温湿气候区结晶岩与碎屑岩腐岩特征及其发育过程

发育于斜坡非饱和带的结晶岩与碎屑岩腐岩多夹于残坡积土层和风化岩带之间,保留有裂隙及层理等构造,但质地松软。腐岩结构体与母岩色差显著,保留原岩结构和构造特征,矿物成分以次生粘土矿物、次生石英及褐铁矿最为常见。腐岩次生微孔隙发育,具有低密度、高孔隙度、高渗透率、高容水度及高持水度特征。腐岩发育是通过低渗透岩石结构体风化前锋的渐进性扩展实现的,非饱和带高湿度空气形成的凝结水和降水入渗形成的非饱和渗流是该过程的核心动力。气态水分子能够扩散到低渗透岩石结构体表面内侧一定宽度范围内的孔隙系统之中凝结为液态水并溶蚀造岩矿物。雨季入渗降水在结构体表面形成的薄膜水流通过分子扩散机制接受其内侧结构体粒间溶液中的溶出组分并将其携入饱水带,同时恢复粒间溶液的侵蚀动力。当上述过程循环到一定程度时,结构面内侧便形成一定厚度的腐岩壳。腐岩壳在雨季直接吸收、贮存流经其表面的液态渗入水,在核心石外侧形成富水结构层并在旱季向包气带或其内侧的风化前锋提供水汽。随着时间推移,腐岩壳越来越厚,核心石最终消失;当某一范围内的岩石结构体全部演变为腐岩结构体时,该范围内的岩体也就完成了向腐岩体的转变。     

发育完整的灰岩风化壳及其矿物学和地球化学特征

对于碳酸盐岩土覆土壤成因、尽管碳酸盐岩风化残积成土说被多数学者认同,但由于碳酸盐岩中酸不溶物含量极低,在风化成土过程中会伴随着巨大的体积缩小变化,原岩结构和半风化带无法保留,从而缺失了探索上覆土壤物质来源的重要中间环节,使得这种观点缺乏野外宏观证据的支持。最近,我们在贵州、湖南等地发现了数个以泥质灰岩和泥质白云岩为基岩的碳酸盐岩风化壳剖面,尚保留有较好的原岩结构,具有明显的风化壳分带和过渡现象。这些风化壳剖面的发现为深入研究碳酸盐岩风化成土过程提供了良好的研究场所。本文选取了较为典型的吉首泥灰岩风化壳剖面,从矿物学地球化学的角度来探讨碳酸盐岩风化壳的形成过程和发育特征,结果表明该风化壳既遵循非碳酸盐岩（主要是结晶岩类）风化壳的发育特征,也具有自己独特的地球化学演化规律。风化壳总体特点受碳酸盐中的酸不溶物矿物组合及化学成分的影响甚至控制,风化非碳酸盐风壳相似的发育特征。吉首泥灰岩风化壳剖面的发育特征和作者早先提出 的碳酸盐岩风化成土的两阶段模式是一致的,即以碳酸盐矿物大量淋失、酸不溶物逐渐堆积或残积为特征的早期阶段和残积物进一步风化成土的阶段,后一阶段的演化类似非碳酸盐岩类的风化过程。     

Vadose zone controls on weathering intensity and depth: Observations from grussic saprolites

An investigation of vadose zone weathering processes has been undertaken on grussic saprolites developed on Californian granitoids. Preliminary results indicate strong climatic control, through infiltration, on the depth and intensity of weathering. At sites with higher infiltration, the vadose zone is comprehensively altered to grussic saprolite and saprock. Conversely, lower infiltration sites display only thin grussic saprolites, strongly influenced by rock texture. Both vadose zone and weathering depth appear to be governed by local base level, and vadose zone hydrology exerts a fundamental control on the effective operation and relative dominance of the key weathering reactions. In zones of matrix permeability, oxidation of biotite comprehensively disaggregates the rock but results in little mass loss and clay mineral formation. Conversely, the higher transient flow rates that characterize zones of fracture permeability result in plagioclase hydrolysis, significant mass losses and accompanying clay mineral formation. A variable hydrological regime may also contribute to high partial pressures of O₂ in vadose zone pore waters and pore spaces, thereby enhancing the oxidative environment and further predisposing grussic saprolite formation.     

Geochemistry and mineralogy of saprolite in Finnish Lapland

An ancient saprolite has developed on the Palaeoproterozoic granulite, granite gneiss and amphibolite bedrock of the Vuotso–Tankavaara area of central Finnish Lapland. The present day climatic regime in Finnish Lapland lies within the northern boreal zone and so the saprolite there can be regarded as fossil. Cores of saprolite were collected from 4 sections (42 samples) and analyzed chemically and mineralogically. In the study area, progressive weathering of the rocks has been marked by gradual enrichment in Al, Fe and Ti; and depletion of Na, K and Ca. The higher concentration of Fe(III) and water and reduced Na and Ca in weathered bedrock in the 4 sections are indicative of oxidation, hydration and leaching processes involved during weathering. The primary minerals in the saprolite are plagioclase feldspar, K-feldspar, quartz, garnet (almandine) and hornblende; the common secondary minerals are kaolinite, halloysite, and vermiculite in addition to minor amounts of sericite. Intense weathering is indicated by: (1) the presence of kaolinite and halloysite in 4 sections of different bedrock types, and (2) the comparatively lower SiO₂/Al₂O₃ (wt.%) ratio (2.30) of weathered granulites (3 sections) as compared to fresh granulite (4.33) and that of weathered amphibolite (2.68) as compared to fresh amphibolite (3.56). In general, kaolinite and halloysite have formed through the weathering of feldspars, garnet, and biotite. Vermiculite is the most probable alteration product of biotite. The formation of kaolinite and halloysite in Finnish Lapland indicates wetter and warmer climatic conditions during the time of their formation than at present. The possible time for formation of the saprolite is early Cretaceous–early Tertiary into Middle Miocene.     

Lateritization processes of ultramafic rocks in Cretaceous times: The fossil weathering crusts of mainland Greece

The lateritic weathering crusts exposed in mainland Greece were developed on ophiolitic ultramafic lithologies during lower Cretaceous times. The lateritic profile consists of four zones: bedrock, saprolite clay (nontronite) and goethitic. The profiles show large variations in thickness, continuity, mineralogy and chemical characteristics. They are broadly similar to clay nickel laterite deposits. The uppermost gravelly ferruginous sector was eroded and the material reworked and redeposited partly on the lateritic crust. Silcrete layers, characteristic of groundwater silcretes, were formed into the clay and goethitic zones. Significant supergene nickel enrichments occur in the clay and saprolite zones, indicating that water moved downward to a very low water table. The structure and mineralogy of the weathering crusts indicates that environmental conditions were likely to have been dominated by alternating wet and dry periods.     

Phosphorus and iron cycling in deep saprolite,Luquillo Mountains,Puerto Rico

Rapid weathering and erosion rates in mountainous tropical watersheds lead to highly variable soil and saprolite thicknesses which in turn impact nutrient fluxes and biological populations. In the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico, a 5-m thick saprolite contains high microorganism densities at the surface and at depth overlying bedrock. We test the hypotheses that the organisms at depth are limited by the availability of two nutrients, P and Fe. Many tropical soils are P-limited, rather than N-limited, and dissolution of apatite is the dominant source of P. We document patterns of apatite weathering and of bioavailable Fe derived from the weathering of primary minerals hornblende and biotite in cores augered to 7.5 m on a ridgetop as compared to spheroidally weathering bedrock sampled in a nearby roadcut.Iron isotopic compositions of 0.5 N HCl extracts of soil and saprolite range from about δ⁵⁶Fe = 0 to ? 0.1‰ throughout the saprolite except at the surface and at 5 m depth where δ⁵⁶Fe = ? 0.26 to ? 0.64‰. The enrichment of light isotopes in HCl-extractable Fe in the soil and at the saprolite–bedrock interface is consistent with active Fe cycling and consistent with the locations of high cell densities and Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria, identified previously. To evaluate the potential P-limitation of Fe-cycling bacteria in the profile, solid-state concentrations of P were measured as a function of depth in the soil, saprolite, and weathering bedrock. Weathering apatite crystals were examined in thin sections and an apatite dissolution rate of 6.8 × 10^? 14 mol m^? 2 s^? 1 was calculated. While surface communities depend on recycled nutrients and atmospheric inputs, deep communities survive primarily on nutrients released by the weathering bedrock and thus are tightly coupled to processes related to saprolite formation including mineral weathering. While low available P may limit microbial activity within the middle saprolite, fluxes of P from apatite weathering should be sufficient to support robust growth of microorganisms in the deep saprolite.     

Germanium-silicon fractionation in a tropical, granitic weathering environment

Germanium-silicon (Ge/Si) ratios were determined on quartz diorite bedrock, saprolite, soil, primary and secondary minerals, phytolith, soil and saprolite pore waters, and spring water and stream waters in an effort to understand Ge/Si fractionation during weathering of quartz diorite in the Rio Icacos watershed, Puerto Rico. The Ge/Si ratio of the bedrock is 2 μmol/mol, with individual primary mineral phases ranging between 0.5 and 7 μmol/mol. The ratios in the bulk saprolite are higher (∼3 μmol/mol) than values measured in the bedrock. The major saprolite secondary mineral, kaolinite, has Ge/Si ratios ranging between 4.8 and 6.1 μmol/mol. The high Ge/Si ratios in the saprolite are consistent with preferential incorporation of Ge during the precipitation of kaolinite. Bulk shallow soils have lower ratios (1.1-1.6 μmol/mol) primarily due to the residual accumulation of Ge-poor quartz.Ge/Si ratios measured on saprolite and soil pore waters reflect reactions that take place during mineral transformations at discrete depths. Spring water and baseflow stream waters have the lowest Ge/Si ratios (0.27-0.47 μmol/mol), reflecting deep initial weathering reactions resulting in the precipitation of Ge-enriched kaolinite at the saprolite-bedrock interface. Mass-balance calculations on saprolite require significant loss of Si and Al even within 1 m above the saprolite-bedrock interface. Higher pore water Ge/Si ratios (∼1.2 μmol/mol) are consistent with partial dissolution of this Ge-enriched kaolinite. Pore water Ge/Si ratios increase up through the saprolite and into the overlying soil, but never reach the high values predicted by mass balance, perhaps reflecting the influence of phytolith recycling in the shallow soil.     

Fractured bedrock and saprolite hydrogeologic controls on groundwater/surface-water interaction: a conceptual model (Australia)

Hydrologic conceptual models of groundwater/surface-water interaction in a saprolite-fractured bedrock geological setting often assume that the saprolite zone is hydraulically more active than the deeper bedrock system and ignore the contribution of deeper groundwater from the fractured bedrock aquifer. A hydraulic, hydrochemical, and tracer-based study was conducted at Scott Creek, Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, to explore the importance of both the deeper fractured bedrock aquifer system and the shallow saprolite layer on groundwater/surface-water interaction. The results of this study suggest that groundwater flow in the deeper fractured bedrock zone is highly dynamic and is an important groundwater flow pathway along the hillslope. Deep groundwater is therefore a contributing component in streamflow generation at Scott Creek. The findings of this study suggest that hydrologic conceptual models, which treat the saprolite-fractured bedrock interface as a no-flow boundary and do not consider the deeper fractured bedrock in hydrologic analyses, may be overly simplistic and inherently misleading in some groundwater/surface-water interaction analyses. The results emphasise the need to understand the relative importance of subsurface flow activity in both of these shallow saprolite and deeper bedrock compartments as a basis for developing reliable conceptual hydrologic models of these systems.     

Using saline tracers to evaluate preferential recharge in fractured rocks,Floyd County,Virginia, USA

Potassium chloride (KCl) and potassium bromide (KBr) tracers were used to explore the role of geologic structure on groundwater recharge and flow at the Fractured Rock Research Site in Floyd County, Virginia, USA. Tracer migration was monitored through soil, saprolite, and fractured crystalline bedrock for a period of 3 months with chemical, physical, and geophysical techniques. The tracers were applied at specific locations on the ground surface to directly test flow pathways in a shallow saprolite and deep fractured-rock aquifer. Tracer monitoring was accomplished with differential electrical resistivity, chemical sampling, and physical monitoring of water levels and spring discharge. KCl, applied at a concentration of 10,000 mg/L, traveled 160 m downgradient through the thrust fault aquifer to a spring outlet in 24 days. KBr, applied at a concentration of 5,000 mg/L, traveled 90 m downgradient through the saprolite aquifer in 19 days. Tracer breakthrough curves indicate diffuse flow through the saprolite aquifer and fracture flow through the crystalline thrust fault aquifer. Monitoring saline tracer migration through soil, saprolite, and fractured rock provided data on groundwater recharge that would not have been available using other traditional hydrologic methods. Travel times and flowpaths observed during this study support preferential groundwater recharge controlled by geologic structure.     

Comparison of Mineral Weathering and Biomass Macronutrient Uptake in Two Small Forested Watersheds Underlain by Quartzite Bedrock,Catoctin Mountain,Maryland, USA

To quantify chemical weathering and biological uptake, mass-balance calculations were performed on two small forested watersheds located in the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province in north-central Maryland, USA. Both watersheds, Bear Branch (BB) and Fishing Creek Tributary (FCT), are underlain by relatively unreactive quartzite bedrock. Such unreactive bedrock and associated low chemical-weathering rates offer the opportunity to quantify biological processes operating within the watershed. Hydrologic and stream-water chemistry data were collected from the two watersheds for the 9-year period from June 1, 1990 to May 31, 1999. Of the two watersheds, FCT exhibited both higher chemical-weathering rates and biomass nutrient uptake rates, suggesting that forest biomass aggradation was limited by the rate of chemical weathering of the bedrock. Although the chemical-weathering rate in the FCT watershed was low relative to the global average, it masked the influence of biomass base-cation uptake on stream-water chemistry. Any differences in bedrock mineralogy between the two watersheds did not exert a significant influence on the overall weathering stoichiometry. The difference in chemical-weathering rates between the two watersheds is best explained by a larger proportion of reactive phyllitic layers within the bedrock of the FCT watershed. Although the stream gradient of BB is about two-times greater than that of FCT, its influence on chemical weathering appears to be negligible. The findings of this study support the biomass nutrient uptake stoichiometry of K_1.0Mg_1.1Ca_0.97 previously determined for the study site. Investigations of the chemical weathering of relatively unreactive quartzite bedrock may provide insight into critical zone processes.     

菲律宾保和岛达瑙镍矿地质特征及成因探讨

菲律宾保和岛达瑙镍矿床位于西比克尔-东莱特岛(Western Bicol-Eastern Leyte)蛇绿岩带附近,矿体分布在超基性岩体顶部的褐铁矿层、腐泥土层中,与地表红棕色土壤的分布范围基本一致。层中硅镁镍矿较为发育,主要含镍矿物为镍绿泥石、暗镍蛇纹石。化学分析结果显示成矿物质来源于超基性岩;对矿区超基性岩、气候、地理位置、岩石破碎程度等特征进一步分析研究,认为该矿床的成因类型为风化壳淋积矿床。地壳抬升超基性岩接受风化,释放出Ni~2+。Ni~2+随地表水下渗至褐铁矿层下部的腐泥土层(风化岩石)中被蛇纹石矿物捕获,富集成矿。类质同象中的Mg~2+释放出来,由于本区地层渗透性好,Mg~2+至基岩处富集。一般而言,红土层下面的风化岩石含Ni最富。     

Natural spatial and temporal variations in groundwater chemistry in fractured,sedimentary rocks: scale and implications for solute transport

Natural tracers (major ions, δ¹⁸O, and O₂) were monitored to evaluate groundwater flow and transport to a depth of 20 m below the surface in fractured sedimentary (primarily shale and limestone) rocks. Large temporal variations in these tracers were noted in the soil zone and the saprolite, and are driven primarily by individual storm events. During nonstorm periods, an upward flow brings water with high TDS, constant δ¹⁸O, and low dissolved O₂ to the water table. During storm events, low TDS, variable δ¹⁸O, and high dissolved O₂ water recharges through the unsaturated zone. These oscillating signals are rapidly transmitted along fracture pathways in the saprolite, with changes occurring on spatial scales of several meters and on a time scale of hours. The variations decreased markedly below the boundary between the saprolite and less weathered bedrock. Variations in the bedrock units occurred on time scales of days and spatial scales of at least 20 m. The oscillations of chemical conditions in the shallow groundwater are hypothesized to have significant implications for solute transport. Solutes and colloids that adsorb onto aquifer solids can be released into solution by decreases in ionic strength and pH. The decreases in ionic strength also cause thermodynamic undersaturation of the groundwater with respect to some mineral species and may result in mineral dissolution. Redox conditions are also changing and may result in mineral dissolution/precipitation. The net result of these chemical variations is episodic transport of a wide range of dissolved solutes or suspended particles, a phenomenon rarely considered in contaminant transport studies.     

沉积型铝土矿的陆表淋滤成矿作用: 兼论铝土矿床的成因分类*

铝土矿是化学风化作用的细粒终极产物,与强烈的化学风化作用密切相关。根据母岩的类别及作用过程,风化作用进一步分为铝硅酸盐岩强化学风化形成的红土化作用和碳酸盐岩强化学风化形成的钙红土化作用。在强烈的化学风化过程中,地表的原始沉积物(母岩)的原生矿物发生溶蚀、水解、水化、碳酸化、氧化,破坏原始的矿物结构,形成新的细粒矿物(主要是黏土质矿物)。在适合的地质条件下,持续的强烈化学风化作用会造成大部分活动的元素(如K、Na、Ca、Mg、Si)的流失与Al的残留富集从而形成铝土矿。现在观察到的沉积型铝土矿,虽然与古风化壳具有密切联系,但沉积型铝土矿多数是由沉积过程搬运到沉积盆地中所形成的强化学风化产物的沉积层,与古风化壳的残坡积层具有显著差别,只有少数工业价值不大(品位低、品质差)的残坡积相铝土矿。铝土矿含矿岩系的沉积环境与铝土矿(尤其是高品位、高品质的铝土矿)的成矿环境不尽相同。铝土矿主要形成于暴露于大气中的陆表环境(而非水下环境),由地下水淋滤作用形成(在渗流带由活动元素流失、Al等稳定元素残留富集而成)。本研究在铝土矿成矿作用分析等基础上,提出了以铝土矿沉积物等物源和沉积、成矿作用为依据的中国铝土矿床分类方案,包括原地或准原地残坡积物成因的红土型和喀斯特型,和异地物源沉积成因的沉积型。     

Subaerial leaching process of sedimentary bauxite and the discussion on classifications of bauxite deposits

Bauxite is the ultimate fine-grained products of chemical weathering,and thus it is closely linked with the intense chemical weathering. Based on variations of parent rock and weathering processes,the weathering products can be subdivided into laterite and terra rossa,of which the former is formed by weathering of aluminosilicates and the latter is produced by the weathering of carbonates. During the intense chemical weathering,minerals in original subaerial sediments(parent rocks)would suffer a series of processes(dissolution,hydrolyzation,hydration,carbonation,and oxidation)and be destroyed or transformed,leading to formation of new minerals. In the favorable environment,continuously intense chemical weathering would cause the loss of most mobile elements(e.g., K,Na,Ca,Mg,Si)and the enrichment of Al,resulting in the formation of bauxite. Although sedimentary bauxites are closely linked with the weathering curst,they show obvious differences in formation processes. Sedimentary bauxites are composed of intense chemical weathering products that are transported from outside of the basin and re-deposited in the basin,while most weathering crusts are transformed from saprolite and/or deluvium in-situ,and they can only form low-grade bauxites. Sedimentary environments also differ in bauxite ore layers and bauxitic claystone layers. Bauxite ore layers are formed in the subaerial environment and controlled by the leaching process of groundwater in the vadose zone. Based on the analysis of bauxitization,this study proposes to use multiple parameters,such as provenance,sedimentation and mineralization,to build the new classification of Chinese bauxite deposits. In this classification,lateritic and karstic types of bauxite deposits are autochthonous or parautochthonous saprolite and/or deluvium,while sedimentary type is dominated by heterochthonous provenance.     

亚热带小流域花岗岩化学风化及CO2消耗速率研究

文章选择深圳市的亚热带典型小流域作为研究对象,通过定期采集流域内降水、泉水、岩石及风化残积土样品,分析所有样品的常量元素和微量元素,探讨流域水体的化学成分组成和主要成分来源以及岩石化学风化程度和风化趋势,结合流域水文气象数据估算了花岗岩化学风化速率及CO2消耗速率.结果表明,研究区地下水化学类型为HCO3-Na型,主要...     

汶川八级地震触发何家沟碎屑流滑坡基本特征及形成机理

汶川地震造成大量次生斜坡地质灾害,包含崩塌、滑坡及泥石流等灾种,其中以滑坡分布最为广泛、破坏力最强,且多以高速碎屑流为表现形式,何家沟滑坡即是其中典型例证。滑坡距发震断裂——映秀-北川南枝断裂不足5km,震前斜坡为双向临空的单薄山脊,其走向与断裂走向小角度相交,岩层走向与坡面斜交,中风化基岩结合紧密,结构面延伸性较好,强风化基岩较破碎,浅表部残坡积物较为松散。调查分析表明：残坡积物与强风化基岩是碎屑流滑坡的物质基础;中风化基岩面构成碎屑流滑坡滑床;斜坡临空面是滑坡产生的地形条件;高强度、长历时强震是导致滑坡产生的根本因素。滑坡的形成经历以下4个阶段：强震导致坡体表层残坡积物与强风化基岩松弛和解体;在强震作用下滑体从高位整体下错;松散物质沿中风化基岩面溃滑形成碎屑流和碎屑流堆积阶段。碎屑流产生后,受地形限制,停积于沟床内,在随后的“9．24”特大暴雨过程中进一步转化为泥石流次生灾害。     

Tropical chemical weathering of hillslope deposits and bedrock source in the Aburrá Valley, northern Colombian Andes

Tropical chemical weathering produces extensive lateritization and formation of deep weathering profiles. Both processes are fundamental to landscape evolution and slope instability. The Aburrá Valley of the northern Colombian Andes is characterized by tropical conditions. The valley slopes are mostly covered by hillslope deposits originating from four basement rock suites which comprise contrasting granitoid, volcanic–sedimentary, ophiolitic, and metamorphic sources, respectively. Tropical chemical weathering of the Aburrá hillslope deposits and their respective bedrock were examined using X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction analysis, to document and quantify their chemical weathering profiles, compositions, and mineralogical properties. The Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), loss on ignition (LOI), and the Mobiles index (Imob) were used to quantify the degree of weathering of hillslope deposits and bedrock source. Weathering trends were analyzed using A–CN–K and A–CNK–FM diagrams. The material mantling the slopes in the Aburrá Valley records an intense weathering history. Chemical weathering is characterized by increased development of clay minerals (kaolinite, halloysite) and iron and aluminum sesquioxides. Lateritization characterizes the final stage of the weathering profiles. Concentrations of CaO, Na₂O, K₂O decrease markedly in the weathering products compared to the fresh bedrock source, whereas concentrations of Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, and MgO increase significantly. CIA ratios of matrix slope deposits derived from all four sources near 100, whereas those of boulder slope deposits and saprolites are lower, but exceed source rock values. Different A–CN–K weathering paths are evident for each lithotype, validating the correlation established between the hillslope deposits and their various parents. Chemical weathering indices in some samples are strongly influenced by the presence of sesquioxides, as reflected by high LOI, anomalously low CIA, and varying enrichment trends on the A–CNK–FM diagrams. Consequently, different chemical indices based on different criteria need to be combined to obtain best results, as illustrated here by the combination of LOI, CIA, and Imob. The overall results suggest that tropical conditions have dominated for a long time in the northern Colombian Andes, leading to uniformly high weathering indices in matrix slope deposits irrespective of parent lithotype. Prolonged warm and humid conditions could thus be responsible for the weathering and remobilization of extensive old hillslope deposits during the Quaternary. However, in addition to the influence of climatic factors, tectonism has also undoubtedly influenced slope evolution in the Aburrá Valley.     

头寨滑坡玄武岩腐岩的岩石化学和矿物学特征

利用化学全分析、薄片鉴定及扫描电镜等测试、观察手段,分析了头寨滑坡发生的岩体玄武岩及其腐岩玄武岩腐岩的岩石化学和矿物学特征。化学全分析结果表明新鲜玄武岩与核心石在除Fe外,其它组分无明显的改变;核心石在转变为腐岩过程中Si、Ca、Na、Mg等元素逐渐流失,Fe、Al等逐渐富集,同时烧失量LOI和化学蚀变指数CIA显著增加,硅铝比逐渐减少。薄片鉴定表明主要矿物化学风化作用顺序为玻璃质、辉石、斜长石,与造岩矿物风化稳定性序列一致,腐岩中主要的次生矿物为蒙皂石及绿泥石。在扫描电镜下观察到风化前锋形态曲折,风化前锋附近矿物呈现物理裂痕,沿着解理面更易出现,风化前锋两侧的岩石矿物形态差异显著。岩体的化学-物理耦合风化作用不仅表现在宏观尺度上,而且在细观-微观的尺度上更为明显。铁元素的价态变化存在于玄武岩腐岩形成的整个过程之中并导致岩石体积增大,从而产生物理裂纹。     

Long-term rates of chemical weathering and physical erosion from cosmogenic nuclides and geochemical mass balance

Quantifying long-term rates of chemical weathering and physical erosion is important for understanding the long-term evolution of soils, landscapes, and Earth's climate. Here we describe how long-term chemical weathering rates can be measured for actively eroding landscapes using cosmogenic nuclides together with a geochemical mass balance of weathered soil and parent rock. We tested this approach in the Rio Icacos watershed, Puerto Rico, where independent studies have estimated weathering rates over both short and long timescales. Results from the cosmogenic/mass balance method are consistent with three independent sets of weathering rate estimates, thus confirming that this approach yields realistic measurements of long-term weathering rates. This approach can separately quantify weathering rates from saprolite and from overlying soil as components of the total. At Rio Icacos, nearly 50% of Si weathering occurs as rock is converted to saprolite; in contrast, nearly 100% of Al weathering occurs in the soil. Physical erosion rates are measured as part of our mass balance approach, making it particularly useful for studying interrelationships between chemical weathering and physical erosion. Our data show that chemical weathering rates are tightly coupled with physical erosion rates, such that the relationship between climate and chemical weathering rates may be obscured by site-to-site differences in the rate that minerals are supplied to soil by physical erosion of rock. One can normalize for variations in physical erosion rates using the “chemical depletion fraction,” which measures the fraction of total denudation that is accounted for by chemical weathering. This measure of chemical weathering intensity increases with increasing average temperature and precipitation in data from climatically diverse granitic sites, including tropical Rio Icacos and six temperate sites in the Sierra Nevada, California. Hence, across a wide range of climate regimes, analysis of chemical depletion fractions appears to effectively account for site-to-site differences in physical erosion rates, which would otherwise obscure climatic effects on chemical weathering rates. Our results show that by quantifying rates of physical erosion and chemical weathering together, our mass balance approach can be used to determine the relative importance of climatic and nonclimatic factors in regulating long-term chemical weathering rates.     

Chemical and physical weathering in a hot‐arid,tectonically active alluvial system of Anza Borrego Desert,California

Investigation of chemical and physical weathering of bedrock and alluvial sediment in the Anza Borrego Desert, California, sheds light on weathering processes in hot‐arid systems and clarifies interpretations of climate from alluvial sediment. All of the alluvial sediment in the study area emanates from Cretaceous tonalite of the Peninsular Range, enabling exploration of the effects of external variables – climate, transport distance and tectonics – on the physical and chemical properties of the sediment. Chemical weathering in this area is dominated by plagioclase alteration observed in both bedrock outcrops and sediment, evinced most clearly by changes in the Eu anomaly. Biotite chemical weathering, manifested by interlayer K⁺ loss, is not evident in bedrock, but clearly observed in the sediment. Despite the weak intensity of chemical weathering (Chemical Index of Alteration = 56 to 62), fine‐grained (<63 μm) sediment displays a clear weathering trend in A–CN–K space and contains up to 25% clay minerals. Physical abrasion and grain‐size reduction in biotite during transport predominates in the sediment, whereas physical (insolation) weathering affecting bedrock is inferred from estimates of differential thermal expansion of mineral phases in response to extreme temperature changes in the study area. Chemical alteration and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area both increase within the active Elsinore fault zone at the distal end of the depositional transect, reflecting tectonic‐induced fracturing and associated accelerated weathering. Extensive fracturing, together with a more humid Pleistocene climate, probably facilitated in situ bedrock weathering, preceding arid alluvial deposition in the Holocene. This study demonstrates that both climate and tectonic processes can affect chemical and physical weathering, resulting in alteration of plagioclase, leaching of K⁺ from biotite in the sediment and formation of clay minerals, even in hot, arid systems.