The levels of fluorine in sediment cores obtained from Changyi County (PZ core) and Laizhou County (TS core) are used to discuss the fluorine sources in groundwater and its enrichment dynamics. The sediments in the aquifer are mainly constituted of granite gravels. The levels of fluorine in the PZ and TS cores range from 130 to 468 mg/kg, 139–528 mg/kg, with average values of 324, 348 mg/kg, respectively, which show relatively lower levels than the national average of fluorine in the soil or sediment. Thus, the fluorosis in this area should not be attributed to the levels of fluorine in sediments. The average fluorine concentrations in the aquifer from top to bottom are 154, 139, 200, 222 mg/kg for the TS core, and 154, 130, 266, 272 mg/kg for the PZ core, respectively, which are the lowest of the cores and extremely lower levels than the fresh granites. Such a fact indicates that a vast amount of fluorine has been leached into the groundwater. Moreover, the fluorine leachability is estimated to be approximately 70 %, although the previous documents showed fluorine contents of the granite surrounding Laizhou Bay were almost equal to or even lower than the average levels of fluorine in fresh granites. Meanwhile, a simulation experiment also reveals that fluorine release from rocks increases with the addition of seawater and brine water. Therefore, the seawater intrusion may potentially enhance the fluorine leachability, and should be an important dynamic of fluorine enrichment.

In a previous study two pairs of paleo-landslides within an 8 km reach of the upper Yellow River were studied and dated back to ca. 80 ka, however the relationship between these two pairs of paleo-landslides were not explored. This study inferred that the initial pair of landslides (Dehenglong and Suozi) appearing contiguously and forming an upstream 46 km-long lake along the river may be triggered by earthquake events from nearby capable faults. Subsequently, backwater inundating the valley floor as the dammed lake formed may cause shear stress of sediments lowered on steep slopes adjacent to the River, and eventually induce the other two additional landslides (Xiazangtan and Kangyang) ~8 km upstream. This could be inferred from two optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples yielding ca. 80 ka also, which were collected from asymmetric folds 10 to 30 cm in amplitude within the bedding plane between lake/lakeshore sediment and landslide mass at the front lobes of the two additional landslides. We estimated the maximum volume of this dammed lake was 38 km³ and may generate an outburst flood with an estimated peak discharge of 6.1 × 10⁵ m³/s, which may cause massive geomorphic effects and potential disasters upstream and downstream. It is important to better understand the geomorphic process of this damming event in mountainous area with respect to reflecting tectonic uplift, paleoclimatic change and forecast and mitigate hazards on the northeast Tibetan Plateau.

Rare earth element and Yttrium (REY)-rich deep-sea sediments have been identified as significant potential resources. Although grain size analysis is important for the study of deposition environment and the future exploration of REY, related research is limited. Here, we have investigated the grain size and mineral composition of bulk pelagic sediments from Western North Pacific to indicate the evolutions of deposition environment. Grain size analysis results reveal that silt contents are dominant, and the grain size ranges between 20 and 40 μm and can be an additional grain characteristic indicator for REY-rich sediments. Furthermore, the better sorting coefficient of REY-rich sediments reflects the scouring action of bottom currents, which allows the preservation of coarse-grained bioapatite and the removal of clay fraction particles. ΣREY is negatively correlated with clay fractions but positively correlated with sand and silt fractions for the REY-rich sediments, and this is consistent with the dominant distribution of silt-sized biogenic apatite. In addition, grain size distribution (GSD) varies significantly after HCl treatment in the REY-rich sediment. Therefore, for deep-sea sediments collected below the carbonate compensation depth (CCD), an additional presence of a grain size peak at ~20–40 μm and distinct differences in GSD after HCl treatment can serve as important indicators for REY enrichment sediments.