ZHANG Xiaojuan¹，YAN Daoping²，HUO Zhitao^{2, 3}，PEI Laizheng²，XIANG Wei¹，LIU Li¹，ZHANG Hongxin²，YU Shaowen²，XIAO Shangbin¹

 （1. China Three Gorges University，Yichang 443002, China;
2. Wuhan Center of Geological Survey, China Geological Survey，Wuhan 430205, China;
3. Three Gorges Geological Disaster Monitoring Center，China Geological Environmental Monitoring Institute, Yichang 443000，China ）

 Abstract：The rare earth element contents of 9 vermicular red clay samples of the Quaternary period and the middle Pleistocene epoch and the Wangjiadian formation (Qp₂w) in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China were analyzed by ICP-MS. Results show that ∑REE of Qp₂w vermicular red clay is controlled by, beside grain size of sediment, weathering-eluviating. The Europium(Eu) of Qp₂w vermicular red clay is negative anomaly. Compared with the Weinan loess, its Eu fractionation is not apparent. The cerium (Ce) fractionation presents layering and it is remarkable during weathering. It shows fractionations between LREEs and HREEs, and those between HREEs of Qp₂w vermicular red clay are weaker than Weinan loess and the Yangtze River, but fractionation between LREEs are just the opposite. To sum up, the rare earth distribution patterns of Qp₂w vermicular red clay are very similar with Weinan loess. Through the provenance calculation, the data show that Qp₂w vermicular red clay is similar to the sediment of aeolian deposit, probably implicating that Qp₂w vermicular red clay is the aeolian deposit extended toward the southern or southeastern area beyond the Loess Plateau.

Key words: Qp₂w vermicular red clay; REE; sedimentary source; ractionation

EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT Vol. 43, No.1, Tot No.303, 2015, Page 41-48