Geochemistry and geochronology of chemical weathering,Butler Hill Granite,Missouri

Major element, Rb, Sr and Sr isotope abundances were examined in an ancient (Cambrian) weathering zone in the Butler Hill Granite, Missouri. Most of the major elements behaved predictably and systematically as a result of weathering intensity. MgO and the alkalis (Na₂O and K₂O) show highly erratic variations in both fresh and weathered rocks, suggesting considerable initial heterogeneity in the composition of biotite and feldspar. Rb predictably follows the behaviour of K during weathering (showing erratic variations similar to K), whereas Sr follows Ca (decreasing steadily as a result of weathering intensity). A method is postulated to date ancient weathering episodes using Rb-Sr data from a sequence of fresh to highly weathered samples. Data from the Butler Hill Granite (1185 m.y.) lend support to the proposed dating technique but show that more detailed sampling of the most intensely weathered regions is needed to produce more accurate results in future studies.