Erosion rates of alpine bedrock summit surfaces deduced from in situ Be and Al

We have measured the concentration of in situ produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al from bare bedrock surfaces on summit flats in four western U.S. mountain ranges. The maximum mean bare-bedrock erosion rate from these alpine environments is 7.6 ± 3.9 m My⁻¹. Individual measurements vary between 2 and 19 m My⁻¹. These erosion rates are similar to previous cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) erosion rates measured in other environments, except for those from extremely arid regions. This indicates that bare bedrock is not weathered into transportable material more rapidly in alpine environments than in other environments, even though frost weathering should be intense in these areas. Our CRN-deduced point measurements of bedrock erosion are slower than typical basin-averaged denudation rates ( 50 m My⁻¹). If our measured CRN erosion rates are accurate indicators of the rate at which summit flats are lowered by erosion, then relief in the mountain ranges examined here is probably increasing.

We develop a model of outcrop erosion to investigate the magnitude of errors associated with applying the steady-state erosion model to episodically eroding outcrops. Our simulations show that interpreting measurements with the steady-state erosion model can yield erosion rates which are either greater or less than the actual long-term mean erosion rate. While errors resulting from episodic erosion are potentially greater than both measurement and production rate errors for single samples, the mean value of many steady-state erosion rate measurements provides a much better estimate of the long-term erosion rate.     

类石材料--灰泥的冻融过程

Serious failure on the slope of rock ground can be caused by a cyclic action of freezing and thawing in the cold regions. The frost susceptibility and the effect of freezing and thawing onthe rock material, however, have not been well investigated. In order to find out the freezing effect on the rock materials, mortar specimens are frozen as a pseudo-rock material under the constant rate of freezing by means of controlling the temperature of both ends of specimen. The freezing process is given one-dimensionally to the cylindrical samples in the laboratory to simulate the in-situ freezing phenomena in the natural ground. Formation of ice lens, frost heave and water intake during freezing process are observed on the mortar specimen under constant freezing rate, which probably causes cracks or large deformation in the real rock ground. The values of the velocity of elastic wave propagation are compared before and after freezing process to estimate the degree of weathering due to freezing and thawing.     

The role of moisture cycling in the weathering of a quartz chlorite schist in a tropical environment: findings of a laboratory simulation

Long‐term weathering of a quartz chlorite schist via wetting and drying was studied under a simulated tropical climate. Cubic rock samples (15 mm × 15 mm × 15 mm) were cut from larger rocks and subjected to time‐compressed climatic conditions simulating the tropical wet season climate at the Ranger Uranium Mine in the Northern Territory, Australia. Fragmentation, moisture content and moisture uptake rate were monitored over 5000 cycles of wetting and drying. To determine the impact of climatic variables, five climatic regimes were simulated, varying water application, temperature and drying. One of the climatic regimes reproduced observed temperature and moisture variability at the Ranger Uranium Mine, but over a compressed time scale. It is shown that wetting and drying is capable of weathering quartz chlorite schist with changes expected over a real time period of decades. While wetting and drying alone does produce changes to rock morphology, the incorporation of temperature variation further enhances weathering rates. Although little fragmentation occurred in experiments, significant changes to internal pore structure were observed, which could potentially enhance other weathering mechanisms. Moisture variability is shown to lead to higher weathering rates than are observed when samples are subjected only to leaching. Finally, experiments were conducted on two rock samples from the same source having only subtle differences in mineralogy. The samples exhibited quite different weathering rates leading to the conclusion that our knowledge of the role of rock type and composition in weathering is insufficient for the accurate determination of weathering rates. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rock albedo and monitoring of thermal conditions in respect of weathering: some expected and some unexpected results

Broadly speaking, there is, at least within geomorphic circles, a general acceptance that rocks with low albedos will warm both faster and to higher temperatures than rocks with high albedos, reflectivity influencing radiative warming. Upon this foundation are built notions of weathering in respect of the resulting thermal differences, both at the grain scale and at the scale of rock masses. Here, a series of paving bricks painted in 20 per cent reflectivity intervals from black through to white were used to monitor albedo‐influenced temperatures at a site in northern Canada in an attempt to test this premise. Temperatures were collected, for five months, for the rock surface and the base of the rock, the blocks being set within a mass of local sediment. Resulting thermal data did indeed show that the dark bricks were warmer than the white but only when their temperatures were equal to or cooler than the air temperature. As brick temperature exceeded that of the air, so the dark and light bricks moved to parity; indeed, the white bricks frequently became warmer than the dark. It is argued that this ‘negating’ of the albedo influence on heating is a result of the necessity of the bricks, both white and black, to convect heat away to the surrounding cooler air; the darker brick, being hotter, initially convects faster than the white as a product of the temperature difference between the two media. Thus, where the bricks become significantly hotter than the air, they lose energy to that air and so their respective temperatures become closer, the albedo influence being superceded by the requirement to equilibrate with the surrounding air. It is argued that this finding will have importance to our understanding of weathering in general and to our perceptions of weathering differences between different lithologies. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microorganisms in Lianxian lateritic gold deposit in Guangdong and their effects on leaching of heavy metals

Microorganisms in the lateritic profiles of the Lianxian gold deposit in Guangdong were cultured, isolated and identified. The microorganisms include bacteria such as Bacillus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Actinetobacter, Aeromona, Listeria, Agrobacteriura, Cotyttebacteriurn, and Moraxella, fungi such as Penicillium, Alter naria, Cladosporium, Saccharcornyces, Mucor, and the chemoautotrophic Thiobacillu.~. It is shown in a leaching experiment that the microorganisms can accelerate the leaching of Cu, Cd, Zn, and that the G- bacteria are most efficient for leaching Cu, Zn and the G^ bacteria are better for leaching Cd.     

Saprolite Remnants as Indicators of Pre-Glacial Landform Genesis in Southeast Sweden

Twenty‐six sites with remnants of gravelly saprolites (grus) have been located in southeast Sweden. Joint block hills (castle kopjes) and steep rock walls with weathered joints as well as rounded boulders are documented to have an origin in deep weathering and subsequent stripping of saprolites. The saprolite remnants and landforms result from the fragmentation of the re‐exposed sub‐Cambrian peneplain along fracture systems. Only shallow saprolites occur on the elevated intact parts of the sub‐Cambrian peneplain, while saprolites up to 20 m thick are encountered in areas where the sub‐Cambrian peneplain is fractured and dissected. Neogene uplift with reactivation of the weathering system is thought to be the main cause of saprolite formation. Deep weathering is thus judged to have been the major agent of landform formation in the study area, while glacial and glaciofluvial erosion has contributed mainly by stripping saprolites, detaching corestones, and plucking joint blocks along weathered joints.     

长江流域河水和悬浮物的锂同位素地球化学研究

深入理解流域侵蚀过程中的锂同位素分馏对于运用锂同位素来示踪化学循环和气候变化是十分必要的。研究集中在长江干流和主要支流的水体和悬浮物的锂及锂同位素组成。长江流域水体的锂及锂同位素组成（δ⁷Li）分别为150~4 570 nmol/L和+7.6‰~+28.1‰,两者沿上游至下游的变化趋势相反。悬浮物锂同位素组成（δ⁷Li）变化比较稳定,分别为41~92 μg/g和-4.7‰~+0.7‰,而且总是低于相应水体的锂同位素组成。悬浮物和流体之间的锂同位素分馏系数在0.977和0.992之间,与悬浮物的量及组成存在明显相关性,反映了粘土矿物的吸附和化学风化的程度。锂含量与锂同位素组成之间良好的负相关性表明流域水体的锂来自2个端元混合：其一可能是蒸发盐岩,并伴有深部热泉水;其二可能是硅酸岩。     

峡东地区南华纪-寒武纪地层风化过程元素及Sr-Nd同位素演化特征及其地球化学意义

以峡东地区南华纪、震旦纪和寒武纪标准地层泥岩、冰碛泥岩、砂岩、灰岩和白云质灰岩及对应的风化土壤为研究对象, 分析了地层风化成土过程中不同元素的迁移行为, 根据剖面样品的Sr-Nd同位素组成变化, 探讨了其同位素体系的封闭性特征与应用意义.结果表明: (1) 不同岩性基岩在成土过程中的蚀变强度有明显的差异, 在相似地表条件下, 碳酸岩风化剖面的风化程度高于泥质岩和砂岩; (2) 通过对比稳定高场强Ti元素在基岩和风化剖面中的含量变化, 计算出土壤样品在风化过程中体积相对基岩发生的改变量, 进而计算出不同岩性基岩在风化过程中微量元素的绝对含量变化以探讨这些元素的活动规律.结果表明, 灰岩和白云质灰岩的风化剖面元素含量变化明显, 而在泥质岩风化过程中大多数元素保持了相对稳定, 说明沉积岩风化过程中元素的活动性特征明显地受到了原岩矿物组成的制约.风化过程中, 不同性质的元素的活动性差异明显, 其中亲硫元素(Cu、Zn、Pb、Mo) 和大离子亲石元素(Rb、K、Sr、Ba) 在不同岩性的风化剖面中均表现出明显的元素含量变化, 而高场强元素(Zr、Hf、Nb、Ta) 含量则相对稳定; (3) 泥质岩风化形成的土壤层REE含量变化较小, 而碳酸岩风化土壤层REE含量发生了明显下降, 且其风化形成的土壤表现出LREE和HREE相对于MREE的富集.无论是碳酸岩或泥质岩风化形成的土壤, 均出现了明显的Eu负异常和Ce的正异常, 但在其原岩中这些异常并不存在或不明显; (4) 基岩与土壤剖面间Sr同位素组成和Rb/Sr比值存在明显差异, Rb-Sr同位素组成发生了明显的开放.所形成土壤层的Sr同位素组成受到2种因素的约束: 原岩性质和外来组成的Sr同位素比值.因此在总体上, 风化土壤的Sr同位素组成已不能代表基岩的Sr同位素组成; (5) 沉积岩风化过程中, 碳酸岩和泥质岩形成的风化土壤基本保持了原岩的Sm-Nd同位素组成特点, 由其组成所获得的Nd同位素亏损地幔模式年龄等能反映其原岩信息, 而近源沉积形成的砂岩和含砾冰碛泥岩所形成的土壤, 其Nd同位素组成则存在不同程度的改变.      

柴达木盆地西北部长垄状雅丹沉积物地球化学元素组成及指示意义

雅丹沉积物蕴含丰富的区域环境变化和物源演变信息.以柴达木盆地西北部的长垄状雅丹为研究对象,通过对地球化学元素的研究,探讨沉积物的化学风化特征及其对物质输移的指示意义.结果表明:(1)雅丹沉积物的常量元素以SiO2、CaO、Al2O3、MgO和Na2O为主,微量元素Cl、Sr、Ba和Zr含量较高.相较于上陆壳平均化学元素...     

红河盆地的化学风化作用:主要和微量元素地球化学记录

河流沉积物的元素含量有助于反映其流域的自然风化过程。红河是世界上重要的河流之一,但其沉积物的地球化学研究却几乎没有。本文通过开展红河盆地干流和主要支流40个样品的主要和微量元素地球化学分析,发现红河流域硅酸盐岩的化学风化作用为中等强度,与长江及亚马逊河的风化强度相近,而高于黄河,低于珠江;且化学风化作用受该区域的气候和构造作用控制。