Les Evénements Océaniques Anoxiques (OAE) sont des événements extrêmes qui se sont pro- duits majoritairement durant le Crétacé et qui sont caractérisés par un enfouissement massif et brutal de carbone organique. Ces événements ont été très étudiés durant ces 40 dernières années mais aucun consensus n’a été atteint quand aux processus à l’origine de leur déclenchement. Pour tenter de répondre aux questions encore en suspens, nous avons réalisé une étude géochimique approfondie (éléments majeurs et traces, compositions isotopiques en Nd et Hf) des différentes fractions (détritiques et authigènes) de sédiments marins déposés lors de l’événement océanique anoxique associé à la limite Cénomanien-Turonien (OAE2, 93.5Ma). Les deux sections étudiées représentent différents environnements de dépôt : un environnement peu profond et proche des sources continentales (Taghazoute, Maroc) et un environnement marin profond, loin des côtes (DSDP Site 367, Cap-Vert).A l’approche de l’OAE2, les compositions isotopiques du Nd et de l’Hf ne présentent que peu de variations. Ces observations reflètent une absence de changement dans le régime d’érosion continentale en amont des deux sections étudiées. Notre étude diverge du scenario proposant qu’un fort apport de nutriments résultant d’une altération continentale accrue soit à l’origine des OAEs. En revanche, les variations isotopiques (Nd) mesurées dans les fractions authigènes du Site 367, interprétées comme reflétant la composition océanique passée, supportent l’idée d’une contribution magmatique dans l’Océan Atlantique durant l’OAE2. Ces nouveaux résultats sont cohérents avec de précédentes études et confortent le rôle des grandes provinces magmatiques (plateau des Caraïbes) dans l’eutrophisation des océans qui précède les événements anoxiques.En outre, l’étude combinée des terres rares (REE) et des compositions isotopiques (Nd) de fractions authigènes obtenues par extraction chimique (leaching) démontre l’incorporation de matériel détritique dans ces fractions en milieu peu profond. Ces nouvelles observations questionnent l’idée que toute fraction authigène enregistre une composition chimique océanique pure. Enfin, l’étude complète des concentrations en éléments traces de ces mêmes fractions souligne le rôle important de la lithologie des sédiments sur la composition des leachates. Cette étude questionne également l’utilisation de certaines méthodes de leaching qui semblent favoriser l’extraction de phases détritiques externes lorsque les sédiments sont soumis à des étapes de leaching répétées. / Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAE) are brief and extreme events that mostly occurred during the Cretaceous and are defined by the burial of massive amounts of organic carbon. These events have been intensely investigated in the last 40 years but the mechanism that triggered OAEs remains problematic. In order to better constrain what causes these events, we realised a complete geochemical study (major and trace elements, isotopic compositions of Nf and Hf) of various sedimentary fractions (detrital and authigenic) for marine sediments associated with the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event or OAE2 (93.5 Ma). We focused our study on two marine sections that represent different depositional settings : a shallow marine setting, close to the continental shelf (Taghazoute, Morocco) and a abyssal marine section (DSDP Site 367, Cape-Verde), far from the African shelf.The remarkable stability of the Nd-Hf decoupling in both sections indicates no obvious change of continental weathering approaching OAE2. Our conclusions diverge from the hypothesis that proposes an higher nutrient input through an enhanced continental weathering as a triggering mechanism of OAEs. However, Nd isotopic compositions of authigenic fractions measured at Site 367, interpreted as past oceanic composition, exhibit a positive isotopic excursion and indicate a magmatic contribution in the deep Atlantic Ocean during OAE2. These new data are consistent with previous isotopic studies and support the role of Large Igneous Province (in our case, the Caribbean Plateau) as nutrient provider and triggering mechanism of anoxic events.The combined study of rare earth elements (REE) and Nd isotopic compositions of authigenic fractions recovered by leaching demonstrates the incorporation of detrital material in authigenic fractions in shallow marine settings. These new results challenge the traditional belief that authigenic material always records an untouched seawater composition. Finally, the extensive study of trace element concentrations of these same fractions demonstrated the strong impact of sample lithology on their trace element content. Our study also questions the relevance of sequential leaching methods that facilitate external contamination when sediments are submitted to repeated leaching steps.

Rare earth elements (REEs) and their isotopes (such as Nd isotopes) can be potentially used to trace a wide range of oceanic processes in both modern and ancient oceans, but their successful application as tracers requires a comprehensive understanding of REE cycling in the modern ocean. Previous studies of REEs in seawater were largely constrained by analytical difficulties in generating accurate and precise REE data from seawater, which typically contain REE concentrations at a sub-ppt to ppt level. A new, and relatively simple, analytical method for precise and accurate determination of all dissolved REE concentrations in reasonably small (∼100 ml) seawater samples is presented in this thesis. With the application of the new method, this thesis reports the first full-depth, zonal ocean section of all dissolved REE concentrations, collected during the CoFeMUG cruise along ∼12°S in the South Atlantic. The section approach of this study places the distribution of dissolved REE concentrations in a well-constrained hydrographic context, allowing the first quantitative assessment (by an inverse model) of the relative importance of hydrographic controls resulting from advection/mixing of ocean circulation, together with non-conservative controls resulting from local particle scavenging and remineralization, in controlling the distribution of dissolved REEs in this region. A noteworthy decoupling of Ce and Mn with respect to their cycling in the water column was also observed in this study. The application of Nd isotopes as a tracer to reconstruct changes in ocean circulation in the NW European chalk shelf sea during rapid climatic events, including the mid-Cenomanian Event and oceanic anoxic event 2 (OAE 2), suggests a tight coupling between ocean circulation and transient climatic cooling during the general warm Late Cretaceous. An advected volcanic signal during OAE 2 was registered in the seawater Nd-isotope record from the English Chalk, probably suggesting a period of enhanced ocean ventilation/mixing at this time.