Biogeochemical weathering of serpentinites: An examination of incipient dissolution affecting serpentine soil formation

Baumeister, J. L.; Hausrath, Elisabeth M.; Olsen, Amanda Albright; Tschauner, Oliver; Adcock, C. T.; Metcalf, Rodney V.

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2015.01.002

Cited by 33 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Ultramafic soils developed on peridotite and serpentinite bedrocks are characterized by severe edaphic conditions mainly induced by the (i) low content of essential nutrients (e.g., Ca, K, P, N), (ii) adverse Ca/Mg ratio, (iii) low water holding capacity, and (iv) high contents of geogenic potentially toxic elements (PTEs), in particular Cr, Ni, and Co [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. These metals commonly exceed, by up to one order of magnitude, the content limits laid down by environmental agencies and governments [7,10,11], thus posing several environmental threats for ecosystems and human health [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentially Toxic Elements in Ultramafic Soils: A Study from Metamorphic Ophiolites of the Voltri Massif (Western Alps, Italy)

et al. 2019

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Ultramafic soils are characterized by severe edaphic conditions induced by a low content of essential nutrients, an adverse Ca/Mg ratio, a low water-holding capacity, and high contents of geogenic potentially toxic elements (PTEs), in particular Cr, Ni, and Co. These metals commonly exceed the content limits set by environmental agencies and governments, representing serious environmental risks for ecosystems and human health. In alpine environments, ultramafic soils are characterized by modest thickness and poor horizon differentiation. Several studies on ultramafic soils have shown that their properties may be directly related to the characteristics of the parent rocks, but most of these studies deal with soil chemistry, metal availability, isotopic composition, and pedological characterization. The aim of this research is to investigate how much the geotectonic characteristics of ultramafic bedrocks, such as the degree of serpentinization, metamorphic imprint, and deformation, may affect the mineralogical and chemical variations of ultramafic soils, including the occurrence and potential mobility of the PTEs. Using a multiscale and multi-analytical approach, we fully characterize the properties and mineralogical composition of soil profiles with different ultramafic parent rocks, i.e., partially serpentinized peridotite, massive serpentinites, and foliated serpentinites, sampled within the Voltri Massif High Pressure–Low Temperature (HP–LT) metaophiolite (Western Alps, Italy). Our results, related to soils located at comparable latitude, altitude, landscape position, and pedological environment, outline that the degree of serpentinization, the metamorphic imprint, and the deformation history of the ultramafic parent rocks are key factors influencing soil evolution, mineralogy, and chemistry, as well as PTEs distribution and mobility. Moreover, this study shows that the high content of Cr, Ni, and Co in the studied ultramafic soils has to be considered of geogenic origin and highlights the need for new approaches and methods to obtain indications on the potential contamination of natural or anthropogenic soils.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentially Toxic Elements in Ultramafic Soils: A Study from Metamorphic Ophiolites of the Voltri Massif (Western Alps, Italy)

et al. 2019

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“…For example, metamorphic rocks such as serpentinite and gabbro produce soils with a natural abundance of heavy metals like Ni, Zn, Mn, Cr, Cd, Co, and Cu [11,12]. Additionally, soils derived from these rocks are often poor of essential nutrients such as Ca, K, and P, have a high Mg/Ca ratio [13], and high levels of Mg and Fe [14]. Nonetheless, under certain environmental conditions these soils may accumulate an amount of organic matter that, through the formation of stable complexes between humic substances and heavy metals, reduces the bioavailability of these latter [15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, under certain environmental conditions these soils may accumulate an amount of organic matter that, through the formation of stable complexes between humic substances and heavy metals, reduces the bioavailability of these latter [15,16]. However, the vegetation growing on soils developed from these lithologies is adapted to the various disadvantageous conditions and, apart from the positive activity exerted by the humic substances, plants have developed biochemical and biological adaptations to limit heavy metals uptake and translocation (e.g., [17]) and overcome chemical and nutritional stresses (e.g., [14,18]). Among the strategies adopted, symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi allow vegetation to increment its edaphic tolerance (e.g., [19]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical and Biochemical Properties of Soils Developed from Different Lithologies in Northwestern Spain (Galicia)

Cardelli

Cocco

Agnelli

et al. 2017

Forests

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Physical and chemical soil properties are generally correlated with the parent material, as its composition may influence the pedogenetic processes, the content of nutrients, and the element biocycling. This research studied the chemical and biochemical properties of the A horizon from soils developed on different rocks like amphibolite, serpentinite, phyllite, and granite under a relatively similar climatic regime from Galicia (northwest Spain). In particular, the effect of the parent material on soil evolution, organic carbon sequestration, and the hormone-like activity of humic and fulvic acids were tested. Results indicated that all the soils were scarcely fertile because of low concentrations of available P, exchangeable Ca (except for the soils on serpentinite and phyllite), and exchangeable K, but sequestered relevant quantities of organic carbon. The scarce soil fertility was common to all soils independently of the parent material, and we attributed this similarity to the pedogenetic pressure induced by the climatic conditions. Also, the hormone-like activity of humic and fulvic acids, similar for all the soils, was probably due to pedogenesis. We hypothesized that the hormone-like activity of the humic substances helps growth and diffusion of vegetation in low fertile soils and, consequently, soil organic carbon sequestration too.

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“…Mg 2+ was also found to increase at RG3 during higher rock-glacier discharge periods (Fig. 5.2 (Vithanage et al, 2014;Baumeister et al, 2015), and constitute the fine-grained sediment rockglacier body. Also Ca 2+ increased at RG3 contextually with higher rock-glacier discharge, although less strongly than Mg 2+ (Fig.…”

Section: Export Of Solutes During Rain Eventsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Also Ca 2+ increased at RG3 contextually with higher rock-glacier discharge, although less strongly than Mg 2+ (Fig. 5.2 This can be explained with the fact that even though serpentinite rocks are depleted in essential nutrients such as Ca 2+ , K + , and P (Baumeister et al, 2015), the presence of calcschists on the rock-glacier surface might be expected to result in higher concentrations of Ca 2+ (Touhari et al, 2014). Thus icemelt is expected to be primarily enriched in SO 4…”

Section: Export Of Solutes During Rain Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On characteristics and dynamics of water-rock glacier interactions in mountain areas (Western Italian Alps)

Colombo¹

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Permafrost degradation affects hydrochemistry of surface waters. In particular, evidence of modifications in water quality has been collected in mountain headwaters impacted by rock-glacier thawing. Rock glaciers are slowly flowing mixtures of debris and ice-rich permafrost, and can represent a reservoir of water. Melting ice inside them has been reported to affect surface water hydrochemistry, in some cases causing ecological damages. Investigating the mechanisms for this, however, requires understanding how, where and when rock glaciers and water bodies interact. Moreover, it is necessary to understand how atmospheric forcing can affect the export of physicochemical fluxes from rock glaciers. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain the main driving weather-climate processes, nevertheless, they are still unclear.With these goals, hydrology and structural setting of a rock glacier-pond system located in the NW Italian Alps were elucidated using waterborne geophysics (ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography and selfpotential) and heat tracing. An integrated study of atmospheric parameters (air temperature, snow cover duration, rainfall) and physicochemical characteristics of water (water temperature as a proxy of rock-glacier discharge, stable water isotopes, major ions and trace elements) was also performed in the pond on a high-resolution temporal basis (weekly) for two consecutive ice-free seasons.The advancing movement of the investigated rock glacier has progressively filled the valley depression, creating a dam that could have modified the level of impounded water. A subsurface hydrological window connecting the rock glacier ii to the pond was also detected, where an inflow of cold underground waters from the rock glacier was observed. Here, greater water contribution from the rock glacier occurred following intense precipitation events during the ice-free season.An outflowing mechanism of the pond is hypothesised and might be associated with the presence of a subsurface seepage.An intra-seasonal behaviour of solute export from the rock glacier into the pond was found, with increasing solute export associated with higher rock-glacier hydrological contributions. The key finding was the rainfall (after snowmelt depletion) as primary driver of solute export from the rock glacier during the thawing season after warm atmospheric periods, with the flushing of solutes stored in the rock glacier.iii ContributionsIn this thesis, several collaborators helped in carrying out field and laboratory activities, and data elaboration. supervised and helped with water physicochemical analyses.

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Biogeochemical weathering of serpentinites: An examination of incipient dissolution affecting serpentine soil formation

Cited by 33 publications

References 64 publications

Potentially Toxic Elements in Ultramafic Soils: A Study from Metamorphic Ophiolites of the Voltri Massif (Western Alps, Italy)

Potentially Toxic Elements in Ultramafic Soils: A Study from Metamorphic Ophiolites of the Voltri Massif (Western Alps, Italy)

Chemical and Biochemical Properties of Soils Developed from Different Lithologies in Northwestern Spain (Galicia)

On characteristics and dynamics of water-rock glacier interactions in mountain areas (Western Italian Alps)

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