Search results for "Geophysic"
showing 10 items of 2684 documents
Zirconium and hafnium fractionation and distribution of Rare Earth Elements in neutral–alkaline waters: Case study of Lake Van hydrothermal system, T…
2021
International audience; We investigated the distribution of Zr, Hf, and rare earth elements (REE) as the sum of lanthanides plus Y in the hydrothermal system in the Lake Van area of south-eastern Turkey. This system is characterised by water with variable pH in alkaline conditions resulting from hydrothermal CO2 upraise and neoformation of calcite minerals in near equilibrium with the interacting waters. Zr, Hf, and REE determinations were carried out for aqueous phases and suspended solids in lake water and surrounding thermal springs. We found that dissolved Hf is partitioned relative to Zr during calcite formation and that such fractionation is a function of the Ca2+ activity in warm wat…
Refining the temperature dependence of the oxygen and clumped isotopic compositions of structurally bound carbonate in apatite
2019
Abstract Clumped isotope data from carbonated apatite from in vivo and in vitro samples are presented to refine the relationship between mineral growth temperature and carbonate clumped isotopic composition (Δ47). Δ47, δ18O and δ13C data were obtained from phosphoric acid digestion (T = 110 °C) of chemically untreated teeth from an African elephant, Greenland sharks, sand tiger sharks and synthetic apatites. These data cover a temperature range between 1 °C and 80 °C and enlarge the calibration dataset presented in Wacker et al. (2016) by a factor of five. Taxon-specific analyses of tooth enamel(oid) and dentine reveal that both tissues show identical Δ47 values even though the content of o…
Lithium isotopes and partition coefficients in inorganic carbonates: Proxy calibration for weathering reconstruction
2021
We report Li measurements from cave-analogue carbonate-precipitation experiments in order to: i) assess the expected isotope fractionation factors applicable to speleothem growth, and ii) contribute to the wider understanding of lithium incorporation in carbonates. The experimental setup closely mimics natural processes (e.g. precipitation driven by CO2 degassing, low ionic strength solution, thin solution film) but within a laboratory setting that allows for controlled growth conditions (temperature, pCO2, drip rate, carbonate saturation index and the composition of the initial solution). For the main batch of calcite growth experiments our average 1000lnαcalcite-solution is -8.5&plu…
Determination of aragonite trace element distribution coefficients from speleothem calcite–aragonite transitions.
2016
The processes that govern the incorporation of (trace) elements into speleothems can often be linked to environmental changes. Although element incorporation into speleothem calcite is now reasonably well understood, current knowledge regarding trace element variability in speleothem aragonite is very limited. Of particular interest is whether trace element distribution coefficients are above or below one in order to assess the extent to which prior aragonite precipitation has affected speleothem aragonite trace element records. This study uses nine calcite-to-aragonite transitions in seven speleothems from diverse environmental settings to derive the first quantitative estimates of the dis…
Processes affecting the stable isotope composition of calcite during precipitation on the surface of stalagmites: Laboratory experiments investigatin…
2016
Abstract We present a theoretical derivation of the exchange time, τex, needed to establish isotopic equilibrium between atmospheric CO2 in a cave and HCO3− dissolved in a thin water film covering the surface of a speleothem. The result is τ ex = τ red ex · [ HCO 3 - ] K H · p CO 2 cave , where τ red ex depends on the depth, a, of the water film and on temperature. [ HCO 3 - ] is the concentration of bicarbonate, p CO 2 cave the partial pressure of CO2, and KH is Henry’s constant. To test the theory we prepared stagnant or flowing thin films of a NaHCO3 solution and exposed them at 20 °C to an CO2 containing atmosphere of p CO 2 500, 12,500, or 25,000 ppmV and defined isotope composition. T…
Coarse-grained cryogenic aragonite as end-member of mineral formation in dolomite caves
2018
Abstract Cryogenic carbonate particles (single crystals and aggregates) have recently been recognized as important witnesses of permafrost dynamics, as they can be used to estimate the thickness and timing of development of permafrost. In this study, the petrography and geochemistry of coarse-grained cryogenic aragonite (CGCAr) identified in Zoolithen Cave in NE Bavaria, Germany, are described in detail for the first time. We provide a sequence of carbonate precipitation during freezing, where CGCAr mark the final crystallization phase in freezing water on ice. Our results support the notion that host rock composition, solution chemistry, and cave ventilation play an important role for arag…
Constraining speleothem oxygen isotope disequilibrium driven by rapid CO2 degassing and calcite precipitation: Insights from monitoring and modeling
2020
Abstract Oxygen isotopes are the most commonly applied speleothem proxy for reconstructing Quaternary changes in precipitation and/or temperature. These interpretations are either limited to qualitative wetting and drying trends or rely on theoretical, experimental and/or empirical equilibrium isotope fractionation factors for more quantitative constraints. These various fractionation factors have similar temperature sensitivities, but their absolute values differ, and cave calcite does not appear to generally precipitate in isotopic equilibrium with its drip water. Rapid CO2 degassing paired with calcite precipitation, both occurring under disequilibrium conditions, are a set of mechanisms…
Geochemistry and mineralogy of travertine deposits of the SW flank of Mt. Etna (Italy): Relationships with past volcanic and degassing activity
2007
Abstract Travertine deposits outcropping in the lower SW flank of Mt. Etna were studied for their mapping, as well as for their chemical, mineralogical and isotopic compositions. These deposits are dated to about 24 to 5 ka in the Adrano area, located at the western limit of the study area. In this area travertines show high Mg contents and are composed mostly of dolomite, thus apparently ruling out any primary deposition in favour of a diagenetic origin. Travertines outcropping near Paterno, in the east part of the study area, should be younger than 18 ka. Those located to the SSW of Paterno (Paterno–Diga) show high Sr contents and aragonite as dominant mineralogical phase, thus suggesting…
Are oxygen isotope fractionation factors between calcite and water derived from speleothems systematically biased due to prior calcite precipitation …
2021
Abstract The equilibrium oxygen isotope fractionation factor between calcite and water (18αcalcite/H2O) is an important quantity in stable isotope geochemistry and allows in principle to infer temperature variations from carbonate δ18O if carbonate formation occurred in thermodynamic equilibrium. For this reason, many studies intended to determine the value of the oxygen isotope fractionation factor between calcite and water (18αcalcite/H2O) for a wide range of temperatures using modern cave calcite and the corresponding cave drip water or ancient speleothem carbonate and fluid inclusion samples. However, the picture that emerges from all of these studies indicates that speleothem calcite i…
Fluid geochemistry in a low-enthalpy geothermal field along a sector of southern Apennines chain (Italy)
2020
Abstract The chemical and isotopic features of the fluids (water and gases) in the Lucane thermal area (southern Italy) have been investigated in order to verify their origin, water temperature in the geothermal reservoir, and to recognize the main natural processes concerning the water composition during ascent towards the surface. The Lucane geothermal system is placed in the southern sector of the Apennines chains, a seismically active area, close to the southern base of the Mt. Alpi carbonate massif. Along the study area, two main sets of high-angle faults form an almost orthogonal fault system that, as suggested by local structural geology, acts as a preferential pathway for uprising d…