Objective The spatial distribution of the composition and contents of major element oxides in sediments along the Three Gorges reservoir was investigated in order to provide a scientific basis for sediment management in mountainous river-type reservoirs. Methods Taking sediments from the Three Gorges reservoir as the research object, riverbed and suspended sediment samples were collected, and their grain-size composition and contents of major element oxides were measured. The chemical index of alteration (CIA), Na/K ratio (RNa/K), Si/Al ratio (RSi/Al), dealkalization coefficient (W), and residual coefficient (IK) were calculated to analyze the spatial distribution of sediment geochemical indicators along the reservoir. Results ① The sediments were dominated by fine particles, with average contents of silt, clay, and sand of 87.04%, 6.91%, and 6.05%, respectively. Overall, the sediments showed poor sorting, with skewness ranging from fine-skewed to symmetrical, and kurtosis mostly showing mesokurtic characteristics. From upstream to downstream, sediment grain size gradually became finer, and particle sorting became more evident. ② Major element oxides in the sediments were dominated by the nonmetallic oxide SiO2, followed by the metallic oxides Al2O3, Fe2O3, and CaO, while K2O, MgO, and Na2O were relatively low in content. In suspended sediments, CaO and MgO contents were slightly higher than those of Fe2O3 and K2O. In terms of spatial distribution, SiO2 and Na2O contents showed decreasing trends along the reservoir, while Al2O3, Fe2O3, K2O, and MgO gradually increased, and CaO showed no obvious spatial pattern. Compared with the upper continental crust (UCC), the sediments were depleted in SiO2, K2O, and Na2O but enriched in Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, and MgO. ③ The sediments of the Three Gorges reservoir were in a moderate stage of chemical weathering under a warm and humid climate. The mean values of CIA, RNa/K, RSi/Al, W, and IK were 73.26, 0.39, 5.25, 0.78, and 1.07 for riverbed sediments and 70.79, 0.68, 5.68, 0.94, and 0.85 for suspended sediments, respectively. ④ Except for CaO, the contents of major oxides in sediments were significantly correlated with grain-size composition (p<0.05). Conclusion The contents of major element oxides in sediments of the Three Gorges reservoir show distinct spatial differentiation along the reservoir, mainly influenced by factors such as the relative contributions of potential source materials and grain-size effects caused by hydrodynamic sorting.
文献参数: 周敏, 李进林, 韦杰, 等.三峡水库沉积泥沙常量元素氧化物含量沿程分布特征[J].水土保持通报,2026,46(4):172-182. Citation:Zhou Min, Li Jinlin, Wei Jie, et al. Distribution characteristics of major element oxide contents in sediments deposited along Three Gorges reservoir [J]. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation,2026,46(4):172-182.
LiChenchen, WuLi, MaoLongjiang, et al. Characteristics of macroelements and revealed evolution of weathering intensity in sediments of Chaohu Lake, Anhui, China [J]. Journal of Earth Sciences and Environment, 2024,46(6):758-774.
WangLijie, XiaoFengjun, DongZhibao, et al. Characteristics of grain size and geochemical elements composition of surface sediments of megaripple stripes in the Qaidam Basin [J]. Arid Land Geography, 2023,46(11):1826-1835.
MaLi, YangJing, ZhangFeng. Geochemical element characteristics and spatial distribution of surface sand major elements in the Tengger Desert [J]. Quaternary Sciences, 2025,45(1):91-104.
FanShuhua, QinFucang, CheZhihui, et al. Geochemical characteristics and their indication to weathering and provenance of Pisha sandstone from Lower Jurassic Yan’an Formation in Jungar Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region [J]. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 2024,44(4):196-204.
[9]
NesbittH W, YoungG M. Prediction of some weathering trends of plutonic and volcanic rocks based on thermodynamic and kinetic considerations [J]. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 1984,48(7):1523-1534.
[10]
ChenBo, YangXiaoping, JiangQida, et al. Geochemistry of aeolian sand in the Taklamakan Desert and Horqin sandy land, northern China: Implications for weathering, recycling, and provenance [J]. Catena, 2022,208:105769.
[11]
GérardF. Clay minerals, iron/aluminum oxides, and their contribution to phosphate sorption in soils: A myth revisited [J]. Geoderma, 2016,262:213-226.
ZhuHao, XiaoZhirou, MingAngang, et al.Effects of different forms of iron and aluminum oxides on soil organic carbon content under native coniferous and broadleaf plantations in south subtropical region of China [J]. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 2022,42(5):386-392.
GuoChangcheng, YuGuohua, WangGuoxiang. Adsorption properties of sediment to pollutants of contaminated river water [J]. Ecology and Environment, 2006(6):1151-1155.
[16]
YangYunping, ZhengJinhai, ZhuLingling, et al. Influence of the Three Gorges dam on the transport and sorting of coarse and fine sediments downstream of the dam [J]. Journal of Hydrology, 2022,615:128654.
[17]
LiJinlin, BaoYuhai, WeiJie, et al. Fractal characterization of sediment particle size distribution in the water-level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges reservoir, China [J]. Journal of Mountain Science, 2019,16(9):2028-2038.
GuoYiwei, DingWenfeng, ZhuXiudi, et al. Spatial distribution and pollution characteristics of heavy metal contents in Three Gorges reservoir area [J]. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 2021,41(6):105-112.
XuQuanxi, DongBingjiang, ZhangWei, et al. Sediment discharge operation of Three Gorges reservoir based on asynchronous propagation of flood peak and sediment peak [J]. Yangtze River, 2025,56(10):11-20.
[22]
LiJinlin, HeXiubin, WeiJie, et al. Multifractal features of the particle-size distribution of suspended sediment in the Three Gorges reservoir, China [J]. International Journal of Sediment Research, 2021,36(4):489-500.
[23]
BockB, McLennanS M, HansonG N. Geochemistry and provenance of the Middle Ordovician Austin Glen member (Normanskill formation) and the Taconian orogeny in New England[J].Sedimentology,1998,45(4):635-655.
FengLianjun, ChuXuelei, ZhangQirui, et al. CIA (chemical index of alteration)and its applications in the Neoproterozoic clastic rocks [J]. Earth Science Frontiers, 2003,10(4):539-544.
[26]
TaylorS R, McLennanS M. The continental crust: Its composition and evolution [J]. The Journal of Geology, 1985,94(4):57-72.
[27]
WangShuai, RaoWenbo, QianJin, et al. Clay mineralogy of surface sediments in the Three Gorges reservoir: Implications for sediment provenances and weathering regimes [J]. Clays and Clay Minerals, 2021,69(1):52-67.
DuanJinbao, LiJinlin, WeiJie, et al. Differences in nutrient characteristics between deposited sediment and original soil in water-level fluctuation zone of Three Gorges reservoir [J]. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 2025,39(6):57-65.
[30]
WangHao, ShadmanF. Effect of particle size on the adsorption and desorption properties of oxide nanoparticles [J]. AIChE Journal, 2013,59(5):1502-1510.
MengQingshuang, ZuoHejun, YanMin, et al. Relationship between constant elements and granularity of the surface sediment in the Kubuqi Desert [J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2023,43(4):107-117.
LiuJunyan, ChenLin, EnCi, et al. The origin of Wushan loess and the characteristics of soil derived from it [J]. Chinese Journal of Soil Science, 2022,53(2):262-269.
HuMengjun, ZhuangJing, SunWenli, et al. Geochemical characteristics of major elements and environmental evolution in the Holocene in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau [J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2023,43(2):11-20.
MaoPeini, PangJiangli, HuangChunchang, et al.Chemical weathering characteristics and regional comparative study of the loess deposits in the upper Hanjiang River [J]. Acta Geographica Sinica, 2017,72(2):279-291.
JiaFeifei, ShenXueyan, WeiLulu, et al. Weathering characteristics of surface sediments in Horqin sandy land revealed by major chemical elements [J]. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 2025,45(5):25-34.
LiJiyan, ZhouLing, LiuYi, et al. Grain-size and geochemical element composition for topsoil in northwestern Shanxi, China [J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2019,39(5):155-162.
GuoYuanyuan, MoDuowen, MaoLongjiang, et al. Geochemical characteristics and weathering intensity of the Yanbandang profile in Liyang Plain, the middle reach of the Changjiang River [J]. Scientia Geographica Sinica, 2013,33(3):335-341.
ZhangXiaojuan, JiHongbing, FengXiaojing, et al. Element geochemistry characteristic of the red soil weathering profiles in the Karst basin [J].Scientia Geographica Sinica, 2017,37(6):944-951.
[49]
SelvarajK, ChenC T A. Moderate chemical weathering of subtropical Taiwan: Constraints from solid-phase geochemistry of sediments and sedimentary rocks [J]. The Journal of Geology, 2006,114(1):101-116.