This dataset comprises marine sedimentary bulk contents of major elements (Total Organic Carbon (TOC), aluminum (Al), and trace elements mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and zirconium (Zr). The marine cores were collected during research cruises Sonne SO147 (June 2000) off Peru, SO156 (April 2001) off Chile as well as Alexander von Humboldt AHAB-4 (March 2004) and Meteor M76/1 (May 2008) off Namibia. Total carbon and total inorganic carbon were measured using a carbon/sulfur analyzer (ELTRA CS 580), and TOC was calculated as the difference between total carbon and total inorganic carbon. While Al and Zr were analyzed via wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (Panalytical Axios Max), Pb was analyzed by ICPMS (Thermo Element II) and Hg was measured by a direct mercury analyzer (DMA 80 MLS). Radiolead (210Pbxs) was measured using Gamma spectrometry (Canberra Instr.). All data are salt-corrected. This contribution provides geochemical profiles for the reconstructions of depositional conditions and the sedimentary cycling of Hg and Pb in continental margin sediments. Full analytical details are given in Böning et al. (2004, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2004.04.027) and Böning et al. (2025, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119534).