We present high-resolution XRF geochemical data from the upper 8.30 m of marine sediment core KL42, southern Red Sea. The core was recovered at 15°54.9' N and 41°34.7' E from a water depth of 958 m during RV Sonne cruise SO121 in 1997. The data were collected with an ITRAX (Cox Analytical Systems) X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanner. The scanner was equipped with a Cr-tube running with a tube voltage of 30 kV and a tube current of 55 mA. The exposure time was 5 ms per measurement and the scanning interval was 0.2 cm.