Determination of Trace Elements in Marine Sediments Collected Between the Volturno River and the Circeo Cape (Tyrrhenian Sea)

The determination of Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Gd, Hf, Mn, Rb, Sb, Sc, Ta, Tb, Th, Zn, Zr and Yb by instrumental neutron activation analysis in sediment samples collected from the Gulf of Gaeta (Central Tyrrhenian Sea) is described. The granulometric fractions of the sediments were grouped by cluster analysis into three granulometric facies (sand, clayey silt, and silty clay) which were then assumed to be the main factors controlling the distribution patterns of the elements. This assumption was confirmed by a discriminant analysis carried out on the trace element data.