Rare earth element (REE) concentrations have been determined in terrigenous, siliceous (nodule barren and nodule bearing), calcareous, and red clay from the Central Indian Basin. The bulk distribution of REE, and in particular the relative cerium fractionation, in these surface sediments has been studied in relation to bottom water conditions. REE fractionations within a single depositional environment are found to be characteristic for each sediment type, with flat shale-normalized patterns associated with terrigenous sediments, positive Ce anomalies with siliceous sediments, negative Ce and positive Eu anomalies with calcareous sediments, and LREE-depleted patterns with pelagic red clays. There is no relation of any REE fractionation to bottom water redox conditions. Our results indicate that the REE signatures in marine sediments are not only related to depositional setting, but also to the lithological variations, and surficial diagenetic processes. Therefore, these further constraints on understanding REE behavior indicate that REE fractionations for paleotectonic and paleoredox reconstructions should be used with caution. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1992