Carbonate Rhizoliths in Dune Sands of the Belaya River Valley (Upper Angara Region)

Golubtsov, V. A.; Khokhlova, Olga; Cherkashina, A. A.

doi:10.1134/s1064229319010034

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…So far, no pristine rhizoliths around living or recently deceased roots have been found in dune soils, except in the Early Holocene dune sands of the Belaya River Valley (Upper Angara Region) of Russia (Golubtsov et al, 2019). In the present study, we characterized pristine rhizoliths in dune soils of the Tengeri Desert (Northwest China), which are formed around deceased roots of Artemisia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Characterization and formation of the pristine rhizoliths around Artemisia roots in dune soils of Tengeri Desert, NW China

Sun

Zamanian

Huguet

et al. 2020

CATENA

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Rhizoliths are the products of mineralization, petrification, or fossilization around and/or within plant roots. Among them, carbonate rhizoliths are the most common.Pristine carbonate rhizoliths with co-existing plant root relicts in the Tengeri Desert, NW China were studied, with a combination of intensive field observations and laboratory methods such as microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectra, radiocarbon dating, and isotope mass spectrometer. The field observations revealed that the pristine rhizoliths are only present at the sites where Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch are growing i.e. in swales among sand dunes. Soil moisture of the swales is the main controlling factor of rhizoliths *Revision, Unmarked Click here to download Revision, Unmarked: Catena10368 Pristine Rhizoliths Revision unmarked 2020 03 25.1 V2.doc 3 / 51

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Characterization and formation of the pristine rhizoliths around Artemisia roots in dune soils of Tengeri Desert, NW China

Sun

Zamanian

Huguet

et al. 2020

CATENA

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“…The texture and composition of Quaternary calcareous dune soils and the climatic settings in desert especially provide optimal conditions for the development of rhizoliths (e.g., Loope, 1988;Golubtsov et al, 2019), which are abundant and of large size in such environments (e.g., Klappa, 1980;Rao and Thamban, 1997;Alonso-Zarza et al, 2008;Roberts et al, 2008;Cramer and Hawkins, 2009). Rhizolith architecture and geometry is highly dependent on root type as well as diagenetic and pedogenic parameters.…”

Section: / 28mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even though most rhizoliths do not retain the morphological structures of their source plants (Sarjeant, 1975), they can still be used to make some qualitative and quantitative inferences about the densities, sizes and types of former vegetation ecosystem (Pfefferkorn and Fuchs, 1991;Rinehart et al, 2015). Moreover, rhizoliths and the related features are also indicators of paleosols and hence of subaerial vadose environments in ancient successions and are widely used as a tool for paleoenvironmental reconstructions (e.g., Klappa, 1980;Golubtsov et al, 2019;Nascimento et al, 2019;Sun et al, 2019a). Yet, the paleoecological and paleoenvironmental studies based on rhizoliths often came across difficulties in interpretation of 14 C ages and the stable isotope composition of carbonate cement (Sun et al, 2019).…”

Section: / 28mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is mostly due to the inclusion of lithogenic carbonates from the enclosing deposits and recrystallization of deposited carbonates as rhizolith cement (e.g. Gocke et al, 2011;Sun et al, 2019b;Golubtsov et al, 2019). Furthermore, the formation mechanisms of rhizoliths in sedimentary environment, especially deserts, still remain highly uncertain (Sun et al, 2019a).…”

Section: / 28mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Carbonate rhizoliths occur frequently in Quaternary terrestrial aeolianites of coastal regions (e.g., Klappa, 1980), dunes (e.g., Cramer and Hawkins, 2009;Golubtsov et al, 2019), loess-palaeosol sequences (e.g. Gocke et al, 2010Gocke et al, , 2011Gocke et al, , 2014Barta, 2011;Huguet et al, 2012Huguet et al, , 2013, eolian rocks and eolian sand bodies (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Outcrop distribution and formation of carbonate rhizoliths in Badain Jaran Desert, NW China

Sun

Huguet

Zamanian

2021

CATENA

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Carbonate rhizoliths and related features are environmental and ecological indicators of not only palaeosols, but also modern soils. They designate subaerial vadose and pedogenic diagenesis environments. Rhizoliths are commonly used as a tool for paleoenvironmental reconstructions, but uncertainty remains regarding their formation mechanisms. Field characteristics of the dune rhizoliths in the Badain Jaran Desert, NW China were analyzed to investigate formation mechanisms and interpret paleoenvironmental significance. Systematic field sampling and intensive examination showed that the tube-like rhizoliths without morphological structures of plant roots have been placed at the dune soil surface following erosion and weathering but the underground rhizoliths are still connected to the dead Artemisia roots.Rhizoliths occurred only along the windward, long gentle slopes of mega-dunes. Their distribution patterns of both types in connection with plant distribution and landscapes have been studied. Their petrological and mineralogical characters were performed in detail using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques (cathodoluminescence, scanning electronic microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) in laboratory. Altogether, field and laboratory analyses showed that rhizolith cement is calcium carbonate and despite the high porosity of soil and high aridness of climate, *Revision, Unmarked Click here to download Revision, Unmarked: Rhizoliths outcrops of Badain Jaran Desert 2020 09 21 Revision Unmarked.doc 2 soil moisture plays an important role in sustaining Artemisia growth and rhizolith formation. Desert rhizoliths can therefore be used as a proxy to infer local soil moisture and plant communities. Moreover, as soil moisture content is related to climate and landscape position, rhizoliths could indirectly be indicators of aboveground environmental conditions, e.g. annual precipitation or humidity.

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Genesis and soil environmental implications of intact in-situ rhizoliths in dunes of the Badain Jaran Desert, northwestern China

et al. 2022

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Desert rhizoliths are generally found as weathered, broken and scattered samples on dune field surface, but rarely in-situ in their initial states buried under the soil of desert in the Badain Jaran Desert, northwest China. This study offers an assessment of the morphological, mineralogical, and chemical properties of intact and in-situ rhizoliths found in soils of swales and depressions among dune chains. The characteristics of these rare and precious objects were assessed using optical polarizing microscopy, cathodoluminescence, scanning electronic microscopy, radiocarbon dating, and stable isotopic analyses, providing the opportunity for discussion of the rhizolith formation mechanisms and associated environmental conditions. Field and laboratory investigations showed that the in-situ intact rhizoliths were formed only in the places where Artemisia shrubs are living, and the remaining root relicts within rhizoliths belong to this species. The spatial distribution of rhizoliths also suggested that low topographic positions on a landscape provided soil moisture, and redox environments favored rhizolith formation. A semi-closed redox environment in the subsoil at swales and depressions, where water is always present, along with the sandy soil texture, facilitated fast water percolation to deeper depths and condensation. Such a soil environment not only provides water for Artemisia growth, but also for the weathering of minerals such as felspars and calcite from primary carbonates, and for the decomposition of root relicts. Furthermore, harsh climatic conditions, such as strong winds and solar radiation, led to water evaporation through dead root channels and triggered the calcification along the root relicts. The entrapped lithogenic carbonates and to a lesser extent the decomposition of Artemisia roots provided the carbon sources for the rhizoliths formation, while the weathering of soil minerals, particularly feldspars and carbonates, was the main source of Ca. Rhizoliths in the Badain Jaran desert formed relatively quickly, probably over a few soil drying episodes. This led to the entrapment of a large quantity of lithogenic carbonates (more than 90% of carbon) within rhizolith cement. The re-dissolution of the entrapped lithogenic carbonates in rhizolith tubes should be taken into account in the paleoenvironmental interpretation of 14C ages, the latter suggesting that rhizoliths formed during the Holocene (~ 2053 years cal BP, based on root organic relicts).

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Carbonate Rhizoliths in Dune Sands of the Belaya River Valley (Upper Angara Region)

Cited by 11 publications

References 27 publications

Characterization and formation of the pristine rhizoliths around Artemisia roots in dune soils of Tengeri Desert, NW China

Characterization and formation of the pristine rhizoliths around Artemisia roots in dune soils of Tengeri Desert, NW China

Outcrop distribution and formation of carbonate rhizoliths in Badain Jaran Desert, NW China

Genesis and soil environmental implications of intact in-situ rhizoliths in dunes of the Badain Jaran Desert, northwestern China

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