Using [delta] ph as a geochemical index of illite neoformation in saprolite

Sal pH is routinely measured for agronomic purposes. When the difference between KCI pH and H2O pH, or ApH, yields positive values, it is used by soil scientists as a classification criterion for identifying anionic subgroups according to the Soil Taxonomy or geric properties according to the WRB. Negative values have not been granted much attention. Here we focus on the occurrence of highly negative ApH values in the weathering zone of profiles developed on gneiss in semiarid Northeast Brazil and semiarid South India and interpret them as proxies of a geochemical weathering process involving the neoformation of illite. Detailed optical, chemical and mineralogical characterizations involving scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray element mapping demonstrate the neoformation of illite inside plagioclase feldspar crystals after their partial dissolution. This study thus reveals that meteoric weathering is capable of producing Mite not only from mica, Le., by a transformation process, but also within non-alkali feldspar by a neoformation process. The ApH is shown to be a good proxy for detecting such weathering signatures because the recently neoformed Mate flakes, which present a significant compositional deficit in K, reveal their presence by a detectable uptake of K from the KCI solution. This finding changes the perspective over the origin of illite in continental environments, which has most commonly been attributed to hydrothermal processes. (Texte intégral

I. Collisional evolution and reddening of asteroid surfaces: The problem of conflicting timescales and the role of size-dependent effects

Space weathering is the generic term used for processes that modify the optical properties of surfaces of atmosphereless rocky bodies under exposure to the space environment. The general agreement about the relevance of the effects of space weathering on the spectral properties of S-complex asteroids fails when some basic quantitative estimates are attempted. In particular, there is severe disagreement regarding the typical timescales for significant spectral reddening to occur, ranging from 1 Myr to 1 Gyr. Generally speaking, the spectral reddening of an individual object can be considered as the sum of three terms, one (which is relevant for statistical analyses) depending on the exposure of the object to space weathering during its lifetime, a second one due to the original surface composition, and a third one (a "noise" term) due to the combination of poorly constrained effects (e.g., structure and texture of the surface). The surface of an asteroid is usually covered by regolith, and its presence and properties presumably play a critical role in the weathering processes. In this paper we discuss the role played by collisional evolution in affecting the spectral properties of asteroids and refreshing the surfaces due to the formation of ejecta, and the necessity of a simultaneous modeling of collisions and weathering processes. We introduce a new idea, based on the possibility of a sort of saturation of the refreshing process whenever a massive reaccumulation of the impact ejecta takes place. In this case, a dependence of the overall reddening on the asteroid size should naturally come out. We show that this conclusion is indeed supported by available main belt asteroid spectroscopic data.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Physical and chemical weathering rates and CO2 consumption in a tropical lateritic environment: the upper Niger basin

The chemical composition of Niger river water measured bimonthly at Bamako Mali. during the period 1990–1992 provides an estimate of present weathering rates in the upper Niger basin. The dominant weathering process is kaolinite formation ‘monosiallitization’.. However, seasonal variations promote gibbsite formation in the rainy season September. and smectite development in the dry season May. The results show that lateritic profiles continue to develop even during very dry episodes. The rate of profile development, calculated as the difference between the chemical weathering rate at the base of the soil profile and mechanical erosion rate at the soil surface, is about 1.3 to 3.7 mrMyr. A comparison between 43 river basins of the world shows that, for similar runoff, the CO2 flux consumed by silicate weathering is about two times lower in lateritic areas than in nonlateritic zones

Indication of insensitivity of planetary weathering behavior and habitable zone to surface land fraction

It is likely that unambiguous habitable zone terrestrial planets of unknown water content will soon be discovered. Water content helps determine surface land fraction, which influences planetary weathering behavior. This is important because the silicate weathering feedback determines the width of the habitable zone in space and time. Here a low-order model of weathering and climate, useful for gaining qualitative understanding, is developed to examine climate evolution for planets of various land-ocean fractions. It is pointed out that, if seafloor weathering does not depend directly on surface temperature, there can be no weathering-climate feedback on a waterworld. This would dramatically narrow the habitable zone of a waterworld. Results from our model indicate that weathering behavior does not depend strongly on land fraction for partially ocean-covered planets. This is powerful because it suggests that previous habitable zone theory is robust to changes in land fraction, as long as there is some land. Finally, a mechanism is proposed for a waterworld to prevent complete water loss during a moist greenhouse through rapid weathering of exposed continents. This process is named a "waterworld self-arrest," and it implies that waterworlds can go through a moist greenhouse stage and end up as planets like Earth with partial ocean coverage. This work stresses the importance of surface and geologic effects, in addition to the usual incident stellar flux, for habitability.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, accepted at Ap

X-ray Amorphous Components of Antarctica Dry Valley Soils: Weathering Implications for Mars

The Antarctic Dry Valleys (ADV) comprise the largest ice-free region of Antarctica. Precipitation usually occurs as snow, relative humidity is frequently low, and mean annual temperatures are about -20C [1]. Substantial work has focused on soil formation in the ADVs [2], however, little work has focused on the mineralogy of secondary alteration phases. The dominant weathering process in the ADV region is physical weathering, however, chemical weathering has been well documented [3]. The occurrence of chemical weathering processes are suggested by the presence of clay minerals and iron and titanium oxides in soil. Previously we have investigated soils from two sites in the ADVs and have shown evidence of chemical weathering by the presence of clay minerals (vermiculite, smectite), short-range ordered (SRO) and/or X-ray amorphous materials, and Fe- and Tioxides as well as the presence of discrete calcite crystals [4, 5]. The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument onboard the Mars Curiosity rover has detected abundant amounts (approx. 25-30 wt. %) of X-ray amorphous materials in a windblown deposit or soil (Rocknest) and in a sedimentary rocks [6,7,8]. The occurrence of large amounts of X-ray amorphous materials in Mars sediments is surprising because these materials are usually present in small quantities in terrestrial environments. The objective of this study is to further characterize the chemistry and mineralogy, specifically the secondary alteration mineralogy and the presence of X-ray amorphous material, of soils from two sites we have previously studied, a subxerous soil in Taylor Valley, and an ultraxerous soil in University Valley. While the chemical alteration processes and mineralogy of the ADV has been documented previously, there has been limited discussion on the occurrence and formation of X-ray amorphous and SRO materials in Antarctica soils. The process of aqueous alteration in the ADVs may have implications for pedogenic processes on Mars, and may lead to a better understanding to the abundance of amorphous material found in sediments in Gale crater

Structure of supercritically dried calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) and structural changes induced by weathering

The nanostructure of supercritically dried calcium silicate hydrates was researched. This particular drying procedure was used to avoid nanostructure modifications due to conventional drying processes. Thus, in this study, the as-precipitated cementitious C-S-H structure was obtained for the first time. A specific surface area 20 % larger than conventionally dried C-S-H was measured. Given the importance of this nanostructured phase for the properties of hydrated cements, especially when in contact with CO2-rich environments, the supercritically dried C-S-H was weathered for 2 weeks. The structural effects of this weathering process on the C-S-H were researched and calcium carbonate microcrystal precipitation or the presence of silica by-product are reported. Calcite and aragonite polymorphs were observed, as well as nanoporous silica forming globular arrangements. In addition, 2 weeks of weathering was not enough to carbonate the entire C-S-H sample.Junta de Andalucía TEP11

Determining the relationship between rock colour and the type of physical weathering on desert pavements in arid landscapes, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

Despite opposition to the theory that diurnal heat fluxes within desert rocks cause enough internal stress to form cracks on clasts leading to the break down of the desert material, this study provides further evidence that this is a credible process in physical weathering. The investigation set out to discover if the colour of a clast determines the likelihood that a clast will experience meridional cracking, as opposed to longitudinal, surface parallel and fabric related cracks near Ras-Al-Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates. The results did not reveal a relationship that was significant in a Chi-squared Test. The results yielded significant evidence that no specific weathering process would occur on a clast due to its colour. However, the results indicated tensile stresses in the clasts’ interior, which contributes to rapid breakdown and to the formation of desert pavement. The majority of the cracks’ orientations lie closer to the east-west bearing than north-south. This information suggests a new theory for meridiornal cracking although local conditions, such as the geographic location of the Musandam Mountains could explain the results in this instance. Rose diagrams present the evidence found in these proximities. This method enables easy visual analysis for both comparison with McFadden et al’s (2005) data and other such sources and also for the different classes in this study

Carbon and oxygen isotope composition of carbonates from an L6 chondrite: Evidence for terrestrial weathering from the Holbrook meteorite

Terrestrial weathering in meteorites is an important process which alters pristine elemental and isotopic abundances. The Holbrook L6 chondrite fell in 1912. Material was recovered at the time of the fall, in 1931, and 1968. The weathering processes operating on the freshly fallen meteorite in a semi-arid region of northeastern Arizona have been studied after a ground residence of 19 and 56 years. It has been shown that a large portion of the carbonate material in 7 Antarctic ordinary chondrites either underwent extensive isotopic exchange with atmospheric CO2, or formed recently in the Antarctic environment. In fact it has been demonstrated that hydrated Mg-carbonates, nesquehonite and hydromagnesite, formed in less than 40 years on LEW 85320. In order to help further constrain the effects of terrestrial weathering in meteorites, the carbon and oxygen isotopes extracted from carbonates of three different samples of Holbrook L6: a fresh sample at the time of the fall in 1912, a specimen collected in 1931, and a third specimen collected at the same site in 1968

Pared-down landscapes in Antarctica

The frigid-arid climate that now prevails in ice-free parts of Victoria Land, Antarctica, inhibits glacial erosion. If certain landscapes, more or less remote from the great troughs of outlet glaciers, have been glaciated in the past, as seems very probable, landforms that resulted from glaciation have been replaced by surfaces of different origin. A widespread landscape glaciation was probably contemporaneous with the excavation of large cirques which still survive in mountain summit areas. Replacement of glaciated landforms by others, in a general paring down of the land surface to forms of moderate relief, seems to have resulted from the process of gravity removal of debris from precipitous rock outcrops that were retreating because of disintegration by salt weathering and were eventually eliminated, in most cases, so that the landscape became a mosaic of smooth denudation slopes inclined at 33° to 350. In the Darwin Mountains ice-free area (80ºS) an advanced stage of such denudation with respect to a base level some 400 m above the present level of surrounding glaciers has produced some pyramidal landforms. Just above the present ice level, however, narrow Richter denudation slopes that border weathering rock faces are at only a juvenile stage of development. Thus the ice level appears to have stood alternately at about its present position and 400 m higher in Pleistocene interglacials and glacial ages respectively. The higher ice levels must have been due to extensions of the ice sheet seaward caused by groundings of the shelf ice during low glacio-eustatic stands of sea leve

Influence of palaeoweathering on trace metal concentrations and environmental proxies in black shales

The mineralogical and chemical compositions of Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian) marine black shale from the Kowala quarry, the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland, were investigated. This study focuses on disturbances in palaeoenvironmental proxies caused by palaeoweathering, which progressively changed the major and trace element abundances. Palaeomagnetic investigations reveal that the Devonian – Carboniferous succession was weathered during the Permian-Triassic by the infiltration of oxidizing fluids related to karstification following post-Variscan exhumation. The weathering process led to vermiculitization of chlorite, partial dissolution of calcite and replacement of pyrite by hematite and goethite. Moreover, the concentrations of some trace metals, including Co, Cu, Pb, Mo, Ni, As and U, significantly decreased. Consequently, some elemental abundance ratios that are used as environmental proxies, including U/Th, Ni/Co and V/Cr, were altered. Elements that are bound to iron sulphides (e.g., Mo) appear to be especially prone to mobilization by even a lightly weathered black shale. The documented weathering, including changes in elemental concentrations, can potentially create misinterpretations of the original palaeoenvironmental conditions. In addition, the palaeoweathering of the studied samples appears to have substantially changed the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and molybdenum stable isotope values. The nitrogen and molybdenum stable isotope ratios, in particular, appear to be most sensitive to the effects of weathering and therefore are good indicators of (palaeo)weathering processes. The major cause of these changes is the decay of organic matter and pyrite. For the organic carbon stable isotopes ratios, the main factor that controlls this process appears to be the preferential degradation of labile organic matter. A combination of the total organic carbon (TOC), total sulphur (TS) content, Mo concentration and stable isotope compositions seems to be the most useful for identify (palaeo)weathering. Our results suggest that reductions in TS and Mo in tandem with diminished Mo stable isotope values in the absence of obvious changes to the TOC content provide the most compelling evidence of (palaeo)weathering