Dissolved aluminium in interstitial waters of recent terrigenous marine sediments from the North Atlantic Ocean

The vertical distribution of dissolved Al in interstitial waters of recent marine sediments has been determined using a fluorimetric analytical method adapted for interstitial water analysis. The results suggest that diagenetic reactions occur in the sediment soon after deposition. A narrow depth zone acting as a source of dissolved Al is found in each core. Outside this zone Al appears to be removed from solution and its concentration decreases to values of 1.5 μgAl/l or less, comparable to those of open ocean waters. Dissolved Al and SiO₂ concentrations in interstitial waters close to the sediment-seawater interface are linearly correlated in most cases, suggesting that the geochemistry of Al may be related to the behaviour of biogenic silica in marine sediments.