Isotopic tracers of chemical weathering and consequences for marine geochemical budgets

The mechanical breakdown of rock by physical weathering exerts a significant control on chemical weathering rates because it produces surface area. During periods of icehouse conditions on Earth, the grinding of rock by glacial processes should lead to faster chemical weathering of the continents, perhaps particularly during periods of pronounced climatic variability, like the Quaternary. Evidence is reviewed here for both high and cyclical chemical weathering rates during the Quaternary, and the implications for both marine geochemical budgets and climate-chemical weathering feedbacks are discussed.