『Abstract
In order to define time-scales of erosion and sedimentary transfer
in the Himalaya, 238U-234U-230Th
disequilibria have been analysed in river bank sediments and in
bedloads collected along the Kali Gandaki river, one of the main
Nepalese rivers, and in the Ghaghara and Gandak rivers, two major
plain tributaries of the Ganges.
The Th activity ratios and U/Th ratios in river sediments of
the two Ganges tributaries constantly decrease from upstream to
downstream. This is related to the maturation of sediments by
weathering during their transfer to the plain. The U-series data
allow to calculate a transfer time for the sediments in the alluvial
Gangetic plain from the chain front to the confluence with the
Ganges of about 10 kyr for both rivers. The Kali Gandaki river
sediment data highlight a decrease of both the Th isotopic and
U/Th ratios which is explained by a mixing between two sources
with similar U/Th ratios but having suffered a different U-Th
fractionation history. Interpretation of the U-series data in
the frame of this scenario gives long time-scales of weathering
of several 100's kyr for the Himalayan terranes. The results imply
that Himalayan bedrocks are submitted to a long in situ
stage of weathering before their erosion and transfer into the
rivers. In addition, occurrence of similar U-Sr signatures in
dissolved (i.e.<0.1-0.2μm) and sediment phases of the Kali Gandaki
river suggests that “dissolved” uranium could be carried by colloids
constituted by sedimentary microparticles. This precludes the
use of U-series disequilibria in this river to calculate weathering
budgets and to assess whether the erosion is working at steady-state
or not.
Keywords: weathering; sedimentary transfer; 238U-234U-230Th
disequilibria; time-scale; Himalaya』
1. Introduction
2. Geological and sedimentrological context
3. Sampling location and analytical procedures
4. Results
4.1. Water samples
4.2. Sediment samples
5. Discussion
5.1. Origin and time implications of U-series disequilibria
in river sediments
5.1.1. The case of the Ghaghara and Gandak rivers
5.1.2. The case of the Kali Gandaki river in the LH-HHC
5.2. Signification of the time-scales of weathering and transfer
5.3. Origin of the dissolved U in the Himalayan rivers
6. Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Appendix A
References