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Data supplement to: Chemistry and Microbiology of the Critical Zone along a steep climate and vegetation gradient in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera

The Chilean Coastal Cordillera features a spectacular climate and vegetation gradient, ranging from arid and unvegetated areas in the north to humid and forested areas in the south. The DFG Priority Program "EarthShape" (Earth Surface Shaping by Biota) uses this natural gradient to investigate how climate and biological processes shape the Earth's surface. We explored the critical zone, the Earth's uppermost layer, in four key sites located in desert, semidesert, mediterranean, and temperate climate zones of the Coastal Cordillera, with the focus on weathering of granitic rock. Here, we present first results from four ~2m-deep regolith profiles to document: (1) architecture of weathering zone; (2) degree and rate of rock weathering, thus the release of mineral-derived nutrients to the terrestrial ecosystems; (3) denudation rates; and (4) microbial abundances of bacteria and archaea in the saprolite. From north to south, denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclides are ~10 t km-2 yr-1 at the arid Pan de Azúcar site, ~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 ~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 (~26 °S) to south (~38 °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. The data are supplementary material to Oeser et al. (2018). All samples are assigned with International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSN), a globally unique and persistent Identifier for physical samples. The IGSNs are provided in the data tables and link to a comprehensive sample description in the internet. The content of the eight data tables is: Table S1: Catena properties of the four primary EarthShape study areas. Table S2: Major and selected trace element concentration for bedrock samples. Table S3 Normative modal abundance of rock-forming minerals. Table S4: Major and selected trace element concentration for regolith samples and dithionite and oxalate soluble pedogenic oxides. Table S5: Weathering indices CDF and CIA, and the mass transfer coefficients (τ) for major and trace elements along with volumetric strain (ɛ). Table S6: Chemical weathering and physical erosion rates Table S7: Relative microbial abundances in saprolite of the four study areas. Table S8: Uncorrected major and trace element concentration. The data tables are provided as one Excel file with eight spreadsheets, as individual tables in .csv format in a zipped archive and as printable PDF versions in a zipped archive.

Denudation and weathering rates of carbonate landscapes from meteoric 10Be/9Be ratios

We provide sample information and geochemical data for obtaining erosion, weathering, and denudation rates from a framework based cosmogenic meteoric 10Be versus stable 9Be (10Be/9Be) ratios. We modified this published silicate framework (von Blanckenburg et al., 2012) to carbonate landscapes, and performed thorough ground-truthing and testing of assumptions, as this is the first application of the framework for carbonate lithologies. The most important methodological findings are as follows: 1) We amended a sequential extraction step specific for solubilizing total carbonate-bound Be using acetic acid. As this extraction cannot distinguish between secondary and primary carbonate, we employed carbon stable isotopes to obtain the fraction of Be associated with secondary carbonate. We find that >90% of total carbonate-bound Be is bound to secondary carbonate, meaning that distinguishing between secondary and primary carbonate and employing carbon stable isotopes may not be necessary. 2) Using radiogenic strontium isotope ratios we found that about a third of the 9Be contained in secondary carbonate is derived from the dissolution of silicate phases, likely clastic impurities such as clays. These silicate phases also adsorb meteoric 10Be during weathering. The method is thus applicable to pure limestone as well as mixed carbonate-siliciclastic lithologies. 3) Total 9Be concentrations in bedrock are heterogeneous in the Jura, and are potentially controlled by the amount of silicate impurities contained in limestone. Yet the average 9Beparent in summed carbonate- and silicate-bound fractions (0.07 ug/g) is about 9 times lower than values from existing rock databases. In limestones studies, 9Beparent must be thus determined case-by-case on local bedrock. 4) The analysis of partition coefficients Kd for 10Be and 9Be, respectively, and very similar 10Be/9Be ratios show that dissolved Be has equilibrated between reactive (amorphous and crystalline Fe-oxides) and secondary carbonate phases. Secondary carbonate phases are thus part of the reactive Be pool in limestone settings. 5) As in previous studies in silicate lithologies 10Be and 9Be concentrations show pronounced differences between soil and sediment samples that we attribute to grain size dependence and sorting. The 10Be/9Be ratios however cover a remarkably narrow range for all samples, resulting a in narrow range in denudation rates. 6) The fraction of 9Be released by weathering and partitioned into the secondary reactive or dissolved phase serves as a Be-specific proxy for the degree of weathering. 7) The atmospheric depositional flux of 10Be estimated for the Jura mountains from concentrations of dissolved and particulate 10Be and river gauging is about 80% of estimates from independent global GCM-based distribution maps. The GCM estimates thus provide sufficient accuracy. From application of these new principles, weathering and erosion in the French Jura Mountains can be described as follows: The proportion of weathering in total denudation W/D is >0.9, due to the high purity of the limestone that almost completely dissolved except for a small silicate mineral fraction that, however, carries 50% of the bedrock’s 9Be. Resulting 10Be/9Be-derived denudation rates are on average 300 t/km2/yr for soils and 580 t/km2/yr for river sediments. The soil-derived values agree well with previous estimates from gauging data despite their entirely different (decadal vs. millennial) integration time scales. That sediment-derived denudation rates exceed those from soil we attribute to a 30-60% contribution from subsurface bedrock weathering. On a global scale, our data provides the first cosmogenic-based denudation rates for the precipitation (MAP) range of 1200 to 1700 mm/yr under a temperate climate and dense vegetation cover. Previous millennial-scale denudation rates from in situ-36Cl in calcite from less vegetated sites do not exceed 250 t/km2/yr in this precipitation range. With 500-600 t/km2/yr our denudation rates peak at MAP of 1200-1300 mm/yr, and then show a trend of decreasing D with increasing MAP.

Sample and Modelling Data for Cosmogenic 10Be in Medial Moraine Debris of Glacier d’Otemma, Switzerland

This data publication is supplementary to the study on headwall erosion rates at Glacier d'Otemma in Switzerland, by Wetterauer et al. (2022). Debris on glacier surfaces stems from steep bedrock hillslopes that tower above the ice, so-called headwalls. Recently, rock walls in high-alpine glacial environments experience increased destabilization due to climate warming. Since supraglacial debris alters the melt behaviour of the ice underneath, increased headwall erosion and debris delivery to glacier surfaces will modify glacial mass balances. Therefore, we expect that the response of glaciers to climate change is likely linked to how headwall erosion responds to climate change. As headwall debris is deposited on the ice surface of valley glaciers it is passively transported downglacier, both supra- and englacially. Where two glaciers join, debris along their margins is merged to form medial moraines. Since medial moraine debris tends to be older downglacier, systematic downglacier-sampling of medial moraine debris and the measurement of in situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be concentrations ([10Be]) hold the potential to assess long-term (>10^2-10^4 yrs) headwall erosion rates through time. However, to obtain the cosmogenic signals of headwall erosion, [10Be] within supraglacial debris need to be corrected for glacial transport time, as cosmogenic nuclides continue to accumulate during exposure and transport. This additional 10Be accumulation during debris transport can be accounted for by simple downglacier debris trajectory modelling. Providing our 10Be dataset together with detailed information on our 1-D modelling approach is the main objective of this data publication. The data is presented as one single xlsx-file with three different tables. A detailed description of the sample processing and the debris trajectory model are provided in the data description file of this data publication. For more information see our study Wetterauer et al. (2022).

Geochemical data on silicon isotope and Ge/Si ratios along a global erodosequence

We provide geochemical data for three sites that define a gradient of erosion rates – an “erodosequence”. These sites are the Swiss Central Alps, a rapidly-eroding post-glacial mountain belt; the Southern Sierra Nevada, USA, eroding at moderate rates; and the slowly-eroding tropical Highlands of central Sri Lanka. Specifically, we provide silicon isotope ratios and germanium/silicon ratios and the major element composition of 1) rock, 2) saprolite, 3) soil, 4) plants, 5) river dissolved loads, 6) the soil and saprolite amorphous silica fraction (accessed with a NaOH leach), and 7) the soil and saprolite clay-size fraction (isolated with a differential settling protocol). These data serve two purposes. First, they allow us to improve understanding of the controls on silicon isotopes and germanium/silicon ratios in the 'Critical Zone'. Specifically, we can quantify the fractionation factors (for silicon isotopes) and the exchange coefficients (for germanium/silicon ratios), for secondary mineral precipitation and for biological uptake. Secondly, we can use mass-balance approaches to quantify the partitioning of silicon - a nutrient, and a major rock-forming element - among secondary minerals, plant material, and solutes. All samples are assigned with International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSN), a globally unique and persistent Identifier for physical samples. The IGSNs are provided in the data tables and link to a comprehensive sample description.

A global database of radiogenic Nd and Sr isotopes in marine and terrestrial samples (V. 2.0)

The database presented here contains radiogenic neodymium and strontium isotope ratios measured on both terrestrial and marine sediments. It was compiled to help assessing sediment provenance and transport processes for various time intervals. This can be achieved by either mapping sediment isotopic signature and/or fingerprinting source areas using statistical tools (e.g. Blanchet, 2018b, 2018a).The database has been built by incorporating data from the literature and the SedDB database and harmonizing the metadata, especially units and geographical coordinates. The original data were processed in three steps. Firstly, a specific attention has been devoted to provide geographical coordinates to each sample in order to be able to map the data. When available, the original geographical coordinates from the reference (generally DMS coordinates, with different precision standard) were transferred into the decimal degrees system. When coordinates were not provided, an approximate location was derived from available information in the original publication. Secondly, all samples were assigned a set of standardized criteria that help splitting the dataset in specific categories. We defined categories associated with the sample location ("Region", "Sub-region", "Location", which relate to location at continental to city/river scale) or with the sample types (terrestrial samples – “aerosols”, “soil sediments”, “river sediments”, “rocks” - or marine samples –“marine sediment” or “trap sample”). Thirdly, samples were discriminated according to their deposition age, which allowed to compute average values for specific time intervals (see attached table "Age_determination_Sediment_Cores_V2.txt"). A first version of the database was published in September 2018 and presented data for the African sector. A second version was published in April 2019, in which the dataset has been extended to reach a global extent. The dataset will be further updated bi-annually to increase the geographical resolution and/or add other type of samples.This dataset consists of two tab separated tables: "Dataset_Nd_Sr_isotopes_V2.txt" and "Age_determination_Sediment_Cores_V2.txt". "Dataset_Nd_Sr_isotopes_V2.txt" contains the assembled dataset of marine and terrestrial Nd and/or Sr concentration and isotopes, together with sorting criteria and geographical locations. "Age_determination_Sediment_Cores_V2.txt" contains all background information concerning the determination of the isotopic signature of specific time intervals (depth interval, number of samples, mean and standard deviation). Column headers are explained in respective metadata comma-separated files. A full reference list is provided in the file “References_Database_Nd_Sr_isotopes_V2.rtf”. Finally, R code for mapping the data and running statistical analyses is also available for this dataset (Blanchet, 2018b, 2018a).

Analysis of cosmogenic 10Be concentrations of Siwalik sediments and modern river sands from the north-western Himalaya and the calculated 10Be-derived paleoerosion rates

These datasets were used to evaluate the main controls on last ~6 million years erosion rate variability of the northwestern Himalaya. The Earth’s climate has been cooling during the last ~15 million years and started fluctuating between cold and warm periods since ~2-3 million years ago. Many researchers think that these long-term climatic changes were accompanied by changes in continental erosion. However, quantifying erosion rates in the geological past is challenging, and previous studies reached contrasting conclusions. In this study, we quantified erosion rates in the north-western Indian Himalaya over the past 6 million years by measuring in situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be in exhumed older foreland basin sediments. The 10Be is produced by cosmic rays in minerals at the Earth's surface, and its abundance indicates erosion rates. Our reconstructed erosion rates show a quasi-cyclic pattern with a periodicity of ~1 million year and a gradual increase towards the present. We suggest that both patterns—cyclicity and gradual increase—are unrelated to climatic changes. Instead, we propose that the growth of the Himalaya by repeatedly scraping off rocks from the Indian plate (basal accretion), resulted in changes of its topography that were accompanied by changes in erosion rates. In this scenario, basal accretion episodically changes rock-uplift patterns, which brings landscapes out of equilibrium and results in quasi-cyclic variations in erosion rates. We used numerical landscape evolution simulations to demonstrate that this hypothesis is physically plausible. Datasets provided here includes summary of the location, depositional age, and stratigraphic position of 41 Siwalik sandstone samples collected from the Haripur section in Himachal Pradesh, India (Dataset S1); 10Be analysis results of Siwalik samples (2021-006_Mandal-et-al_Dataset-S1); sample location and 10Be analysis results of modern river sands from the Yamuna River and its tributaries near the Dehradun Basin (2021-006_Mandal-et-al_Dataset-S2); input parameters for the calculation of paleoerosion rates (2021-006_Mandal-et-al_Dataset-S3); and reconstructed 10Be paleoconcentrations and paleoerosion rates (Dataset S4). Moreover, the data include a compilation of published magnetostratigraphy-derived sediment accumulation rates in the late Cenozoic Himalayan foreland basin (2021-006_Mandal-et-al_Dataset-S5). We also include a movie (2021-006_Mandal-et-al_Movie-S1) that is a complete numerical landscape evolution model run with four consecutive accretion cycles of equal magnitude. For more information (for e.g., sampling method, analytical procedure, and data processing) please refer to the associated data description file and the main article (Mandal et al., 2021).

Data Supplement to: Cosmogenic 10Be in river sediment: where grain size matters and why

Concentrations of in-situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be in river sediment are widely used to estimate catchment-average denudation rates. Typically, the 10Be concentrations are measured in the sand fraction of river sediment. However, the grain size of bedload sediment in most bedrock rivers covers a much wider range. Where 10Be concentrations depend on grain size, denudation rate estimates based on the sand fraction alone are potentially biased. To date, knowledge about catchment attributes that may induce grain-size-dependent 10Be concentrations is incomplete or has only been investigated in modelling studies. Here we present an empirical study on the occurrence of grain-size-dependent 10Be concentrations and the potential controls of hillslope angle, precipitation, lithology, and abrasion. We first conducted a study focusing on the sole effect of precipitation in four granitic catchments located on a climate gradient in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. We found that observed grain size dependencies of 10Be concentrations in the most-arid and most-humid catchments could be explained by the effect of precipitation on both the scouring depth of erosion processes and the depth of the mixed soil layer. Analysis of a global dataset of published 10Be concentrations in different grain sizes (n=73 catchments) – comprising catchments with contrasting hillslope angles, climate, lithology, and catchment size – revealed a similar pattern. Lower 10Be concentrations in coarse grains (defined as “negative grain size dependency”) emerge frequently in catchments which likely have thin soil and where deep-seated erosion processes (e.g. landslides) excavate grains over a larger depth interval. These catchments include steep (> 25°) and humid catchments (> 2000mm yr-1). Furthermore, we found that an additional cause of negative grain size dependencies may emerge in large catchments with weak lithologies and long sediment travel distances (> 2300–7000 m, depending on lithology) where abrasion may lead to a grain size distribution that is not representative for the entire catchment. The results of this study can be used to evaluate whether catchment-average denudation rates are likely to be biased in particular catchments.Samples from the Chilean Coastal Cordillera were processed in the Helmholtz Laboratory for the Geochemistry of the Earth Surface (HELGES). 10Be/9Be ratios were measured at the University of Cologne and normalized to the KN01-6-2 and KN01-5-3 standards. Denudation rates were calculated using a time-independent scaling scheme according to Lal (1991) and Stone (2002) (St scaling scheme) and the SLHL production rate of 4.01 at g-1 yr-1 as reported by Phillips et al. (2016)The global compilation exists of studies that measured 10Be concentrations in different grain sizes from the same sample location. We only included river basins of <5000 km2 which measured 10Be concentrations in at least one sand-sized fraction <2 mm and at least one coarser fraction >2 mm. Catchment parameters have been recalculated using a 90-m SRTM DEM.The data are presented in Excel and csv tables. Table S1 describes the characteristics of the samples catchments, Table S2 includes the grain size dependent 10Be-concentrations measured during this study and Table 3 the global compilation of grain size dependent 10Be-concentrations. All samples of this study (the Chilean Coastal Cordillera) are assigned with International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSN). The IGSN links are included in Table S2 and in the Related References Section on the DOI Landing Page. The data are described in detail in the data description file and in van Dongen et al. (2018) to which they are supplementary material to.

Laboratory and field data used to determine the controls of drainage density differences in two granitoid plutons in semi-arid Central Chile

Here we provide in situ 10Be data, meteoric 10Be data, X-Ray fluorescence data, infiltration rate field date, chemical extraction data, a summary of grain size data, all grain size data (Table S7), mineral point counting data, XRD data, soil grain size data, and data from laboratory measurements of hydrological parameters. Field work in Santa Gracia was conducted in February of the years 2019 and 2020 and laboratory work was conducted between 2019 and 2023. This data publication accompanies our study (Lodes et al., 2024), in which we investigate whether lithology controls drainage density in Santa Gracia, a semi-arid field site in Central Chile. In the study, we compare the density of drainages in two distinct, neighbouring landscapes underlain by a monzogranite and two diorite plutons (which we refer to as the “inner diorite” and the “outer diorite”). We collected multiple datasets to understand the underlying mechanisms behind the drainage density differences. The data was collected as part of the German Science Foundation (DFG) priority research program SPP-1803 “EarthShape: Earth Surface Shaping by Biota” (grant SCHE 1676/4-1 and -2 to D. S.; funding of P. G. through grant BE 1780/53-1 and -2).

Cosmogenic 10^Be and 26^Al concentrations in fluvial sediments from the Mohand Range in the northwestern Himalaya

Because of the multi-stepped pathways of sediment comprising the foreland fold-thrust belt (FFTB), detrital quartz grains that recycle from the FFTB sources contain cosmogenic radionuclides (CRN), such as 10^Be and 26^Al, accumulated during previous exposure, resulting in inheritance and, hence, anomalously low erosion rates. This inhibits the straightforward use of 10^Be as tracers for modern erosion rates and sediment discharge from the FFTB, prevalent at the external edges of collisional orogens such as the Himalaya. We present a novel approach for quantifying the erosion rates of FFTB by comparing measured and modeled CRN concentrations in fluvial sediments. We apply this approach to the Mohand Range, an emergent fault-related fold in the frontal part of the northwestern Himalaya (see the location map below). The 10^Be and 26^Al datasets presented here were used to calibrate our model, which we used to quantify the erosion rates in and sediment flux from the Mohand Range. Datasets provided here include a summary of the location and depositional age of 33 fluvial sediments and two sandstone samples collected from the Mohand Range, 10^Be analysis results of 23 of these fluvial sediments and two bedrock samples, and 26^Al-10^Be pair analysis results of the remaining ten fluvial sediment samples (Dataset S1). Moreover, the data include the depositional age map of uplifted older foreland sediments across the western Mohand Range (Dataset 2) and the map of best-fit 10^Be concentration inherited from Himalayan paleoerosion (Dataset 3) and sediment burial in the foreland (Dataset 4). We also include a map of the best-fit 10^Be concentration produced during modern erosion of the Mohand Range (Dataset 5) and a map of the best-fit uplift/erosion rates across the western Mohand Range (Dataset 6). For more information (e.g., sampling method, analytical procedure, and data processing), please refer to the main article (Mandal et al., 2023).

A global database of radiogenic Nd and Sr isotopes in marine and terrestrial samples

The database presented here contains radiogenic neodymium and strontium isotope ratios measured on both terrestrial and marine sediments. It was compiled to help assessing sediment provenance and transport processes for various time intervals. This can be achieved by either mapping sediment isotopic signature and/or fingerprinting source areas using statistical tools (see supplemental references).The database has been built by incorporating data from the literature and the SedDB database and harmonizing the metadata, especially units and geographical coordinates. The original data were processed in three steps. Firstly, a specific attention has been devoted to provide geographical coordinates to each sample in order to be able to map the data. When available, the original geographical coordinates from the reference (generally DMS coordinates, with different precision standard) were transferred into the decimal degrees system. When coordinates were not provided, an approximate location was derived from available information in the original publication. Secondly, all samples were assigned a set of standardized criteria that help splitting the dataset in specific categories. We defined categories associated with the sample location ("Region", "Sub-region", "Location", which relate to location at continental to city/river scale) or with the sample types (terrestrial samples – “aerosols”, “soil sediments”, “river sediments” - or marine samples –“marine sediment” or “trap sample”). Thirdly, samples were discriminated according to their deposition age, which allowed to compute average values for specific time intervals (see attached table "Age_determination_Sediment_Cores.csv"). The dataset will be updated bi-annually and might be extended to reach a global geographical extent and/or add other type of samples.This dataset contains two csv tables: "Dataset_Nd_Sr_isotopes.csv" and "Age_determination_Sediment_Cores.csv". "Dataset_Nd_Sr_isotopes.csv" contains the assembled dataset of marine and terrestrial Nd and/or Sr concentration and isotopes, together with sorting criteria and geographical locations. "Age_determination_Sediment_Cores.csv" contains all background information concerning the determination of the isotopic signature of specific time intervals (depth interval, number of samples, mean and standard deviation). Column headers are explained in respective metadata comma-separated files. A human readable data description is provided in portable document format, as well. Finally, R code for mapping the data and running statistical analyses is also available for this dataset (see supplemental references).

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