Search results for "ISOTOPES"
showing 10 items of 1216 documents
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…
Textural features and isotope geochemistry of the Scillato travertine (north-central Sicily): genetic implications.
2015
The travertine deposit, outcropping near the Scillato town (north-central Sicily), was originated by precipitation of calcium carbonate from the Scillato springs, documented as bicarbonate-enriched waters due to dissolution of the Madonie mountains carbonate rocks. This deposit is today well represented by the Travertine Cave, essentially constituted by stalactites and stalagmites in which travertine typically appears laminated with alternation of light and dark laminae. Mineralogical analysis have revealed the almost exclusive presence of calcite and observation under the polarized-light microscope showed different textural features, like presence of debris and porous portions, micritic po…
Disequilibrium carbon and oxygen isotope fractionation in recent cave calcite: Comparison of cave precipitates and model data
2013
Abstract Speleothem proxy data provide important information in continental palaeo-climate research due to their precise chronology and wide geographic distribution. Despite a continuously growing number of field and numerical studies designed to study stable isotope fractionation effects, many aspects remain a matter of debate. Here, carbon and oxygen isotope ratios from cave drip water and calcite precipitates sampled on watch glasses in the Bunker Cave (Western Germany) are compared with the values expected for isotopic equilibrium. Furthermore, the field data are compared with the results of a numerical model simulating stalagmite growth and stable isotope ratios. Two drip sites with di…
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…
Modelling carbon isotopes of carbonates in cave drip water
2011
Abstract C isotopes in cave drip water are affected by both the C isotope composition of soil air and host rock carbonate. Furthermore, the C isotope composition of cave drip water strongly depends on the calcite dissolution system, i.e., open, closed and intermediate conditions. Here, we present a calcite dissolution model, which calculates the 14C activity and δ13C value of the dissolved inorganic carbon of the drip water. The model is based on the chemical equations describing calcite dissolution ( H 2 O + CaCO 3 + CO 2 ⇔ Ca 2 + + 2HCO 3 - ). The most important improvement, relative to previous models, is the combination of the open and closed system conditions in order to simulate the C…
Calcium transport in rat small intestine in vitro and in vivo
1972
Intestinal calcium (Ca) transport was studied in the rat jejunum by the in vitro perfusion technique of Fisher and Parsons and in the tied loop in vivo. Mucosal uptake and absorption of Ca was examined under the following conditions: rising intraluminal Ca-concentrations (0.5–128 meq/l); inhibition of energy dependent metabolism (2,4-dinitrophenol, N2, low temperature); net water flow, out of or into the intestinal lumen; addition of strontium (Sr); pretreatment with low Ca-diet and with 6-methyl-prednisolone. The concentration-dependent Ca absorption curve rose steeply at low Ca-concentrations but changed to a slowly rising straight line above 16 meq/l Ca++. In contrast, Ca uptake into the…
Excitotoxic Hippocampal Membrane Breakdown and its Inhibition by Bilobalide: Role of Chloride Fluxes
2003
We have previously shown that hypoxia and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation induce breakdown of choline-containing phospholipids in rat hippocampus, a process which is mediated by calcium influx and phospholipase A (2) activation. Bilobalide, a constituent of Ginkgo biloba, inhibited this process in a potent manner (Weichel et al., Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 360, 609-615, 1999). In this study, we used fluorescence microscopy and radioactive flux measurements to show that bilobalide does not interfere with NMDA-induced calcium influx. Instead, bilobalide seems to inhibit NMDA-induced fluxes of chloride ions through ligand-operated chloride channels. In our experimen…
Dibutyryl cyclic AMP and adrenaline increase contractile force and 45Ca uptake in mammalian cardiac muscle
1973
The effects of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DB-AMP; 10−3M) and adrenaline (2.2×10−6 M) on contractile force, 45Ca uptake, and total myocardial Ca concentration were investigated in electrically driven left auricles isolated from rat hearts. The experiments were performed at an extracellular Ca concentration of 0.45 mM and at low frequency of stimulation (15 beats/min). 45Ca exposure was 5 min. Under the conditions used, both drugs increased contractile force and enhanced 45Ca uptake (expressed as relative specific activity) by about 30% (DB-AMP) and 40% (adrenaline), respectively. Thus, the results provide evidence that the effects of adrenaline on 45Ca uptake in mammalian cardiac muscle can be mi…
Isotopic composition of cattle pancreatic stones: biological and geochemical implications.
1977
Latitudinal variations of the O18/O16-ratios of carbonate and phosphate of cattle pancreatic stones parallel a similar pattern of oxygen isotope values in rain water. C13/C12-ratios were virtually identical for the 7 cases studied. Isotopic measurements of mammalian hard tissues may be used for studying short-term climatic variations through Quaternary.