Sulfuric acid as a weathering agent of carbonate weathering constrained by δ^13C： Examples from Southwest China

Rock weathering by carbonic acid is one of the important atmosphere CO2 sequestration. Actually, it depends on whether carbonic acid or other acids as weathering agents, which is important to understand the model of global carbon cycle. For example, sulfuric acid derived from oxidation of pyrite takes part in the rock weathering, which might counteract one part of CO2 drawdown by silicate weathering. In this study, chemicals and carbon isotopic composition of waters were determined in the Beipan River, Guizhou. The δ^13C values of dissolved inorganic carbon in the province, Southwest China. The values of the samples range from -13.1‰ to -2.4‰, which show a good negative correlation with the equivalent ratio of [HCO3]/（[Ca^2＋＋Mg^2＋]） and a good positive correlation with the equivalent ratio of [SO4^2-]/（[Ca^2＋＋Mg^2＋]） and [SO4^2-]/[HCO3^-]. The relationships suggest that sulfuric acid took part in carbonate weathering. Acid rain is thus a significant source of sulfuric acid to the karstic rivers of Guizhou Province.     

Behaviour of REE during weathering of granite in a tropical climate

Weathering is essentially a leaching process and thus, one way of determining the extent of weathering is to monitor the mobility of different elements. Rate of loss of elements in a weathering profile can be determined by comparing the concentrations of …     

Sodic metasomatism in a dacite weathering profile in Pinxiang, Guangxi, China

The Pinxiang weathering profile is well developed on Early Triassic dacite lavas of the Baisi Formation. At the top of the profile is developed a red clay zone which is characterized mineralogically by kaolinite, iron oxide minerals, quartz, and a small amount of illite, montmorillonite and vermiculite. In going downwards the red clay zone gives way to a saprolite zone in which plagioclase pseudomorphs have been well preserved although replaced by kaolinite. Beneath the saprolite zone is the saprock zone characterized by less weathering for dacite. At the bottom of the weathering profile is the parent material, dacite, which is composed mainly of plagioclase, quartz, K-feldspar and biotite which have been largely altered into chlorite owing to submarine extrusion of dacite lavas. Some layers in the weathering profile show obvious sodium enrichment and potassium depletion relative to others. In the Al2O3-(CaO* Na2O)-K2O triangular diagram, the weathering trends of these layers in the middle stage are remarkably deviated from normal ones. Both mineralogy and micro-morphology of these layers indicate such deviation resulted from sodic metasomatism of orthoclase.     

Micro area transportation of residues： A style forming the red weathering crusts of carbonate rocks

The red weathering crusts of carbonate rocks are usually characteristic of thick-bedded intensely weathered profiles and strongly undulate basement rock surface （i.e., alternative distribution of solution grooves and stone teeth）. In this work a typical red weathering crust of carbonate rock, whose parent rock is of homogeneity in composition, is selected in karst terrace, middle Guizhou Province, China. Via field geology, geochemistry, mineralogy, grain size analyses, and in comparison with two neighbouring limestone soils as well, the authors have discussed forming process of the red weathering crusts of carbonate rocks, and demonstrated that micro area transportation of acid-insoluble residues of carbonate rocks is a style of forming the red weathering crusts of carbonate rocks. The weathering front is a main place of geochemical reaction, and at this limited-thick interface, with quick dissolution of carbonates, acid-insoluble residues begin to obviously decompose.     

Interactions between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus mucilaginosus</Emphasis> and silicate minerals (weathered adamellite and feldspar): Weathering rate,products, and reaction mechanisms

Bacillus mucilaginosus is a common soil bacterium,and usually used as a model bacterium in studying microbe-mineral interactions.Several reaction mechanisms of B.mucilaginosus weathering silicate minerals were proposed.However,the molecule mechanisms and detailed processes were still unclear.In this paper,bacterium-mineral interactions were studied in terms of variations in pH value over the experimental period,variations in mineral composition,weathering rates of silicate minerals and volatile metabolites in the culture medium,etc.,to further explore the bacterium-mineral interaction mechanisms.The results showed that B.mucilaginosus could enhance silicate mineral weathering obviously.The weathering rates were quite different for various kinds of silicate minerals,and the weathering rate of weathered adamellite could reach 150 mg/m2/d.Although B.mucilaginosus produced little acidic substance,pH in the microenvironment of bacterium-mineral complex might be far lower than that of the circumjacent environment;a large amount of acetic acid was found in the metabolites,and was likely to play an important role as a ligand.These results appear to suggest that acidolysis and ligand degradation are the main mechanisms of B.mucilaginosus dissolving silicate minerals,the formation of bacterium-mineral complexes is the necessary condition for the bacteria weathering silicate minerals,and extracelluar polysaccharides played important roles in bacterium-mineral interaction processes by forming bacterium-mineral complexes and maintaining the spe-cial physicochemical properties of microenvironment.     

Hydrogeochemistry of karst underground waters at shallow depth in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province

The aim of this study is to shed light on the hydrogeochemical characteristics of karst underground waters at shallow depth in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province with an emphasis on the geochemistry of major elements. Guiyang City bears abundant underground waters and it is also an important representative of the karst areas throughout the world. Ca^2 and Mg^2 are the dominant cations, accounting for 81% -99.7% of the total, and HCO3^- and SO4^2- are the dominant anions. Weathering of limestones and dolostones is the most important factor controlling the hydrogeochemistry of underground waters, and weathering of sulfate and evaporite rocks is less important. Moreover, the precipitation and human activities also have a definite influence on the hydrogeoehemistry of underground waters in the region studied.     

An Experimental Styudy on Gold Solubility in Amino Acid Solution and Its Geological Significance

The experiments on gold solubility in amino acid solution mdicate that gold is very intensively soluble in amino acid(or other organic acids),which is extensively present in geological bodies,and is most soluble in histidine.The temperature and concentration,acidity and type of amino acid in the solution are important factors affecting gold-amino acid complexing. The solubility of gold in amino acid is different under different conditions of temperature, amino acid concentration and pH value of the solution,At 80℃ and pH=6-8,gold is most soluble in amino acid.Gold dispersed in water and rocks could be concentrated and transported by amino acid and then precipitated in favorable loci.Amino acids might have played an important role in metallogenesis as well as in the formation of source beds of gold.Nitrogen,oxygen and sulfur in amino acid might have reacted with gold to form soluble complex ions.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711200151X

The unconformity surface at the bottom of the Paleogene is one of the most important migration pathways in the Sikeshu Sag of the Junggar Basin,which consists of three layers：upper coarse clastic rock,lower weathering crust and leached zone.The upper coarse clastic rock is characterized by higher density and lower SDT and gamma-ray logging parameters,while the lower weathering crust displays opposite features.The transport coefficient of the unconformity surface is controlled by its position in respect to the basal sandstone; it is higher in the ramp region but lower in the adjacent uplifted and sag areas.The content of saturated hydrocarbons increases with the decrease of the content of nonhydrocarbons and asphaltenes.The content of benzo[c] carbazole decreases as the content of benzo[a]carbazole and [alkyl carbazole]/[alkyl ＋ benzo carbazole] increases.This suggests that the unconformity surface is an efficient medium for the transportation of hydrocarbons.     

Geochemistry of the Rare Earth Elements in Natural Terrestrial Waters：A Review of What Is Currently Knows

The range of observed chemical compositions of natural terrestrial waters varies greatly especially when compared to the essentially constant global composition of the oceans.The concentrations of the REEs in natural terrestrial waters also exhibit more variation than what was reported in seawater,In terrestrial waters ,pH values span the range from acid up to alkaline,In addition,terrestrial waters can range from very dilute waters through to highly concentrated brines.The REE concentrations and their behavior in natural terrestrial waters reflect these compositional ranges,Chemical weathering of rocks represents the source of the REEs to natural terrestrial waters and ,consequently,the REE signature of rocks can impart their REE signature to associated waters,In addition,Because of the typical low solubilities of the REEs both surface and solution complexation can be important in fractionating REEs in aqueous solution.Both of these processes are important in all natural terrestrial waters,however,their relative importance varies as a function of the overall solution composition,In alkaline waters,for example,Solution complexation of the REEs with carbonate ions appears to control their aqueous distributions whereas in acid waters,the REE signature of the labile fraction of the REEs is readily leached from the rocks.In circumneutral pH waters,both processes appear to be important and their relative significance has not yet been determined.     

Effect of Aspergillus niger on weathering of phosphorite rock

Weathering mechanism of phosphorite rock by Aspergillus niger has been studied. Ten strains of phosphate-solubilizing fungi were isolated from rhizosphere soils by using dilute plate method in solid inorganic phosphorus culture. According to the size of soluble phosphate circle in the medium, a strain of stronger phosphate-solubilizing fungus was acquired, which was identified as, Aspergillus niger using identification methods of morphology and ITS sequences comparison in Genbank. In liquid culture, incubation in static state, the weathering of apatite rock with the fungus by contrast method： putting apatite powder （200 mesh） in liquid culture medium of flask, inoculation fungus after autoclave （setting sterile control） for studying direct weathering process; putting dialysis bag with apatite powder （200 mesh） in liquid culture medium of flask, inoculation fungus after autoclave （setting sterile control） for studying indirect weathering process.     

Weathering of Monuments at Jethawanaramaya Complex in North-Central,Sri Lanka

Abstract: Sri Lanka has the richest archaeological sites in Asia. Jethawanarama Complex, one of the valuable sites in the country, is suffering from deterioration due to weathering. Monuments were built mainly from stones (granitic gneiss and marble) and clay bricks. The present study aimed to categorize weathering forms and interpret the recently-developing weathering processes. The growing of lichens on surfaces and the development of saline conditions are the major threats on the survival of monuments other than the typical weathering processes of tropical climates Morinite (NaCa2Al2[PO4)]2[F,OH]5·2H2O) is identified as a weathering product of monuments and is generated from lichens.     

Carbonate weathering rates in the Jura Mountains, France-The influence of vegetation

In order to better understand what controls carbonate weathering rates, we report results from the Jura Mountains （East France）, an area exclusively composed of carbonate rocks. This region presents an altitude gradient increasing from 250 m to 1300 m. Over the basin, this gradient generates climatic contrasts of 5℃ and a runoff three times higher in altitude. This place offers a good opportunity for understanding the controlling factors of carbonate weathering. Contrary to thermodynamic calculations that predict the highest concentrations at low temperature, we observe that carbonate dissolution is two times higher at low elevation than in the mountains. This observation can only be explained by a variation in soil pCO2. In order to better constrain the observed variation in cation contents （principally Ca and Mg） of rivers, we used the ASPECTS ecological model （Rasse et al., 2001）. Based on both hourly climatic data, vegetation type and soil type, ASPECTS may reconstruct pCO2 in soil.     

Role of Carbonic Anhydrase as an Activator in Carbonate Rock Dissolution and Its Implication for Atmospheric CO_2 Sink

The conversion of CO2 into H+ and is a relatively slow reaction. Hence, its kinetics may be rate determiningin carbonate rock dissolution. Carbonic anhydrase (CA), which is widespread in nature, was used to catalyze the CO2 conversion process in dissolution experiments of limestone and dolomite. It was found that the rate of dissolution increases by a factor of about 10 after the addition of CA at a high CO2 partial pressure (Pco2) for limestone and about 3 at low Pcoj for dolomite. This shows that reappraisal is necessary for the importance of chemical weathering (including carbonate rock dissolution and silicate weathering) in the atmospheric CO2 sink and the mysterious missing sink in carbon cycling. It is doubtless that previous studies of weathering underestimated weathering rates due to the ignorance of CA as an activator in weathering, thus the contribution of weathering to the atmospheric CO2 sink is also underestimated. This finding also shows the need to examine the situ distribution and activ     

Discovery of Large Bubble-Like Caves in the Laoshan Granites and Its Significance

正Objective In recent years,the dispute regarding the Quaternary glacier of eastern China has become a research focus again,and one of the important focuses is the"glacial pothole".In fact,the micro-topographic genesis of the rocky surface mortar may be interpreted differently in different places,including pothole,weathering pit,sea cave and wind-eroding pot.It is very controversial to determine this"glacial pothole".     

Characteristics and genesis of hematite in Chinese loess and paleosol sequences： Mineral genetic restriction for magnetic susceptibility as paleoclimate proxy and iron geochemistry

Hematite is an important iron oxide mineral in loess-paleosol sequences in central China. Investigation of the mineralogical characteristics, genetic mechanism and relationship of hematite with other iron oxides and Fe-bearing minerals will help understand the geochemical process before and after eolian deposit, paleocliamte significance of magnetic susceptibility and reconstruct paleoclimate in central China. So, hematite and related minerals of the loess and paleosol units from Chinese Loess Plateau were investigated using optical microscope, X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and high-resolution transmission microscopy （HRTEM）. The results show that there are five genetic types of hematite in loess-paleosol sequences of central China： （1） weathering of Fe-bearing silicate minerals, for instance, chlorite, will release iron that is precipitated as aggregates of hematite nano-crystals on mineral surfaces; （2） hematite combined with eolian magnetite grains that resulted from partial oxidation of magnetite, even though the partial oxidation may occur in the original area; （3） phase transformation from eolian goethite to hematite; （4） hematite formed on the edge and surface of maghemite because of dissolution and hematite recrystallization; and （5） eolian detrial hematite. The hematite formed from chemical weathering of Fe-bearing silicates with nanoporous texture because of dehydration from iron hydroxide is the most important genetic mechanism. It is proposed that the fact that hematite was formed from chemical weathering of Fe-bearing silicates is a main reason for the redness in paleosol units. However, too intense pedogenesis and high amounts of precipitation will promote oxidation of eolian magnetite and maghemite dissolution, which may result in the decreasing of magnetic susceptibility.     

REE Geochemistry in the Weathered Crust of Granites, Longnan Area,Jiangxi Province

Warm and humid climate and gentle hilly topography have provided favourable conditions for the devel-opment of the weathering crust of the granite intrusions in the Longnan area, Jiangxi Province. REE is mostlyconcentrated in an adsorption state in clay in the wholly weathered zone. The rare-earth minerals enriched inthe parent rocks provided the source material for the REE enrichment. Exchangeable REE accounts for48-86%. Extraction experiments and stable isotopic study of clay minerals suggest that the downward infiltra-tion of meteoric water and increasing gradient of pH values have played an important role in the enrichment ofREE during the progressive weathering. Slight fractionation of individual REE can not change their distribu-tion patterns in the profiles. which are inherited from the parent rocks.     

Acid rain in China-Input-output budgets of major ions in four forested catchments

Acid rain is one of China＇s major environmental problems and emissions of sulphur and nitrogen are still increasing. The acid rain situation in China is somewhat different from what is seen in Europe and North America. Sulfur deposition is very high, but there is also very high deposition of calcium and other base cations. The sources of atmospheric Ca are not well understood, although it is important for understanding long term impacts of acid deposition. The fate of S, N and Ca^2＋ in the catchment is crucial for the future development of the acidification situation of soils and waters in China. Very few studies presenting catchment input-output ion budgets in Chinese natural environments exist and there are several unknown factors regarding processes. Here, we present annual input-output budgets for three years （2001-2003） for major ions for four forested catchments in China receiving different loads of acid deposition. For the two sites receiving the highest SO4^2- inputs, the input-output budget for the upper 50 cm of soil is approximately balanced. For the most remote site the soil is a net sink for SO4^2-, suggesting that the pool of adsorbed SO4^2- in the soil is building up. This is in agreement with the fact that the site so far has received only moderate SO4^2- inputs. For the southemmost, the subtropical site there is a loss of SO4^2- in the soil, which at least partly may be related to high uptake from the dense and highly productive forest at the site. The Ca^2＋ budgets for the upper 50 cm of soil show large variations both within and between sites. For most locations there is production of Ca^2＋ in the soil that can be explained by weathering, and variation between years related to hydrology that can be explained by ion exchange. However, at some plots at the site receiving very high inputs of both SO4^2- and Ca^2＋, there is an unknown sink of Ca^2＋ in the soil at some plots.     

Rapid natural acid weathering, physical erosion, and debris-flow hazards in scar areas developed on hydrothermally-altered rocks along the Red River Valley near Questa, New Mexico, USA

Prominent erosional scars on hillslopes along the Red River Valley have steep, denuded slopes and associated down-gradient debris fans. The scars developed naturally on stockwork-veined, quartz-sericite-pyrite （QSP）-altered volcanic rocks proximal to porphyry-Mo deposits, including those mined at the Molycorp＇s Questa mine. Downcutting of the Red River, following development of the Rio Grande rift to the west, initiated scar formation. Mineralized rocks in the scars were decomposed chemically （by pyrite oxidation and acid weathering） and physically （by freeze-thaw action and volume expansion from secondary gypsum formation） to produce a weathered veneer of sand- to pebble-size fragments of unweathered rock in a matrix of secondary gypsum, clays, and jarosite. Unoxidized QSP-altered bedrock crops out in steep scar gully bottoms, indicating that the weathered veneer is at most 3-30 m thick. Acidic （pH 2.6 to 4.4）, metal-rich waters develop in the weathered veneer and near-surface bedrock of the scars. Carbonates in the unweathered, QSP-altered bedrock are sufficient to neutralize acid in deeper ground waters, which have near-neutral pH （5.7 to 7.6） and lower metal contents. The scars grow along steep headwalls by slope failure of the weathered veneer.     

Behaviours of REE and Other Trace Elements During Pedological Weathering-Evidence from Chemical Leaching of Loess and Palaeosol from the Luochuan Section in Central China

The chemical leaching method is used for a systematic analysis of distribution characteristics of acid-soluble and acid-insoluble REE and other trace elements from the Luochuan loess deposits. The study shows that the acid-insoluble phase in loess and palaeosol is a stable component of old aeolian dusts and is characteristic of the provenance; the acid-soluble phase is the unstable component in the weathering pedogenic process and reflects rock-forming features after accumulation of aeolian dusts. The acid-insoluble REE and acid-soluble Sr and Pb can be used as geochemical indicators respectively to trace the provenance characteristics and the weathering pedogenic process.