth elements (REE), or lanthanides, comprise the 16 consecutive elements of the periodic table corresponding to the progressive filling of the 4f orbitals. They are metals with atomic numbers from 57 to 71 (La to Lu, family of lanthanides), plus the element yttrium (Y) (Table 1). Their abundance in rocks is less than 0.1 wt.%.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Further Reading
Alibo DS, Nozaki Y (1998) Rare-earth elements in seawater: particle association, shale normalization, and Ce oxidation. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 63:363–372
Arndt NT, Albarède F, Nisbet EG (1997) Mafic and ultramafic magmatism. In: de Wit MJ, Ashwal LD (eds) Greenstone belts. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 233–254
Bau M, Dulski P (1999) Comparing yttrium and rare earths in hydrothermal fluids from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: implications for Y and REE behaviour during near-vent mixing and for the Y/Ho ratio of Proterozoic seawater. Chem Geol 155:77–90
Bolhar R, Kamber BS, Moorbath S, Fedo CM, Whitehouse MJ (2004) Characterisation of early Archaean chemical sediments by trace element signatures. Earth Planet Sci Lett 222:43–60
Bolhar R, Van Kranendonk MJ, Kamber BS (2005) A trace element study of siderite-jasper banded iron formation in the 3.45 Ga Warrawoona Group, Pilbara Craton – formation from hydrothermal fluids and shallow seawater. Precambrian Res 137:93–114
Douville E, Bienvenu P, Charlou JL, Donval JP, Fouquet Y, Appriou P, Gamo T (1999) Yttrium and rare-earth elements in fluids from various deep-sea hydrothermal systems. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 63:627–643
Gast PW (1968) Trace element fractionation and the origin of tholeiitic and alkaline magma types. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 32:1057–1086
German CR, Elderfield H (1989) Rare-earth elements in Saanich Inlet, British Columbia, a seasonally anoxic basin. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 53:2561–2571
Gromet LP, Dymek RF, Haskin LA, Korotev RL (1984) The “North American Shale Composite”: its compilation, major and trace element characteristics. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 48:2469–2482
Kamber BS, Webb GE (2001) The geochemistry of late Archaean microbial carbonate: implications for ocean chemistry and continental erosion history. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 65:2509–2525
Kamber BS, Greig A, Collerson KD (2005) A new estimate for the composition of weathered young upper continental crust from alluvial sediments, Queensland, Australia. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 69:1041–1058
Michard A, Albarede F, Michard G, Minster JF, Charlou JL (1983) Rare-earth elements and uranium in high-temperature solutions from East Pacific Rise hydrothermal vent field (13°N). Nature 303:795–797
Nakamura N (1974) Determination of REE, Ba, Fe, Mg, Na and K in carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 38:757–775
Orberger B, Rouchon V, Westall F, de Vries ST, Pinti DL, Wagner C, Wirth R, Hashizume K (2006) Microfacies and origin of some Archaean cherts (Pilbara, Australia). In: Reimold WU, Gibson RL (eds) Processes on the early earth. Geological Society of America, New York
Rollinson H (1993) Using geochemical data: evaluation, presentation, interpretation. Pearson Prentice-Hall, Harlow, p 352
Taylor SR, McLennan SM (1985) The continental crust: its composition and evolution. Blackwell, Oxford
Van Kranendonk M, Webb G, Kamber B (2003) Geological and trace element evidence for a marine sedimentary environment of deposition and biogenicity of 3.45 Ga stromatolitic carbonates in the Pilbara Craton, and support for a reducing Archaean ocean. Geobiology 1:91–108
Wearer BL (1991) Trace element evidence for the origin of ocean-island basalts. Geology 19:123–126
Weis D, Wasserburg GJ (1987) Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotope geochemistry and chronology of cherts from the Onverwacht Group (3.5 Ga), South Africa. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 51:973–984
Winter JD (2001) An introduction to igneous and metamorphic petrology. Prentice-Hall, Columbus, 699 pp
Wood DA, Joron J-L, Treuil M (1979) A re-appraisal of the use of trace elements to classify and discriminate between magma series erupted in different tectonic settings. Earth Planet Sci Lett 45:326–336
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Pinti, D.L. (2015). Rare Earth Elements. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1348
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1348
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-44184-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-44185-5
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics