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.