『Abstract
In order to use lithium isotopes as tracers of silicate weathering,
it is of primary importance to determine the processes responsible
for Li isotope fractionation and to constrain the isotope fractionation
factors caused by each process as a function of environmental
parameters (e.g. temperature, pH). The aim of this study is to
assess Li isotope fractionation during the dissolution of basalt
and particularly during leaching of Li into solution by diffusion
or ion exchange. To this end, we performed dissolution experiments
on a Li-enriched synthetic basaltic glass at low ratios of mineral
surface area/volume of solution (S/V), over short timescales,
at various temperatures (50 and 90℃) and pH (3, 7, and 10). Analyses
of the Li isotope composition of the resulting solutions show
that the leachates are enriched in 6Li (δ7Li
= +4.9 to +10.5‰) compared to the fresh basaltic glass (δ7Li
= +10.3±0.4‰). The δ7Li value of the leachate is lower
during the early stages of the leaching process, increasing to
values close to the fresh basaltic glass as leaching progresses.
These low δ7Li values can be explained in terms of
diffusion-driven isotope fractionation. In order to quantify the
fractionation caused by diffusion, we have developed a model that
couples Li diffusion with dissolution of the glassy silicate network.
This model calculates the ratio of the diffusion coefficients
of both isotopes (a = D7/D6),
as well as its dependence on temperature, pH, and S/V. a
is mainly dependent on temperature, which can be explained by
a small difference in activation energy (0.10±0.02 kJ/mol) between
6Li+ and 7Li+. This
temperature dependence reveals that Li isotope fractionation during
diffusion is low at low temperatures (T<20℃), but can be significant
at high temperatures. However, concerning hydrothermal fluids
(T >120℃), the dissolution rate of basaltic glass is also high
and masks the effects of diffusion. These results indicate that
the high δ7Li of river waters, in particular in basaltic
catchments, and the fractionated values of hydrothermal fluids
are mainly controlled by precipitation of secondary phases.』
1. Introduction
2. Experimental methods and analytical procedures
2.1. Experimental setup
2.1.1. Materials
2.1.2. Reactive surface area determination
2.1.3. Experiments
2.2. Li isotope analyses
2.3. Calculation of solution saturation states
3. Results
3.1. Composition of the fresh synthetic basaltic glass
3.2. pH and chemical composition of the leachates
3.3. Alteration kinetics of the basaltic glass
3.3.1. Glass dissolution rate
3.3.2. Li apparent diffusion coefficients
3.4. Respective contribution of the diffusion and dissolution
processes
3.5. Li isotopic composition of the leachates
4. Discussion
4.1. A coupled diffusion-dissolution model
4.2. Influence of temperature
4.3. Influence of other parameters
4.4. Implications for natural systems
5. Summary and conclusions
Acknowledgments
References