@article{SteinhoefelBreuervonBlanckenburgetal.2017, author = {Steinh{\"o}fel, Grit and Breuer, J{\"o}rn and von Blanckenburg, Friedhelm and Horn, Ingo and Sommer, Michael}, title = {The dynamics of Si cycling during weathering in two small catchments in the Black Forest (Germany) traced by Si isotopes}, series = {Chemical geology : official journal of the European Association for Geochemistry}, volume = {466}, journal = {Chemical geology : official journal of the European Association for Geochemistry}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0009-2541}, doi = {10.1016/j.chemgeo.2017.06.026}, pages = {389 -- 402}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Silicon stable isotopes have emerged as a powerful proxy to investigate weathering because Si uptake from solution by secondary minerals or by the vegetation causes significant shifts in the isotope composition. In this study, we determined the Si isotope compositions of the principle Si pools within two small catchments located on sandstone and paragneiss, respectively, in the temperate Black Forest (Germany). At both settings, clay formation is dominated by mineral transformation preserving largely the signature of parental minerals with delta Si-30 values of around -0.7\%. Bulk soils rich in primary minerals are similar to bulk parental material with delta Si-30 values close to -0.4\%. Topsoils are partly different because organic matter degradation has promoted intense weathering leading to delta Si-30 values as low as -1.0\%. Water samples expose highly dynamic weathering processes in the soil zone: 1) after spring snowmelt, increased release of DOC and high water fluxes trigger clay mineral dissolution which leads to delta Si-30 values down to -0.7\% and 2) in course of the summer, Si uptake by the vegetation and secondary mineral formation drives dissolved Si to typical positive delta Si-30 values up to 1.1\%. Groundwater with delta Si-30 values of around 0.4\% records steady processes in bedrock reflecting plagioclase weathering together with kaolinite precipitation. An isotope mass balance approach reveals incongruent weathering conditions where denudation of Si is largely driven by physical erosion. Erosion of phytoliths contributes 3 to 21\% to the total Si export flux, which is in the same order as the dissolved Si flux. These results elucidate the Si dynamics during weathering on catchments underlain of sedimentary origin, prevailing on the Earth surface and provide therefore valuable information to interpret the isotope signature of large river systems.}, language = {en} } @article{BehrensBouchezSchuessleretal.2015, author = {Behrens, Ricarda and Bouchez, Julien and Schuessler, Jan A. and Dultz, Stefan and Hewawasam, Tilak and von Blanckenburg, Friedhelm}, title = {Mineralogical transformations set slow weathering rates in low-porosity metamorphic bedrock on mountain slopes in a tropical climate}, series = {Chemical geology : official journal of the European Association for Geochemistry}, volume = {411}, journal = {Chemical geology : official journal of the European Association for Geochemistry}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0009-2541}, doi = {10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.07.008}, pages = {283 -- 298}, year = {2015}, abstract = {In the Sri Lankan Highlands erosion and chemical weathering rates are among the lowest for global mountain denudation. In this tropical humid setting, highly weathered deep saprolite profiles have developed from high-grade metamorphic charnockite during spheroidal weathering of the bedrock. The spheroidal weathering produces rounded corestones and spalled rindlets at the rock-saprolite interface. We used detailed textural, mineralogical and chemical analyses to reconstruct the sequence of weathering reactions and their causes. The first mineral attacked by weathering was found to be pyroxene initiated by in situ Fe oxidation. Volumetric calculations suggest that this oxidation leads to the generation of porosity due to the formation of micro-fractures allowing for fluid transport and subsequent dissolution of biotite and plagioclase. The rapid ensuing plagioclase weathering leads to formation of high secondary porosity in the corestone over a distance of only a few cm and eventually to the final disaggregation of bedrock to saprolite. The first secondary phases are oxides or amorphous precipitates from which secondary minerals (mainly gibbsite, kaolinite and goethite) form. As oxidation is the first weathering reaction, the supply of O-2 is a rate-limiting factor for chemical weathering. Hence, the supply of O-2 and its consumption at depth connects processes at the weathering front with those at the Earth's surface in a feedback mechanism. The strength of the feedback depends on the relative weight of advective versus diffusive transport of O-2 through the weathering profile. The feedback will be stronger with dominating diffusive transport. The low weathering rate is explained by the nature of this feedback that is ultimately dependent on the transport of O-2 through the whole regolith, and on lithological factors such as low bedrock porosity and the amount of Fe-bearing primary minerals. Tectonic quiescence in this region and low pre-development erosion rate (attributed to a dense vegetation cover) minimize the rejuvenation of the thick and cohesive regolith column, finally leading to low denudation rates. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{OeserStroncikMoskwaetal.2018, author = {Oeser, Ralf Andreas and Stroncik, Nicole and Moskwa, Lisa-Marie and Bernhard, Nadine and Schaller, Mirjam and Canessa, Rafaella and van den Brink, Liesbeth and K{\"o}ster, Moritz and Brucker, Emanuel and Stock, Svenja and Pablo Fuentes, Juan and Godoy, Roberto and Javier Matus, Francisco and Oses Pedraza, Romulo and Osses McIntyre, Pablo and Paulino, Leandro and Seguel, Oscar and Bader, Maaike Y. and Boy, Jens and Dippold, Michaela A. and Ehlers, Todd and K{\"u}hn, Peter and Kuzyakov, Yakov and Leinweber, Peter and Scholten, Thomas and Spielvogel, Sandra and Spohn, Marie and Ubernickel, Kirstin and Tielb{\"o}rger, Katja and Wagner, Dirk and von Blanckenburg, Friedhelm}, title = {Chemistry and microbiology of the Critical Zone along a steep climate and vegetation gradient in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera}, series = {Catena : an interdisciplinary journal of soil science, hydrology, geomorphology focusing on geoecology and landscape evolution}, volume = {170}, journal = {Catena : an interdisciplinary journal of soil science, hydrology, geomorphology focusing on geoecology and landscape evolution}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0341-8162}, doi = {10.1016/j.catena.2018.06.002}, pages = {183 -- 203}, year = {2018}, abstract = {From north to south, denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclides are similar to 10 t km(-2) yr(-1) at the arid Pan de Aziicar site, similar to 20 t km(2) yr(-1) at the semi-arid site of Santa Gracia, -60 t km(-2) yr(-1) at the Mediterranean climate site of La Campana, and similar to 30 t km(-2) yr(-1) at the humid site of Nahuelbuta. A and B horizons increase in thickness and elemental depletion or enrichment increases from north (similar to 26 degrees S) to south (similar to 38 degrees S) in these horizons. Differences in the degree of chemical weathering, quantified by the chemical depletion fraction (CDF), are significant only between the arid and sparsely vegetated site and the other three sites. Differences in the CDF between the sites, and elemental depletion within the sites are sometimes smaller than the variations induced by the bedrock heterogeneity. Microbial abundances (bacteria and archaea) in saprolite substantially increase from the arid to the semi-arid sites. With this study, we provide a comprehensive dataset characterizing the Critical Zone geochemistry in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. This dataset confirms climatic controls on weathering and denudation rates and provides prerequisites to quantify the role of biota in future studies.}, language = {en} }