South American dust signature in geological archives of the Southern Hemisphere

Patagonian dust is the darling of researchers of paleoclimatic variability of southern South America. However, new chemical data from yet unexplored dust source areas allows for deeper investigation of the geological archives in the region.Fil: Gili, Stefania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Gaiero, Diego Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; Argentin

A uniform isotopic and chemical signature of dust exported from Patagonia: Rock sources and occurrence in southern environments

Patagonia is considered to be the most important source of dust from South America that is deposited in surrounding areas, and we present here a systematic Sr and Nd isotopic study of sediment currently being exported. Eolian and suspended riverine sediments from Patagonia have a homogeneous chemical and isotopic composition that results from the mixing of by-products from explosive Andean volcanism, derived from the extensive Jurassic silicic Province of Chon Aike and pyroclastic materials from the basic to intermediate southern Andean Quaternary arc, which are easily denudated and dispersed. The main Andean uplift and the glaciations that began in the Late Tertiary account for the extensive distribution of these sediments in the extra-Andean region. The present geochemical signature of Patagonian sediments was produced during the Pleistocene, along with the onset of the southern Andean explosive arc volcanism. Previously published compositions of sediments from other southern South American source regions, assumed to be representative of Patagonia, are distinct from our data. Considering the alleged importance of Patagonia as a dust source for different depositional environments in southern latitudes, it is surprising to verify that the chemical and isotopic signatures of Patagonian-sourced sediments are different from those of sediments from the Southern Ocean, the Pampean Region or the Antarctic ice. Sediments from these areas have a crustal-like geochemical signature reflecting a mixed origin with sediment from other southern South American sources, whereas Patagonian sediments likely represent the basic to intermediate end-member composition

Riverine transfer of heavy metals from Patagonia to the southwestern Atlantic Ocean

The occurrence and geochemical behaviour of Fe, Mn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Zn and Co are studied in riverine detrital materials transported by Patagonian rivers. Their riverine inputs have been estimated and the nature of these inputs to the Atlantic Ocean is discussed. Most of the metals are transported to the ocean via the suspended load; there is evidence that Fe oxides and organic matter are important phases controlling their distribution in the detrital non-residual fraction. Most heavy metal concentrations found in bed sediments, in suspended matter, and in the dissolved load of Patagonian rivers were comparable to those reported for non-polluted rivers. There is indication that human activity is altering riverine metal inputs to the ocean. In the northern basins – and indicatinganthropogenic effects – heavy metals distribution in the suspended load is very different from that found in bed sediments. The use of pesticides in the Negro River valley seems correlated with increased riverine input of Cu, mostly bound to the suspended load. The Deseado and Chico Rivers exhibit increased specific yield of metals as a consequence of extended erosion within their respective basins. The Santa Cruz is the drainage basin least affected by human activity and its metal-exporting capacity should be taken as an example of a relatively unaffected large hydrological system. In contrast, coal mining modifies the transport pattern of heavy metals in the Gallegos River, inasmuch as they are exported to the coastal zone mainly as dissolved load

Arsenic-bearing phases in South Andean volcanic ashes: Implications for As mobility in aquatic environments

Three samples of volcanic ashes collected after eruptions of the volcanos Hudson in 1991, Chaitén in 2008 and Puyehue in 2011 were analyzed in order to define the solid speciation of arsenic and the dynamics of its release to the aqueous phase. The bulk chemical and mineralogical characterization of the samples was performed by ICP/OES, DRX, and SEM/EDS analyses. The chemical composition of the near surface region (first 2-10. nm), along with the As and Fe solid speciation was performed by XPS. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the kinetics of the arsenic release under variable pH conditions. The integrated analysis of these data indicates that arsenic compounds are concentrated onto the ash surface in the form of As(III)-S and As(V)-O species. The As(III) species have been assigned to arsenian pyrite, while As(V)-O compounds have been assigned to adsorbed arsenate ions or Fe arsenate salts precipitated as thin coatings.Although the main As carrier in the studied volcanic ashes is Al-silicate glass, this phase is stable at the neutral pH that dominates the aqueous reservoirs of the area affected by ashfall. Thus, its contribution to the pool of dissolved arsenic is minor. Higher contributions are clearly associated with the more mobile As species that concentrate onto the surface of Al-silicate glass. This more available arsenic represents less than 6% of the total measured arsenic.Fil: Bia, Gonzalo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Borgnino Bianchi, Laura Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Gaiero, Diego Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Maria Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; Argentin

The signature of river- and wind-borne materials exported from Patagonia to the southern latitudes: a view from REEs and implications for paleoclimatic interpretations

Riverine and wind-borne materials transferred from Patagonia to the SW Atlantic exhibit a homogeneous rare earth element (REE) signature. They match well with the REE composition of Recent tephra from the Hudson volcano,and hence this implies a dominance of material supplied by this source and other similar Andean volcanoes. Due to the trapping effect of proglacial and reservoir lakes,the larger Patagonian rivers deliver to the ocean a suspended load with a slightly modified Andean signature,that shows a REE composition depleted in heavy REEs. In this paper we redefine Patagonia as a source of sediments,which is in contrast with other sources located in southern South America. Quaternary sediments deposited in the northern and,to a lesser extent, in the southern Scotia Sea, and most of the dust in ice cores of east Antarctica have REE compositions very similar to the loess from Buenos Aires Province and to Patagonian eolian dust. However,we rule out Buenos Aires province as a Holocene major source of sediments. Similarly to Buenos Aires loess (a proximal facies),it is likely that the REE compositions of most sediment cores of the Scotia Sea and Antarctica reflect a distal transport of dust with an admixed composition from two main sources: a major contribution from Patagonia,and a minor proportion from source areas containing sediments with a clear upper crustal signature (e.g.,western Argentina) or from Bolivia’s Altiplano. Evidence indicates that only during the Last Glacial Maximum,Patagonian materials were the predominant sediment source to the southern latitudes

Iron and other transition metals in Patagonian riverborne and windborne materials: Geochemical control and transport to the southern South Atlantic Ocean

The bulk of particulate transition metals transported by Patagonian rivers shows an upper crustal composition. Riverine particulate 0.5 N HCl leachable trace metal concentrations are mainly controlled by Fe-oxides. Complexation of Fe by dissolved organic carbon (DOC) appears to be an important determinant of the phases transporting trace metals in Patagonian rivers. In contrast, aeolian trace elements have a combined crustal and anthropogenic origin. Aeolian materials have Fe, Mn, and Al contents similar to that found in regional topsoils. However, seasonal concentrations of some metals (e.g., Co, Pb, Cu, and Zn) are much higher than expected from normal crustal weathering and are likely pollutant derived. We estimate that Patagonian sediments are supplied to the South Atlantic shelf in approximately equivalent amounts from the atmosphere (30 106 T yr1) and coastal erosion (40 106 T yr1) with much less coming from the rivers (2.0 106 T yr1). Low trace metal riverine fluxes are linked to the low suspended particulate load of Patagonian rivers, inasmuch most of it is retained in pro-glacial lakes as well as in downstream reservoirs. Based on our estimation of aeolian dust fluxes at the Patagonian coastline, the high nutrient-low chlorophyll sub Antarctic South Atlantic could receive 1.0 to 4.0 mg m2 yr1 of leachable (0.5 N HCl) Fe. Past and present volcanic activity in the southern Andes—through the ejection of tephra—must be highlighted as another important source of Fe to the South Atlantic Ocean. Based on the 1991 Hudson volcano eruption, it appears that volcanic events can contribute several thousand-fold the mass of “leachable” Fe to the ocean as is introduced by annual Patagonian dust fallout

d13C tracing of dissolved inorganic carbon sources in Patagonian rivers (Argentina)

The main Patagonian rivers (Colorado, Negro, Chubut, Deseado, Coyle, Chico, Santa Cruz and Gallegos) were sampled between September 1995 and November 1998 to determine their chemical and isotopic compositions, the origins of the suspended and dissolved river loads and their inputs to the South Atlantic Ocean. This paper focuses on the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) transport and its υ13C isotopic signature. The υ13CDIC values vary between 12Ð8 and 1Ð8‰ and allow one to distinguish two river groups: (i) the Colorado, Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz, which display the highest values and the lowest seasonal variations; (ii) the Deseado, Coyle, Chico and Gallegos, which show the lowest values and the highest seasonal variations. For the first group, υ13CDIC is mainly controlled by important exchanges between the river waters and atmospheric CO2, due to the presence of lakes and dams. For the second group, υ13CDIC also appears to be controlled by the oxidation of organic carbon, showing a negative relationship between υ13CDIC and the dissolved organic carbon. These biogeochemical processes interfere with the contribution of carbonate and silicate weathering to the riverine DIC and do not allow use of υ13CDIC alone to distinguish these contributions. The annual DIC flux exported by Patagonian Rivers to the South Atlantic Ocean averages 621 ð 109 g. of C, i.e. a specific yield of 2Ð7 g m2 year1. The mean υ13CDIC can be estimated to 4Ð9‰, which is high compared with other rivers of the world

Depósitos limolíticos eocenos de la Formación Lumbrera superior (Salta, Argentina): discusión sobre el posible origen eólico

Este estudio comprende el análisis de los depósitos limolíticos basales de la Formación Lumbrera superior (unidad cuspidal del Grupo Salta), de edad Eoceno medio, los cuales se encuentran ubicados en la localidad de El Simbolar y Río Juramento, provincia de Salta. Los resultados de los análisis petrográficos, macro y microfaciales, granulométricos y mineralógicos se exponen en este trabajo con la finalidad de discutir el posible origen eólico y el escenario paleogeográfico que pudo haber contribuido a su formación. La Formación Lumbrera superior está formada por espesas sucesiones de material mayormente limolítico de intenso color rojizo, de distribución mantiforme, groseramente estratificada en la cual se reconocieron cinco litofacies sedimentarias: Limolita bioturbada, Limolita calcárea, Arenisca fina blanca, Heterolítica y Ceniza volcánica; con evidencias de desarrollo de rasgos pedogenéticos en todas las litofacies. Las características sedimentarias sugieren un paleoambiente de llanuras vegetadas con áreas topográficamente más bajas que quedaban temporalmente inundadas. Los estudios granulométricos y mineralógicos de la fracción fina muestran una participación de más del 50% de la fracción limo y un patrón de distribución de tamaño de grano predominantemente bimodal, donde la moda principal se encuentra en el rango de limo fino (7,8 a 15,6 µm) en la mayoría de las muestras analizadas y la moda secundaria es inferior a la fracción arena muy fina (63 a 125 µm). La mediana de este conjunto de muestras está representada por la fracción limo medio (15,6 a 31 µm) y limo fino (7,8 a 15,6 µm). La distribución granulométrica de estas muestras es similar a la mostrada por el loess pampeano cuaternario y el polvo atmosférico actual. Asimismo, la mineralogía de la Formación Lumbrera es homogénea y no presenta cambios sustanciales a lo largo de la columna estratigráfica analizada, reconociéndose dos grupos de minerales: componentes detríticos (cuarzo, plagioclasa, illita/moscovita) y componentes autigénicos (calcita, analcima, hematita). Las características sedimentológicas permiten reconocer a estos depósitos como paleoloess, siendo una posible fuente del detrito el inicio del levantamiento, en forma contemporánea, de la Cordillera de los Andes. Además se atribuye como fuente secundaria del material, a la actividad del arco volcánico durante el Eoceno ? Oligoceno temprano en la región oriental de Chile (20°S - 25°S).Fil: Lapiana, Ayelén Trinidad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: del Papa, Cecilia Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Gaiero, Diego Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; Argentin