Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Gaojun Li, Ruiyu Yang, Zhewen Xu, Jens Hartmann, David W. Hedding, Xianhua Li, Richard E. Ernst, Zhong-Hai Li, Hao Zou, Zhongquan Li, Jun Chen
Summary: Weathering plays a significant role in the Earth system. This study investigates continental weathering using detrital zircon and reconstructs a nearly three-billion-year history of weathering. The results show a correlation between long-term weathering evolution and supercontinent assembly cycles, but further testing is required.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Chun-Yao Liu, David J. Wilson, Ed C. Hathorne, Antao Xu, Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
Summary: This study analyzes lithium isotopes and elemental concentrations in the Amazon estuary and suggests that river-derived sediments play a significant role in removing lithium from the dissolved load and acting as a sink for the element in the ocean. Furthermore, the study indicates that continental weathering and erosion regimes can influence the dual control on the lithium budget and isotope composition in the ocean.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Fangze Zhu, Brian E. J. Rose
Summary: Multiple stable climate states are found in an idealized climate model, ranging from ice-free to fully ice-covered. The carbon cycle plays a key role in the adjustment time of the climate system, while surface albedo and water vapor feedbacks also contribute to climate change.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
T. Kukla, J. K. C. Rugenstein, D. E. Ibarra, M. J. Winnick, C. A. E. Stromberg, C. P. Chamberlain
Summary: The expansion of open habitats in the forests of west-central North America may be linked to a decrease in winter precipitation, rather than solely to changes in temperature or drier summers.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
B. A. Killingsworth, P. Cartigny, J. A. Hayles, C. Thomazo, P. Sansjofre, V Pasquier, S. Lalonde, P. Philippot
Summary: Triple oxygen isotope signals are useful for studying modern and ancient weathering, hydrology, atmospheric gas concentrations, and bioproductivity, but interpretations of the sulfate-water-O-2 system must consider varying oxygen-isotope fractionations. By anchoring the systematics on the homogeneous composition of atmospheric O(2) through empirical constraints and modeling, new insights without a priori assumptions are gained for the response of the biological carbon cycle to high CO2 concentrations on the early Earth.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yuying Huyan, Wensheng Yao
Summary: The sediments of the Yarlung Zangbo River and the Brahmaputra River are important resources for studying surface processes and climate change in Asia. This study compared the sediment chemistry of the two rivers and found differences in their sources, weathering processes, and sediment types. Due to river mixing and strong physical weathering, there is no obvious contrast between the two rivers in the Himalaya Tibetan Plateau.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Preston Cosslett Kemeny, Gen K. Li, Madison Douglas, William Berelson, Austin J. Chadwick, Nathan F. Dalleska, Michael P. Lamb, William Larsen, John S. Magyar, Nick E. Rollins, Joel Rowland, M. Isabel Smith, Mark A. Torres, Samuel M. Webb, Woodward W. Fischer, A. Joshua West
Summary: Permafrost degradation is affecting biogeochemical processes in the Arctic, including the fluxes of inorganic carbon and alkalinity in rivers. However, the impact of these changes on atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is not well understood. This study quantified the weathering processes in the Koyukuk River and found that sulfide oxidation plays a significant role in permafrost degradation, with potential feedbacks on warming.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zuoling Chen, Zhongli Ding, Shiling Yang, Jimin Sun, Min Zhu, Yilin Xiao, Fengtai Tong, Yao Liang
Summary: By analyzing the chemistry of lacustrine sediments in the Nanyang Basin, eastern China, during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), it was found that there was a significant increase in silicate weathering intensity, indicating a strong link between carbon cycle, climate, and chemical weathering on millennial timescales.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Anthony Dosseto, Alex Hannan-Joyner, Eron Raines, Eric Gayer, Laurent Michon
Summary: Chemical weathering of basaltic rocks on tropical, basaltic islands is mainly influenced by stable landforms, where pyroxenes and feldspars are progressively replaced by gibbsite and halloysite. The extent of weathering depends on the parent material composition, with complete loss of primary minerals and soluble elements observed in soils developing for up to two million years. However, chemical erosion and CO2 consumption fluxes on Reunion Island suggest that stable landforms play a limited role in chemical weathering, compared to hydrothermal alteration and weathering in rapidly eroding regions. Uranium-series isotopes in weathering profiles validate weathering ages and soil production rates, with production rates decreasing with depth and time elapsed since onset of weathering.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rebecca M. Dzombak, Nathan D. Sheldon
Summary: Although continental weathering intensity has been considered as a key factor influencing biogeochemistry, tectonics, and the carbon cycle over geological history, its quantification remains inadequate. Paleosols, as a direct product of continental weathering, provide unique insights into past weathering intensity but have been underutilized in studying terrestrial weathering patterns over geological time. This study presents the largest terrestrial weathering record to date, encompassing 248 paleosol and weathering profiles spanning three billion years. The analysis of various weathering indices reveals consistent average terrestrial weathering intensity over time, contrary to previous assumptions. The stability of the continental weathering record suggests that it represents the baseline weathering level, with deviations occurring during periods of perturbation. The findings highlight the importance of subaerially-emerged continental areas in controlling erosion flux and nutrient transport to the oceans. Further efforts are needed to build a more comprehensive database of paleosol geochemistry to enable more nuanced analyses of terrestrial weathering over time.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Carlos R. Canovas, Maria Dolores Basallote, Francisco Macias, Manuel Olias, Rafael Perez-Lopez, Jose Miguel Nieto
Summary: The study found that during sulfide oxidation processes, thallium is mobilized from sulfides, leading to an enrichment of thallium in acid mine drainage leachates, while the precipitation of secondary minerals may serve as a sink for thallium.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qiao Chen, Pengpeng Zhang, Ziyuan Hu, Sha Li, Yongshuai Zhang, Lei Hu, Liangyu Zhou, Bin Lin, Xuefeng Li
Summary: Bedrock has an impact on soil organic carbon content, and soils from different bedrocks have different geochemical properties. Organic transition metal complexes play an important role in the stability of organic carbon in the mineral horizon. The influence of bedrock on global carbon cycles and SOC is significant.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Joshua Krissansen-Totton, Michael A. Kipp, David C. Catling
Summary: The study suggests that atmospheric oxygen levels were minimal before the Great Oxidation Event, with a subsequent balance between organic burial and oxygen release leading to oxygen accumulation in the atmosphere. Analysis of carbon isotope records reveals a relative increase in organic burial rate compared to total carbon burial rate around 2.4 billion years ago, indicating a shift in oxygen source flux.
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Chloe M. Marcilly, Trond H. Torsvik, Mathew Domeier, Dana L. Royer
Summary: Long-term carbon cycle models play a crucial role in understanding the evolution of atmospheric CO2 levels over geological time scales. This study refines boundary conditions related to silicate weathering and carbon degassing, and evaluates the impact of these factors on the carbon cycle model. By investigating continental flooding maps and climate-sensitive indicators, the study provides insights into the changes in land area exposure and potential weathering effects over the past 520 million years. The use of arc-activity as a proxy for carbon degassing helps to bring Mesozoic model estimates closer to CO2 proxy values.
Article
Soil Science
Clement Lopez-Canfin, Roberto Lazaro, Enrique P. Sanchez-Canete
Summary: There is growing evidence that dryland soils could act as substantial carbon sinks at the global scale. However, the contribution of non-biotic and biotic processes to CO2 uptake in drylands remains uncertain. This study aimed to identify factors controlling soil CO2 fluxes and explain the inter-annual variation of cumulative fluxes over the succession. The results suggest that CO2 consumption processes were progressively counterbalanced by biological CO2 production during succession, and these processes could mainly be detected in early successional stages and more generally in drylands.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yuem Park, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Scott A. MacLennan, Adam C. Maloof, Mulubrhan Gebreslassie, Marissa M. Tremblay, Blair Schoene, Mulugeta Alene, Eliel S. C. Anttila, Tadele Tesema, Bereket Haileab
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN
(2020)
Article
Geology
Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Steven A. Hoaglund, James L. Crowley, Mark D. Schmitz, Yiming Zhang, James D. Miller
Summary: The Duluth Complex in Minnesota, USA, is one of the largest mafic intrusive complexes on Earth, formed during the time of the Laurentia's interior. Despite the overall protracted duration of magmatic activity, there were intervals of more voluminous magmatism.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuem Park, Pierre Maffre, Yves Godderis, Francis A. Macdonald, Eliel S. C. Anttila, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Margaret S. Avery, Yiming Zhang, Eben B. Hodgin, Robert J. Sherwood, Francisco E. Apen, Terrence J. Boerboom, C. Brenhin Keller, John M. Cottle
Summary: By studying the paleomagnetic pole of the new Superior province after the ca. 1.83 Ga Trans-Hudson orogeny, researchers confirmed the coherency of Laurentia following this orogeny. The findings also provide an explanation for the discrepancies in pole positions between these provinces.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yuem Park, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Hanbiao Xian, Shihong Zhang, Daniel J. Condon, Hairuo Fu, Francis A. Macdonald
Summary: The study suggests that South China was located at a high latitude around 813 Ma and maintained a relatively stable high-latitude position from about 821 to 805 Ma. These high-latitude constraints either connect South China to Rodinia along its periphery or disconnect it from the supercontinent entirely.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yiming Zhang, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Mark D. Schmitz, James D. Miller, Margaret S. Avery
Summary: New geochronologic and paleomagnetic data from the North American Midcontinent Rift suggest that the Beaver River diabase and the Greenstone Flow formed synchronously, with the former potentially acting as the feeder system for the latter. The data provide age constraints for the Beaver River diabase and indicate a rapid and voluminous magmatic pulse near the end of the main stage of MCR magmatism.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2021)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuem Park, Pierre Maffre, Yves Godderis, Francis A. Macdonald, Eliel S. C. Anttila, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Geology
Eben B. Hodgin, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, James M. DeGraff, Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark, Mark D. Schmitz, Andrew C. Turner, Yiming Zhang, Daniel A. Stolper
Summary: This study aims to constrain the North American Midcontinent Rift using different dating methods, and reveals the far-field effects of the two phases (Ottawan and Rigolet) of the Grenvillian Orogeny on the continental interior.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yiming Zhang, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Margaret S. Avery, Roger R. Fu
Summary: This study obtained estimates of Earth's magnetic field strength in deep time by analyzing anorthosite xenoliths. The results indicate the existence of a strongly powered geodynamo in the past, challenging the hypothesis of a young inner core and the progressive decay of Earth's dynamo strength. These findings provide new insights into the evolution of Earth and the mechanisms behind the formation of the magnetic field.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
James Pierce, Yiming Zhang, Eben B. Hodgin, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell
Summary: Inclination is the angle of a magnetization vector from horizontal. Clastic sedimentary rocks often experience inclination shallowing whereby syn- to post-depositional processes result in flattened detrital remanent magnetizations relative to local geomagnetic field inclinations. The deviation of recorded inclinations from true values presents challenges for reconstructing paleolatitudes. A widespread approach for estimating flattening factors (f) compares the shape of an assemblage of magnetization vectors to that derived from a paleosecular variation model (the elongation/inclination [E/I] method). Few studies exist that compare the results of this statistical approach with empirically determined flattening factors and none in the Proterozoic Eon. In this study, we evaluate inclination shallowing within 1.1 billion-year-old, hematite-bearing red beds of the Cut Face Creek Sandstone that is bounded by lava flows of known inclination. Taking this inclination from the volcanics as the expected direction, we found that detrital hematite remanence is flattened with........ = 0.650.75 0.56 whereas the pigmentary hematite magnetization shares a common mean with the volcanics. Using the pigmentary hematite direction as the expected inclination res....ults in.... = 0.610.67 0.55. These flattening factors are consistent with those estimated through the E/I m....ethod (.... = 0.640.85 0.51) supporting its application in deep time. However, all methods have significant uncertainty associated with determining the flattening factor. This uncertainty can be incorporated into paleomagnetic poles with the resulting ellipse approximated with a Kent distribution. Rather than seeking to find the flattening factor, or assuming a single value, the inherent uncertainty in flattening factors should be recognized and incorporated into paleomagnetic syntheses.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ian R. Rose, Yiming Zhang, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell
Summary: This paper describes a new method for synthesizing apparent polar wander paths (APWPs), which can be used to reconstruct past paleogeography and plate motions. The method incorporates uncertainties in pole positions and age, and provides estimates for full-vector plate motion and associated uncertainty. The application of this method to synthetic data and case studies demonstrates its capabilities.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sergio Carrero, Sarah P. Slotznick, Sirine C. Fakra, M. Cole Sitar, Sharon E. Bone, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Andrew H. Manning, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Kenneth H. Williams, Jillian F. Banfield, Benjamin Gilbert
Summary: The oxidative weathering of sulfidic rock has significant impacts on watersheds through the release of acidity and metals. By utilizing a combination of mineralogical and geochemical techniques, researchers were able to develop a weathering model that accurately predicts the pathways and controls of mineral transformation. This study provides valuable insights into the weathering processes of sulfidic sedimentary rocks and their implications for water quality.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Letter
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
L. C. Gallo, M. Domeier, F. Sapienza, N. L. Swanson-Hysell, B. Vaes, Y. Zhang, M. Arnould, A. Eyster, D. Gurer, A. Kiraly, B. Robert, T. Rolf, G. Shephard, A. van der Boon
Summary: Our understanding of Earth's paleogeography relies heavily on paleomagnetic apparent polar wander paths, but conventional approaches to APWP construction have significant limitations. In this study, we address these challenges with a new methodology that operates on site-level paleomagnetic data and demonstrate its effectiveness using a compilation of Cenozoic data from North America. Our results show that high-resolution APWPs can be generated, providing unprecedented insights into Earth's deep time evolution.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
F. Sapienza, L. C. Gallo, Y. Zhang, B. Vaes, M. Domeier, N. L. Swanson-Hysell
Summary: In this paper, the authors quantitatively evaluated the accuracy of alternative paleomagnetic sampling strategies through numerical experiments and an associated analytical framework. Their findings demonstrated the strong correlation between the accuracy of an estimated paleopole position and the number of sites or independent readings of the time-varying paleomagnetic field. They also found that increasing the number of in-site samples had a diminishing effect on accuracy, but collecting additional in-site samples in limited independent sites could improve accuracy. The use of filters based on angular distance improved the accuracy of paleopole estimation but led to inaccurate estimates of paleosecular variation.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2023)
