Profiles of 0.1 N HCl leachable Pb and Zn in the sediments of the Gulf of Lions (North West Mediterranean) indicate that the concentrations of these metals are, especially in the vicinity of the triple-overdot Rhone outflow and in the Rhone plume, determined by input from the river. Solid phase Pb and Zn are more than three times higher than their pre-industrial background. At the offshore, deep ( > 2 000 m) stations in the Gulf of Lions, the surface concentration of solid phase Pb and Zn are about twofold enriched compared to background values. The profiles from these deep stations preserve, due to the restricted mobility of Pb and Zn and the lack of bioturbation in the sediment, a historical record of the increased atmospheric deposition of these metals since 1890, similar to results from the North-East Atlantic (Veron et al., 1987). The decrease of the ratio solid phase Zn/Pb, when going in off-shore direction, indicates that the distribution of Zn is relatively more dependent on riverine input, while that of Pb more on atmospheric deposition.