Mineral weathering and elemental transport during hillslope evolution at the Susquehanna/Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory

Jin, Lixin; Ravella, Ramesh; Ketchum, Blake; Bierman, Paul R.; Heaney, Peter J.; White, Timothy S.; Brantley, Susan L.

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2010.03.036

Cited by 221 publications

(357 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Although plagioclase constitutes <12% of the initial shale and we cannot conclusively identify the true depth to which Na is depleted in each profile, this weathering reaction is the first and deepest reaction we identify (without drilled samples) in the weathering profile. Such an interpretation is consistent with work by Jin et al (2010) at the PA SSHCZO, which lies within 3 km of our sampled site, where analysis of shale chips in the soil revealed depletion of Na, but not of other elements present in clay minerals (K, Mg, Al, Fe). Thus plagioclase dissolution occurred deeper than measurable clay mineral dissolution.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Illite is the dominant mineral in the PA parent material, comprising 63% of the parent mineralogy whereas the chlorite fraction is considerably smaller (5%) compared with all other parent rock samples (15-37% of the parent mineralogy) from the climosequence. The mineralogy of the PA sample reported here is consistent with the previous quantification of Rose Hill Formation shale mineralogy at SSHCZO located within 3 km from our study site ( Jin et al, 2010).…”

Section: Rock and Soil Mineralogysupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Iron oxides and potassium feldspar also represent < 12% of the bulk parent mineralogy. A small amount of kaolinite (<5%) was measured in the VA, TN, and PR parent rocks but is not thought to be a primary mineral in the shale ( Jin et al, 2010). The presence of small amounts of kaolinite may indicate some weathering of the parent rock in the sampled outcrops.…”

Section: Rock and Soil Mineralogymentioning

confidence: 96%

“…In VA, however, Zr addition to the profile from denudation and incorporation of previously overlying sandstone precluded the use of Zr as the immobile element; instead, we used corrected Ti values to account for Ti mobility ( Jin et al, 2010;Dere et al, 2013).…”

Section: Soil and Rock Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some mineral weathering reactions, such as carbonate dissolution, pyrite oxidation or plagioclase feldspar dissolution, are described as profile initiating reactions that begin the process of disaggregating bedrock into regolith; weathering reactions such as clay dissolution, however, are likely more important in controlling the overall regolith thickness . Indeed, studies on various lithologies have documented the deepest weathering reactions as carbonate dissolution (White et al, 2005;Williams et al, 2007;Jin et al, 2010), biotite oxidation (Buss et al, 2008;Behrens et al, 2015;Bazilevskaya et al, 2015), or plagioclase feldspar dissolution (Brantley and White, 2009;Behrens et al, 2015) but these minerals sometimes constitute a small fraction of the overall parent mineralogical composition.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mineralogical Transformations and Soil Development in Shale across a Latitudinal Climosequence

Dere¹,

White

April³

et al. 2016

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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PedologyTo investigate factors controlling soil formation, we established a climosequence as part of the Susquehanna-Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO) in central Pennsylvania, USA. Sites were located on organic matter-poor, iron-rich Silurian-aged shale in Wales, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Puerto Rico, although this last site is underlain by a younger shale. Across the climosequence, mean annual temperature (MAT) increases from 7 to 24°C and mean annual precipitation (MAP) ranges from 100 to 250 cm. Variations in soil characteristics along the climosequence, including depth, morphology, particle-size distribution, geochemistry, and bulk and clay mineralogy, were characterized to investigate the role of climate in controlling mineral transformations and soil formation. Overall, soil horizonation, depth, clay content, and chemical depletion increase with increasing temperature and precipitation, consistent with enhanced soil development and weathering processes in warmer and wetter locations. Secondary minerals are present at higher concentrations at the warmest sites of the climosequence; kaolinite increases from <5% at northern sites in Wales and Pennsylvania to 30% in Puerto Rico. The deepest observed weathering reaction is plagioclase feldspar dissolution followed by the transformation of chlorite and illite to vermiculite and hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite. Plagioclase, although constituting <12% of the initial shale mineralogy, may be the profile initiating reaction that begins shale bedrock transformation to weathered regolith. Weathering of the more abundant chlorite and illite minerals (~70% of initial mineralogy), however, are more likely controlling regolith thickness. Climate appears to play a central role in driving soil formation and mineral weathering reactions across the climosequence.Abbreviations: CZ, critical zone; HIV, hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite; ICP-AES, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy; LGM, last glacial maximum; MAP, mean annual precipitation; MAT, mean annual temperature; MCL, Materials Characterization Laboratory; SRT, soil residence time ; SSHCZO, Susquehanna-Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory; XRD, x-ray diffraction. Q uantifying changes in the critical zone (CZ), especially soil development and function, is important for predicting the future of soils (NRC, 2001). The CZ extends from the top of the vegetation canopy to freshwater aquifers beneath Earth's surface and is the focus of most ecosystem processes that support terrestrial life . Soil formation within the CZ involves complex coupling between physical, chemical, and biological processes that are not well quantified (Amundson, 2004). Efforts to predict how future changes in climate and land use will modify the CZ are ongoing and are important aspects of developing adaptation and management plans for human society (Banwart et al., 2011 Core Ideas• Detailed characterization of the morphology, geochemistry, and mineralogy of shale-derived soils across a climosequenc...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Rock and Soil Mineralogysupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Rock and Soil Mineralogymentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Soil and Rock Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mineralogical Transformations and Soil Development in Shale across a Latitudinal Climosequence

Dere¹,

White

April³

et al. 2016

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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A simple geomorphic‐based analytical model for predicting the spatial distribution of soil thickness in headwater hillslopes and catchments

Liu

Chen

Lin

et al. 2013

Water Resources Research

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[1] Soil thickness acts as an important control for headwater hydrologic processes. Yet, its spatial distribution remains one of the least understood in catchment hydrology. Analytic methods are desirable to provide a simple way for predicting soil thickness distribution over a hillslope or a catchment. In this paper, a simple geomorphic-based analytical model is derived from the dynamic equations of soil thickness evolution in areas with no tectonic uplift or lowering since the recent geological past. The model employs terrain attributes (slope gradient, curvature, and upstream contributing area) as inputs on grid-based DEMs for predicting soil thickness evolution over time. The analytic model is validated first on nine abstract hillslopes through comparing 10 kyr simulation results between our proposed model and the numerical solution. The model is then applied to predict soil thickness evolution over 13 kyr in the 7.9 ha Shale Hills catchment (one of the Critical Zone Observatories in the U.S. located in central Pennsylvania). Field observed and model predicted values of soil thickness are in good agreement (with a root mean squared error of 0.39 m, R 2 5 0.74, and absolute errors <0.10 m in 70% of 106 sample points). Moreover, our model verifies that terrain shape and position are the first-order control on soil thickness evolution in the headwater catchment. Therefore, the derived geomorphic-based analytical model can be helpful in understanding soil thickness change over geological time and is useful as a simple tool for deriving spatially distributed soil thickness needed for hydrologic modeling.Citation: Liu, J., X. Chen, H. Lin, H. Liu, and H. Song (2013), A simple geomorphic-based analytical model for predicting the spatial distribution of soil thickness in headwater hillslopes and catchments, Water Resour. Res., 49,[7733][7734][7735][7736][7737][7738][7739][7740][7741][7742][7743][7744][7745][7746]

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Kinetically limited weathering at low denudation rates in semiarid climatic conditions

et al. 2016

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Biogeochemical cycling within the Critical Zone depends on the interactions between minerals and fluids controlling chemical weathering and physical erosion rates. In this study, we explore the role of water availability in controlling soil chemical weathering in semiarid climatic conditions. Weathering rates and intensities were evaluated for nine soil profiles located on convex ridge crests of three mountain ranges in the Spanish Betic Cordillera. We combine a geochemical mass balance with 10 Be cosmogenic nuclides to constrain chemical weathering intensities and long-term denudation rates. As such, this study presents new data on chemical weathering and 10 Be-derived denudation for understudied semiarid climate systems. In the Betic Cordillera, chemical weathering intensities are relatively low (~5 to 30% of the total denudation of the soil) and negatively correlated with the magnitude of the water deficit in soils. Chemical mass losses are inversely related to denudation rates (14-109 mm/kyr) and positively to soil thickness (14-58 cm); these results are consistent with kinetic limitation of chemical weathering rates. A worldwide compilation of chemical weathering data suggests that soil water balance may regulate the coupling between chemical weathering and physical erosion by modulating soil solute fluxes. Therefore, future landscape evolution models that seek to link chemical weathering and physical erosion should include soil water flux as an essential driver of weathering. 2005;Brantley et al., 2007;Larsen et al., 2014]. However, in areas of sufficiently high physical erosion rates, reaction kinetics may limit weathering processes due to reduced mineral residence time as suggested by modeling and observational studies [e.g.

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Mineral weathering and elemental transport during hillslope evolution at the Susquehanna/Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory

Cited by 221 publications

References 77 publications

Mineralogical Transformations and Soil Development in Shale across a Latitudinal Climosequence

Mineralogical Transformations and Soil Development in Shale across a Latitudinal Climosequence

A simple geomorphic‐based analytical model for predicting the spatial distribution of soil thickness in headwater hillslopes and catchments

Kinetically limited weathering at low denudation rates in semiarid climatic conditions

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