『Abstract
Michigan soils have developed on thick glacial-drift deposits
that include different proportions of ground granite and gneiss
from the Canadian Shield region (with radiogenic Sr) and carbonate
sedimentary rocks from within the Michigan Basin (with non-radiogenic
Sr). This study of the Cheboygan, Huron and Kalamazoo watersheds
shows Sr-isotope and Sr/Ca ratios in soil waters, ground waters,
and soils reflect relative weathering intensities of the dominant
minerals in Michigan soils, including carbonates from the Michigan
Basin, and amphibole, plagioclase and K-feldspar derived from
the Canadian Shield.
Soil water 87Sr/86Sr ratios evolve quickly
to the carbonate weathering end-member (0.709-0.711) once a calcite
and dolomite layer is reached at depth (〜100-200 cm) in the Huron
and the Kalamazoo watersheds. Dissolution of plagioclase and amphibole
controls shallow soil water 87Sr/86Sr ratios
(0.711-0.713), with minor contributions from K-feldspar weathering.
In contrast,soils in the previously studied Cheboygan watershed
are completely depleted in carbonate minerals and contain little
plagioclase and amphibole in the top 300 cm of the profile. as
a result, soil waters in this watershed are ionically dilute with
high 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.72 and 0.74), dominantly
contributed by K-feldspar dissolution. Subsequent dissolution
of plagioclase and amphibole at greater depths sharply increases
soil water and ground water Mg2+, Ca2+,
and Sr2+ concentrations, and lowers the Sr-isotopic
ratios to 〜0.709 for the Cheboygan watershed.
Similarly, along hydrologic flow paths, soil water Sr/Ca ratios
move from the silicate end-member (defined by amphibole and plagioclase)
towards the carbonate end-member. The Sr-isotopic compositions
and Sr/Ca ratios of soil waters thus reveal the types, directions
and extent of chemical weathering processes in Michigan soils,
augmenting information from previous soil water chemistry and
soil mineralogy studies.
This work also highlights the two-fold impacts of glacial/interglacial
cycles on the riverine and oceanic Sr isotopes: due to the great
extent of continental glaciation, Paleozoic carbonate minerals
from the Michigan Basin were redistributed widely within the interior
of the North American continent, leading to elevated Sr fluxes
with lower Sr-isotopic ratios in natural waters after glacial
retreat. The glacial ice also ground up the ancient Precambrian
Canadian Shield, accelerating mineral weathering rates and releasing
highly radiogenic Sr from K-feldspar.
Keywords: Chemical weathering; Soil mineralogy; Soil water; Glaciation』
1. Introduction
2. Study areas
3. Methods
3.1. Sr, Ca and Mg contents of soils
3.2. Sr-isotopic compositions of soils and individual minerals
3.3. Sr concentrations and isotope composition of natural waters
4. Results
4.1. Sr/Ca ratios of the soils
4.2. Sr-isotopic signatures of soils
4.2.1. Carbonates
4.2.2. Silicate minerals
4.2.3. Bulk soil and exchangeable pool
4.3. Sr in natural waters
5. Discussion
5.1. Sr/Ca ratios as proxies of silicate versus carbonate
weathering
5.2. Natural-water 87Sr/86Sr controlled
by chemical weathering
5.3. Sr defines mineral end-members
5.4. Impacts of atmospheric inputs and biological processes on
Sr isotopes
5.5. Influences of glacial/interglacial cycles on Sr budgets
6. Conclusions and implications
Acknowledgements
Appendix A
References