silicon isotope fractionation during silica precipitation from hot spring waters evidence from the geysir geothermal field iceland this study aims to explore the extent and controls of silicon isotope fractionation in hot spring systems of the geysir geothermal area iceland a setting where sinter deposits are actively formed the 30si values of dissolved silica measured in the spring water and sampling sites along outflowing streams covering a temperature range between 20 and 100 c were relatively constant around 0 2 whereas the 30si signatures of associated opaline sinters from the streambeds were between 0 1 and 4 0 becoming progressively more negative in the downstream parts of the aprons here the deposited sinters represent some of the most 30si depleted abiotically produced terrestrial materials documented to date compared to the data reported for icelandic basalts considered to be the source of the silicon the 30si values of the fluids and sinter deposits are higher and lower respectively the resulting values for apparent solid water isotope fractionation 30sisolid water decreased with decreasing temperature from ca 0 7 at 80 c to 3 7 at 20 c locally down to 4 4 this temperature relationship was reproducible in each of the investigated hot spring systems and is qualitatively consistent with recent findings in laboratory experiments on kinetic fractionation for a flowing fluid however the apparent fractionation magnitudes observed in the field are ca 2 more negative and thus significantly larger we infer that solid water silicon isotope fractionation during deposition of amorphous silica from a flowing fluid correlates inversely with temperature but is essentially a function of the precipitation rate such that the fractionation factor decreases with increasing rate as an important corollary the effective fractionation behavior during precipitation of silica from saturated solutions is a system dependent feature which should be taken into account when using silicon isotopes for paleo environmental reconstructions

effective tension shear relationships in extensional fissure swarms axial rift zone of northeastern iceland abstract the geometry of fracture systems in selected areas of the active krafla fissure swarm mid atlantic ridge northeastern iceland is analysed based on geodetic analysis of the present day topography at the top of holocene basaltic lava flows which fill the axial rift zone the deformation of this initially horizontal surface can be reconstructed extensional deformation is localised at all scales and block tilting though present remains minor using simple models of the surface expression of normal faults the geometrical characteristics of the topographic features related to active deformation during tectonic volcanic events are quantitatively analysed at crustal depths of about 1 km normal faults are present and have an average 70 dip comparison with the dip data of older normal faults observed in the uplifted and eroded shoulders of the rift zone at palaeodepths of 1 2 km indicates that this dip determination is valid comparisons between the local case study and structural analyses of active fissure swarms on a larger scale suggest that normal faulting plays a major role in the middle section of the thin newly formed brittle crust of the rift zone in the axial oceanic rift zone of ne iceland the extensional deformation in the upper crust is dominated by horizontal tension and shear of normal sense their relative importance depending on depth absolute tension dominates in the uppermost several hundred metres of the crust resulting in the development of fissure swarms effective tension plays an important role at a deeper level 2 5 km because of the presence of magmatic fluid pressure from magma chambers which feed dyke injections at crustal depths of about 1 km normal shear prevails along fault planes which dip 60 75 this importance of normal shear at moderate depth between upper and lower crustal levels where tension prevails is pointed out within the extensional context of rifting these variations of tectonic behaviour with depth are controlled by both the lithostatic pressure and the effective tension induced by the presence of magmatic fluid pressure

absolute accumulation and isotope fractionation of si and fe during dolomite weathering and terra rossa formation abstract the behavior of silicon si and iron fe and their isotope fractionation during carbonate weathering and terra rossa formation are unclear here we focus on a 4 05 m thick terra rossa profile developed on dolomite in the yunnan guizhou plateau china we measured the mineral and geochemical composition magnetic susceptibility and si and fe isotopic composition of the terra rossa ferromanganese concretions fmcs and the dolomite and its insoluble residues the results indicate that there is absolute accumulation of si and fe during dolomite weathering and terra rossa formation due to the extraneous input of dissolved si and fe this means that the insoluble residues of dolomite are not the only source for terra rossa formation in addition we suggest that the high frequency dependent magnetic susceptibility fd and rubification of the terra rossa are the result of the oxidation of extraneous dissolved fe and the neoformation of finely dispersed fe oxides overall the terra rossa is characterized by the enrichment of light si and fe isotopes compared with insoluble dolomite residues and bulk dolomite the extraneous input of dissolved fe is characterized by a light isotopic signature whereas the si isotopic signature of the extraneous source is unclear due to modification by late desilicification si isotope fractionation in the terra rossa is mainly controlled by chemical weathering and associated mobilization and redistribution of si the 30 si values of terra rossa decrease with increasing weathering intensity while the re precipitation of mobilized si leads to the significant enrichment of isotopically heavy si in the basal terra rossa the 30 si values of terra rossa are not significantly affected by the adsorption of the fe and al oxyhydr oxides by contrast the major process that fractionates fe isotopes in the dolomite terra rossa weathering system is unclear in the terra rossa profile the 56 fe values of the fmcs are significantly lower than those of the surrounding terra rossa matrix these low 56 fe signatures of the fmcs reflect the preferential translocation of the light fe isotope while the fmcs may be able to record the low 56 fe characteristics of pore water

tracing mechanisms controlling the release of dissolved silicon in forest soil solutions using si isotopes and ge si ratios the terrestrial biogenic si bsi pool in the soil plant system is ubiquitous and substantial likely impacting the land ocean transfer of dissolved si dsi here we consider the mechanisms controlling dsi in forest soil in a temperate granitic ecosystem that would differ from previous works mostly focused on tropical environments this study aims at tracing the source of dsi in forest floor leachates and in soil solutions under various tree species at homogeneous soil and climate conditions using stable si isotopes and ge si ratios relative to granitic bedrock clays minerals were enriched in si 28 and had high ge si ratios while bsi from phytoliths was also enriched in si 28 but had a low ge si ratio such a contrast is useful to infer the relative contribution of silicate weathering and bsi dissolution in the shallow soil on the release of dsi in forest floor leachate solutions the delta si 30 values in forest floor leachates 1 38 parts per thousand to 2 05 parts per thousand are the lightest ever found in natural waters and ge si ratios are higher in forest floor leachates relative to soil solution these results suggest dissolution of si 28 and ge enriched secondary clay minerals incorporated by bioturbation in organic rich horizons in combination with an isotopic fractionation releasing preferentially light si isotopes during this dissolution process ge si ratios in soil solutions are governed by incongruent weathering of primary minerals and neoformation of secondary clays minerals tree species influence si isotopic compositions and ge si ratios in forest floor leachates through differing incorporation of minerals in organic horizons by bioturbation and to a lesser extent through differing si recycling c 2010 elsevier ltd all rights reserved

the morphodynamics of beach ridge formation magilligan northern ireland abstract magilligan foreland is a holocene beach ridge plain comprising three principal sets of sand ridges sets i and ii are related to the mid holocene progradation of the plain while set iii represents recent deposition at the distal margin at present two types of beach ridge are being formed in both cases as part of the general recovery sequence following storm erosion of the dune cliffs mode i beach ridge development is associated with shore normal sediment transport under dissipative wave conditions these ridges form around the high water mark of spring tides through the migration of coalescence of swash bars within 30 to 55 days of a storm mode ii formation is more complex sediment initially stored in nearshore bars is moved alongshore causing bar elongation the bar moves into the intermediate and even reflective wave domains eventually narrowing of the bar leads to severance of a downdrift portion usually at or near the major drift pulse to the north west of the foreland normally this sediment starved remnant welds progressively onto the beach face in the direction of the dominant process gradient east to west but occasionally locally generated counteractive seas move sediment onshore employing the bar as a traverse conduit mode ii beach ridges emerge onto the upper beach around 90 150 days after a storm the beach ridges have distinctive structures depending on their mode of formation and both constitute important sources for dune building sand

mechanisms controlling the silicon isotopic compositions of river waters it has been proposed that silicon si isotopes are fractionated during weathering and biological activity leading to heavy dissolved riverine compositions in this study the first seasonal variations of stable isotope compositions of dissolved riverine si are reported and compared with concomitant changes in water chemistry four different rivers in switzerland were sampled between march 2004 and july 2005 the unique high resolution multi collector icp ms nu1700 has been used to provide simultaneous interference free measurements of 28si 29si and 30si abundances with an average limiting precision of 0 04 on 30si this precision facilitates the clarification of small temporal variations in isotope composition the average of all the data for the 40 samples is 30si 0 84 0 19 1 sd despite significant differences in catchment lithologies biomass climate total dissolved solids and weathering fluxes the averaged isotopic composition of dissolved si in each river is strikingly similar with means of 0 70 0 12 for the birs 0 95 0 22 for the saane 0 93 0 12 for the ticino and 0 79 0 19 for the verzasca however the 30si undergoes seasonal variations of up to 0 6 comparisons between 30si and physico chemical parameters such as the concentration of dissolved si and other cations the discharge of the rivers and the resulting weathering fluxes permits an understanding of the processes that control the si budget and the fate of dissolved si within these rivers the main mechanism controlling the si isotope composition of the mountainous verzasca river appears to be a two component mixing between the seepage of soil ground waters with heavier si produced by clay formation and superficial runoff associated with lighter si during high discharge events a biologically mediated fractionation can be excluded in this particular river system the other rivers display increasing complexity with increases in the proportion of forested and cultivated landscapes as well as carbonate rocks in the catchment in these instances it is impossible to resolve the extent of the isotopic fractionation and contributed flux of si contributed by biological processes as opposed to abiotic weathering the presence of seasonal variations in si isotope composition in mountainous rivers provides evidence that extreme changes in climate affect the overall composition of dissolved si delivered to the oceans the oceanic si isotope composition is very sensitive to even small changes in the riverine si isotope composition and this parameter appears to be more critical than plausible changes in the si flux therefore concurrent changes in weathering style may need to be considered when using the si isotopic compositions of diatoms sponges and radiolaria as paleoproductivity proxies

temporal isotopic variations of dissolved silicon in a pristine boreal river abstract it has previously been concluded that the stable si isotopes are fractionated during geochemical and biogeochemical elemental transfers such as weathering and precipitation of clays and biogenic si which has opened up the possibility of using si as a tracer in natural terrestrial ecosystems furthermore quantification of the biogenic impact on the biogeochemical si cycle has attracted significant scientific interest since biological control has been suggested previous observations of seasonal variations in the dissolved si isotopic pattern further imply that high frequency riverine sampling during main hydrological events might provide important information about natural processes governing the fluvial biogeochemical si cycle therefore temporal variations in the isotopic composition of riverine dissolved si were investigated for the kalix river northern sweden the largest pristine river system in europe based on high frequency sampling during a period of 25 weeks from early april to early october 2006 temporal variations spanning 0 4 for 29si and 0 8 for 30si of dissolved si in the kalix river were observed during the period suggesting that the riverine dissolved si input to the oceans cannot be considered to have a constant si isotopic composition on a short time scale the results implicate biogeochemical si cycling via formation and dissolution of biogenic silica as processes significantly affecting the dissolved si transport in boreal systems during april to early october the si budget in the river system appeared to be controlled by relative si enrichment during high discharge events and relative si depletions in the subarctic mountainous and lake dominated areas the si enrichments and depletions were accompanied by decreasing and increasing riverine 29si and 30si respectively these isotope variations can be explained by release of plant derived silica depleted in heavier si isotopes during the spring snowmelt further increased volumetric contribution from the headwater and losses of dissolved si due to biogenic silica formation by diatoms in the subarctic lakes at a later period are expected to be responsible for the preferential losses of lighter isotopes as further verified by land cover analysis

chemical weathering in a tropical watershed luquillo mountains puerto rico ii rate and mechanism of biotite weathering abstract samples of soil saprolite bedrock and porewater from a lower montane wet forest the luquillo experimental forest lef in puerto rico were studied to investigate the rates and mechanisms of biotite weathering the soil profile at the top of a ridge in the rio icacos watershed consists of a 50 100 cm thick layer of unstructured soil above a 600 800 cm thick saprolite developed on quartz diorite the only minerals present in significant concentration within the soil and saprolite are biotite quartz kaolinite and iron oxides biotite is the only primary silicate releasing significant k and mg to porewaters although biotite in samples of the quartz diorite bedrock is extensively chloritized chlorite is almost entirely absent in the saprolite phyllosilicates phyllosilicate grains are present as 200 1000 m wide books below about 50 cm depth x ray diffraction xrd and electron microprobe analyses indicate that the phyllosilicate grains contain a core of biotite surrounded by variable amounts of kaolinite lattice fringe images under transmission electron microscope tem show single layers of biotite altering to two layers of kaolinite suggesting dissolution of biotite and precipitation of kaolinite at discrete boundaries some single 14 a layers are also observed in the biotite under tem the degree of kaolinitization of individual phyllosilicate grains as observed by tem decreases with depth in the saprolite this tem work is the first such microstructural evidence of epitaxial growth of kaolinite onto biotite during alteration in low temperature environments the rate of release of mg in the profile calculated as a flux through the soil normalized per watershed land area is approximately 500 mol hectare 1 yr 1 1 6 10 9 molmg msoil 2 s 1 this rate is similar to the flux estimated from mg discharge out the rio icacos 1000 mol hectare 1 yr 1 or 3 5 10 9 molmg msoil 2 s 1 indicating that scaling up from the soil to the watershed is possible for mg release the rate of mg release from biotite normalized to brunauer emmett teller bet surface area is calculated using a mass balance equation which includes the density and volume of phyllosilicate grains porewater chemistry and flux and soil porosity the mean rates of biotite weathering calculated from k and mg release rates are approximately 6 and 11 10 16 molbiotite mbiotite 2 s 1 respectively significantly slower than laboratory rates 10 12 to 10 11 molbiotite mbiotite 2 s 1 the discrepancy in scaling down from the soil to the laboratory is probably explained by 1 differences in weathering mechanism between the two environments 2 higher solute concentrations in soil porewaters 3 loss of reactive surface area of biotite in the saprolite due to kaolinite and iron oxide coatings and or 4 unaccounted for heterogeneities in flow path through the soil

tracing silicon cycling in the okavango delta a sub tropical flood pulse wetland using silicon isotopes chemical weathering of silicate minerals releases elements into solution whereas the neoformation of secondary minerals works in the opposite direction potentially confounding estimates of silicate weathering rates silicon isotopes d30si may be a useful tool to investigate these processes here we present 82 d30si measurements from surface waters pore waters biogenic silica bsi clays sand and vegetation from the okavango delta botswana a freshwater sub tropical flood pulse wetland hydrologically the okavango is dominated by evapotranspiration water losses to the atmosphere it receives an annual pulse of water that inundates seasonal floodplains while river baseflow is sufficient to maintain a permanent floodplain d30si in dissolved silica dsi in surface waters along a 300 km transect at near peak flood show a limited range 0 36 1 19 imply ing the delta is well buffered by a balance of processes adding and removing dsi from the surface water a key control on dsi concentrations is the uptake production of bsi and recycling of si by aquatic vegetation although the net isotopic effect is necessarily small since all bsi re dissolves on short timescales in the sediments bsi d30si n 30 ranges from less

the continental si cycle and its impact on the ocean si isotope budget abstract the silicon isotope composition of biogenic silica 30sibsi in the ocean is a function of the 30si of the available dissolved si dsi h2sio4 the degree of utilisation of the available dsi and for some organisms the concentration of dsi this makes 30sibsi in sediment archives a promising proxy for past dsi concentrations and utilisation at steady state mean 30sibsi must equal a weighted average of the inputs the majority of which are of continental origin variation in the functioning of the continental si cycle on timescales similar to the residence time of dsi in the ocean 10 ka may therefore contribute to downcore variability in 30sibsi on millennial or longer timescales the direction and magnitude of change in published 30sibsi records over the last few glacial cycles is consistent among ocean basins and between groups of silicifiers they document glacial values that are typically 0 5 to 1 0 lower than interglacial values and together hint at coherent and predictable glacial interglacial variability in whole ocean 30si driven by a change in mean 30si of the inputs in this contribution we review the modern inputs of dsi to the ocean and the controls on their isotopic composition and assess the evidence for their variability on millennial plus timescales today 9 55 1012 mol yr 1 dsi enters the ocean of which roughly 64 and 25 are direct riverine inputs of dsi and dsi from dissolution of aeolian and riverborne sediment respectively the remainder derives from alteration or weathering of the ocean crust each input has a characteristic 30si with our current best estimate for a weighted mean being 0 74 although much work remains to be done to characterise the individual fluxes many aspects of the continental si cycle may have differed during glacial periods that together can cumulatively substantially lower the mean 30si of dsi entering the ocean these changes relate to i a cooler drier glacial climate ii lowered sea level and the exposure of continental shelves iii the presence of large continental ice sheets and iv altered vegetation zonation using a simple box model with a monte carlo approach to parameterisation we find that a transition from a hypothesised glacial continental si cycle to the modern si cycle can drive an increase in whole ocean 30si of comparable rate and magnitude to that recorded in 30sibsi this implies that we may need to revisit our understanding of aspects of the si cycle in the glacial ocean although we focus on the transition from the last glacial our synthesis suggests that the continental si cycle should be seen as a potential contributory factor to any variability observed in ocean 30sibsi on millennial or longer timescales

silicon isotope variations accompanying basalt weathering in iceland abstract this study presents the si isotope compositions of the dissolved phase of twenty rivers from across iceland the high resolution nu plasma 1700 mc icp ms was used to provide interference free 30 si 28 si ratios with an average limiting precision of 0 04 30 si the si isotope composition ranges from 0 08 to 1 46 30 si averaging 0 63 0 38 1 sd this is only slightly lighter than the recently reported mean of 0 84 0 19 for high precision measurements of swiss rivers but is significantly lighter than compositions reported for some other rivers the si isotope composition varies slightly with the amount of glacial cover which provides evidence that the continental si input to the oceans may be climatically controlled and thus likely to vary over glacial interglacial cycles after correction for the dissolution of trace amounts of calcite in one region a correlation is found between 30 si and ca si this is consistent with the measured basaltic composition and indicates isotopic fractionation during si removal from the dissolved phase by calculating the fraction of si that is removed from the dissolved phase into secondary phases it is possible to use the riverine si flux si denudation rate to calculate the initial dissolution rate of si within these catchments from this study we estimate that the total amount of si being dissolved by primary weathering of iceland is 3 million tons per yr however only 50 of this si is released into the rivers and contributes to denudation using the si isotope composition and the si fraction removed it is possible to model the si isotope fractionation as either a rayleigh type fractionation or a steady state system both yield similar fractionation factors of about 1 5 30 si implying only one underlying fractionation process that is controlled by external parameters such as runoff furthermore rivers that follow a steady state fractionation model are associated with higher si dissolution rates and lower 30 si values indicating an inverse relationship between weathering rates and dissolved riverine si isotope composition

weathering dust and biocycling effects on soil silicon isotope ratios abstract silicon isotope ratios 30si of bulk mineral materials in soil integrate effects from both silicon sources and processing here we report 30si values from a climate gradient of hawaiian soils developed on 170 ka basalt and relate them to patterns of soil chemistry and mineralogy the results demonstrate informative relationships between the mass fraction of soil si depletion and 30si in upper 1 m deep soil horizons generally correlate with the isotope fractionation predicted by a study of dissolved si in basalt watershed rivers and driven by preferential 28si removal from the dissolved phase during precipitation in contrast after correcting for the influence of dust secondary mineral si depletion and 30si values in shallow

micrometer silicon isotope diagnostics of soils by uv femtosecond laser ablation this study presents the first si isotope data of the principle si pools in soils determined by a uv femtosecond laser ablation system coupled to a multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer mc icp ms this method reveals accurate and precise si isotope data on bulk materials and at high spatial resolution on the mineral scale the following si pools have been investigated a the si source to soils on all major silicate minerals on thin sections from bedrock fragments in the soil profiles b bulk soils particle size 2 mm after fusion to glass beads with an iridium strip heater or pressed into powder pellets c separated clay fractions as pressed powder pellets and e separated phytoliths as pressed powder pellets multiple analyses of three rock standards bhvo 2 agv 1 and rgm 1 as fused glass beads and as pressed powder pellets reveal 30si values within the expected range of igneous rocks the mpi ding reference glass kl2 g exhibits the same si isotope composition after remelting by an iridium strip heater showing that this technique does not alter the isotope composition of the glass we used this approach to investigated two immature cambisols developed on sandstone and paragneiss in the black forest germany respectively bulk soils show a largely uniform si isotope signature for different horizons and locations which is close to those of primary quartz and feldspar with 30si values around 0 4 soil clay formation is associated with limited si mobility which preserves initial si isotope signatures of parental minerals an exception is the organic horizon of the paragneiss catchment where intense weathering leads to a high mobility of si and significant negative isotope signatures as low as to 1 00 in bulk soils biogenic opal in the form of phytoliths exhibits negative si isotope signatures of about 0 4 these results demonstrate that uv femtosecond laser ablation mc icp ms provides a tool to characterize the si isotope signature of the principle si pools left behind after weathering and si transport have altered soils these results can now serve as a fingerprint of the residual solids that can be used to explain the isotope composition of dissolved si in soil solutions and river water which is mostly enriched in the heavy isotopes

a first look at the distribution of the stable isotopes of silicon in natural waters the first data on the distribution of the stable isotopes of silicon in marine and freshwater systems are reported both marine and riverine 30si are more positive than 30si of igneous rocks suggesting isotopic fractionation during weathering and clay formation and or biomineralization the 30si value for dissolved silicic acid from several ocean basins is 1 1 0 3 n 69 more positive values are found in surface waters due to discrimination against 30si during biogenic opal formation by diatoms the deep pacific ocean is depleted in 30si relative to the deep atlantic by roughly 0 4 30si of riverine dissolved silicon averages 0 8 0 3 n 8 the biologic fractionation of silicon isotopes coupled with effects associated with thermohaline circulation appears to play a significant role in controlling the distribution of silicon isotopes in the sea the average 30si value of inputs of silicon to the ocean most likely falls between 0 3 and 0 9 and that of the outputs falls between 0 9 to 1 9 probably in the neighborhood of 1 0

natural variations of δ30si ratios during progressive basalt weathering hawaiian islands abstract silicon stable isotopes can be used to trace the biogeochemical pathways of si as it moves from its continental sources to its sink in ocean sediments along the way si is incorporated into clay minerals taken up by plants where it forms plant opal and leached into rivers the major land to ocean conduit compared to igneous rocks the waters that drain continents are enriched in heavy si isotopes but the mechanisms that control fractionation have not been elucidated we studied si isotope fractionation along a 4 million yr basaltic soil chronosequence on the hawaiian islands using the natural context of these samples in combination with laboratory experiments we demonstrate that the isotopic composition of dissolved si in weathering systems is determined by the combined effects of rock disintegration clay mineral neosynthesis and si biocycling weathering preferentially releases 28si into solution whereas secondary mineral formation preferentially removes 28si from solution in humid environments leached soils have lost large amounts of this soluble si thus creating a net loss of 30si from the entire soil system as soils develop and greater fractions of si reside in neoformed clay minerals 30sibulk soil values change progressively toward more negative values basalt 30si values are about 0 5 but older soils have 30si values up to 2 5 the difference between the solid and solution 30si values remains more or less constant with progressive weathering and therefore soil water from older soils has a more negative 30si composition in the upper horizons of the hawaiian soils this weathering driven 30si shift is modified by the addition of unweathered primary minerals via dust carrying 30si values of about 0 5 and by biocycling of si via plants producing negative 30si values in phytoliths and positive 30si values in soil solutions derived from upper horizons due to the high concentrations of dissolved si in these near surface layers rivers have more positive 30si values than predicted based on the weathering status of the lower horizons when combined with published 30si values from large rivers worldwide we find that the results from hawaii point to weathering control of si isotopes delivered to the oceans and thus to an important continent ocean linkage that warrants further investigation

precambrian si isotope mass balance weathering and the significance of the authigenic clay silica sink abstract the geological cycles of carbon and silicon are linked via the silicate weathering feedback but growing understanding of reverse weathering the formation of authigenic clay minerals via back reaction of silica with cations indicates that the nature of the connection between these two elemental cycles may be more complex than previously assumed recent carbon cycle modeling has suggested that enhanced reverse weathering during precambrian time could have played an important role in regulating climate the topology of the precambrian silica cycle including the size of the authigenic clay sink and its influence on the carbon cycle is challenging to reconstruct due to inherent preservation biases in the rock record here we used an alternative approach using si isotope values to invert for the magnitudes of precambrian silica fluxes by assuming that the silica cycle must be in mass balance with the bulk silicate earth over geological time scales with respect to si isotopes to estimate uncertainties associated with these flux reconstructions we used monte carlo simulations based on the natural variation exhibited in si isotope ratio data from the precambrian sedimentary record n 2118 spanning 3 8 ga to 525 ma and modern authigenic clays n 123 the perspective of si isotope mass balance shows that the previously observed increase in chert 30si values across precambrian time is a signal of an evolving silica cycle rather than a secular change in seawater temperature results yielded a secular increase in the relative contribution of the authigenic clay sink across most of precambrian time this view is consistent with previous interpretations of a concomitant decrease in the concentration of dissolved silica in seawater this result is consistent among a variety of model versions incorporating different assumptions about the abundance of iron formations and possible relationships between authigenic clay formation and concepts that invoke slow growth in the absolute amount of the continental crust this approach also highlights key areas where improving si isotope records could further enhance our constraints on the precambrian silica cycle and its relationship with the carbon cycle and climate stability

impact of low denudation rates on soil chemical weathering intensity a multiproxy approach abstract quantifying the influence of denudation i e physical erosion and chemical weathering on soil weathering intensity is an important component for a comprehensive understanding of element biogeochemical cycles the relation between the weathering intensity and the denudation rate is not clear and requires further investigation in a variety of climatic and erosional settings here in the betic cordillera southern spain we assess the soil chemical weathering intensity with a multiproxy approach combining different indicators of chemical weathering of the soil the total reserve in bases trb the content in fe oxides the quartz and clay content the soil cation exchange capacity cec and the silicon si isotope composition of the clay sized fraction our multiproxy approach demonstrates that in this semi arid environment at low denudation rates an increasing denudation rate decreases the soil weathering intensity whereas si mobility remains limited our results converge with previous conclusions based on chemical mass balance methods in the same geological setting mass balance methods and particularly chemical depletion fractions cdf are based on the immobility of a refractory element commonly zirconium zr relative to major cations in soils interestingly our study suggests that a weathering index such as the trb may provide a useful complement to assess soil chemical weathering intensity in eroding landscapes where the application of chemical mass balances may be hampered by potential zr mobility in the soil or by heterogeneity of zr concentrations in the bedrock

high temperature silicon isotope geochemistry abstract silicon si is the defining element of silicate reservoirs yet despite its dominance in major earth processes there is still no clear understanding of how much is hosted in earth s core how the enriched continental crust forms or even if the crust is isotopically different from the mantle because of a long history of weathering erosion and subduction with the advent of multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry it has become relatively straightforward to explore small 100 ppm level mass dependent variations in si isotopic composition resulting from high temperature fractionation and to develop new isotopic fingerprints of magmatic processes and source regions this paper reviews the technique developments the new data and the veracity of current interpretations only a small si isotopic effect is associated with basalt formation via mantle melting however there now is compelling evidence based on a considerable number of samples 100 that the silicate earth is isotopically fractionated by 100 200 ppm per amu to a heavy composition relative to that of chondrites and also all differentiated stony meteorites this could reflect variability in the circumstellar disc but this is not well supported by data for enstatite chondrites which are isotopically light the most plausible current explanation is that si is a light element in earth s core and that differences in the bond stiffness between silicate and metal hosted si resulted in substantial fractionation interestingly the moon has the same si isotope composition as earth s mantle which is hard to explain unless the moon s atoms were mainly derived from earth differentiated magmatic sequences such as those of hekla iceland display a systematic relationship between isotopic composition and si content more complex magmatic suites such as i and s type granites reveal a range of isotopic compositions not well correlated with chemical composition similar effects are found in lower crustal granulite facies xenoliths nonetheless the overall composition of the continental crust is only slightly heavy relative to the mantle in fact the effect is barely resolvable therefore the amounts of surface dissolved heavy si removed to the mantle via weathering over time have been small or these losses have been balanced by subduction of isotopically light clay

δ30si systematics in a granitic saprolite puerto rico granite weathering and clay mineral formation impart distinct and interpretable stable si isotope 30 si signatures to their solid and aqueous products within a saprolite clay minerals have 30 si values 2 0 more negative than their parent mineral and the 30 si signature of the bulk solid is determined by the ratio of primary to secondary minerals mineral specific weathering reactions predominate at different depths driving changes in differing 30 si pore water values at the bedrock saprolite interface dissolution of plagioclase and hornblende creates 30 si pore water signatures more positive than granite by up to 1 2 these reactions are the main contributor of si to stream water and determine its 30 si value throughout the saprolite biotite weathering releases si to pore waters but kaolinite overgrowth formation modulates its contribution to pore water si the influence of biotite on 30 si pore water is greatest near the bedrock where biotite derived si mixes with bulk pore water prior to kaolinite formation higher in the saprolite biotite grains have become more isolated by kaolinite overgrowth which consumes biotite derived si that would otherwise influence 30 si pore water because of this isolation which shifts the dominant source of pore water si from biotite to quartz 30 si pore water values are more negative than granite by up to 1 3 near the top of the saprolite

si isotope systematics of meteorites and terrestrial peridotites implications for mg si fractionation in the solar nebula and for si in the earth s core abstract high precision si isotope ratios have been measured for a series of meteorites and terrestrial samples using high resolution multi collector icp ms our results differ from those reported in an earlier study georg et al 2007 si in the earth s core nature 447 1102 1106 in two important aspects first our data set reveals systematic differences in 30 si between different chondrite groups that are correlated with their mg si elemental ratio second in agreement with the previous study 30 si for the terrestrial samples are higher than values for chondrites but the difference between the bulk silicate earth bse and the carbonaceous chondrites 30 si bse c arbonaceous chondrites 0 08 0 04 1 standard deviation is about a factor of 2 smaller than previously reported the 30 si versus mg si trend defined by the chondrite groups can be explained by reaction of olivine with a sio rich vapor to form enstatite starting from a carbonaceous chondrite composition in contrast the difference between the bse and carbonaceous chondrites must reflect a different process and can be explained by incorporation of si into the earth s core during metal silicate equilibration in a deep magma ocean the observed si isotope fractionation is consistent with the temperatures and pressures of metal silicate equilibration derived from siderophile element abundances in the earth s mantle

silicon isotope study on rice plants from the zhejiang province china silicon isotope compositions of 16 rice plants from the zhejiang province were studied and potential applications of silicon isotope study to agriculture and biogeochemistry were discussed it is found that the sio2 contents in ignited rice plant samples increased generally from roots through sl stem and leaves to husks large and systematic silicon isotope fractionation was observed among different organs of individual rice plants their 30si values show a generally increasing trend from roots and sl through husks to grains which can be explained by kinetic isotope fractionation in a rayleigh process a 30si value of 6 1 was obtained from two samples of rice grains which is much greater than the highest value 3 4 observed in terrestrial samples before it is inferred that monosilicic acid is the major silicon bearing component taken up by rice roots passive uptake of silicon is important for rice and evapotranspiration may be the major mechanism for the transportation and precipitation of silicon in rice plants it is suggested that silicon isotope study has a potential application to agriculture and biogeochemistry

silicon fluxes and isotope composition of direct groundwater discharge into the bay of bengal and the effect on the global ocean silicon isotope budget abstract this study presents silicon isotope data for rivers and groundwater from the bengal basin variations of si isotope ratios were analyzed by means of high resolution mc icp ms using a nuplasma hr the rivers show typical positive 30 si values between 1 3 and 1 7 whereas the groundwater samples show decreasing 30 si values from 1 3 in shallow groundwater to 0 2 in the deeper groundwater beside a very distinctive isotope composition the concentration of dissolved si in these groundwater samples is 2 3 times higher than in river samples taken during dry season the resulting si flux by groundwater 9 3 10 10 mol yr 1 is on the order of the combined ganges brahmaputra si fluxes and equals 40 of the total river groundwater annual si flux into the bay of bengal given the significant large flux and distinctive isotope composition means that the overall isotopic input into the ocean is different from riverine values however a sound knowledge of all inputs into the ocean and of how these inputs might vary throughout time is mandatory in order to correctly interpret palaeo records of 30 si variations as recorded in sedimentary diatom opal from the last glacial maximum we extrapolate our results from the bengal basin onto a global scale and assess the ocean s sensitivity to changes in inputs as triggered by large scale events such as glaciation periods where the hydrological cycle might be out of steady state due to the build up of large continental ice shields in such a glaciation scenario riverine vs groundwater inputs can be shifted favoring isotopically lighter groundwater over heavier river inputs into the ocean the model proves impossible to change the biogenic output to a significant degree on time scales of a few thousand years by just changing the isotope inputs into the ocean

silicon isotope compositions of dissolved silicon and suspended matter in the yangtze river china abstract silicon isotope compositions of main channel samples of the yangtze river were systematically investigated along with their chemical compositions the concentration of suspended matter in the yangtze river tends to decrease from the upper reaches to the lower reaches corresponding to settling of the sediments in the lakes and reservoirs due to reduction of the velocity of water flow the silica contents of suspended matter vary from 52 1 to 56 9 and their 30si values vary from 0 to 0 7 both similar to those of shales from the upper to lower reaches the silica contents of suspended matter tend to increase whilst their 30si values tend to decrease both trends reflect the increase of clay minerals and decrease of carbonates in suspended matter the concentrations of dissolved silicon vary from 97 to 121 mol l and their 30si values vary over a wide range from 0 7 to 3 4 from the upper to lower reaches dissolved silica concentrations tend to decrease and their 30si values tend to increase these trends mainly reflect the change of chemical and isotopic characteristics of the tributaries from the upper to lower reaches the major factors responsible for these changes may be the high meteoric precipitation and significant silicon absorption by grass in wetlands and rice in paddy fields in drainage areas of the middle and lower reaches there is no correlation between 30si of dissolved silicon and that of suspended matter the 30sidiss spm values vary over a wide range of 1 0 3 7 indicating that 1 they are out of isotopic equilibrium 2 dissolved silicon and the associated suspended matter do not belong to one physico chemical system and 3 isotopic exchange rate between them is very slow the 30si value of dissolved silicon output from the yangtze river to the east sea is estimated to be 3 0 much higher than the values reported for the amazon and congo rivers this increases the 30si range of dissolved silicon in the world s rivers from 0 4 1 2 to 0 4 3 4

the silicon isotope composition of the upper continental crust the upper continental crust ucc is the major source of silicon si to the oceans and yet its isotopic composition is not well constrained in an effort to investigate the degree of heterogeneity and provide a robust estimate for the average si isotopic composition of the ucc a representative selection of well characterised continentally derived clastic sediments have been analysed using high precision mc icpms analyses of loess samples define a narrow range of si isotopic compositions 30si 0 28 to 0 15 this is thought to reflect the primary igneous mineralogy and predominance of mechanical weathering in the formation of such samples the average loess 30si is 0 22 0 07 2 s d identical to average granite and felsic igneous compositions therefore minor chemical weathering does not resolvably affect bulk rock 30si and loess is a good proxy for the si isotopic composition of unweathered crystalline continental crust the si isotopic compositions of shales display much more variability 30si 0 82 to 0 00 shale si isotope compositions do not correlate well with canonical proxies for chemical weathering such as cia values but do correlate negatively with insoluble element concentrations and al si ratios this implies that more intensive or prolonged chemical weathering of a sedimentary source with attendant desilicification is required before resolvable negative si isotopic fractionation occurs shale 30si values that are more positive than those of felsic igneous rocks most likely indicate the presence of marine derived silica in such samples using the data gathered in this study combined with already published granite si isotope analyses a weighted average composition of 30si 0 25 0 16 2 s d for the ucc has been calculated

desilication in archean weathering processes traced by silicon isotopes and ge si ratios abstract the influence of continental weathering on oceanic seawater compositions in the precambrian is poorly understood here we combine si isotopes and ge si ratios of a mesoarchean paleosol 2 95 ga and overlying shales as proxies for weathering processes and si mass transfer at the early earth s surface results show that as with modern soils neoformation of secondary clay minerals in the paleosol was associated with the fractionation of si isotopes and ge si ratios in response to chemical weathering and soil desilication furthermore the loss of fe bearing minerals most likely fe bearing smectites produced additional controls on si and ge mobility through the coupled dissolution and re precipitation of clay minerals under reductive conditions opposite fractionation behaviors are observed neoformed secondary clay minerals acted as a 28 si and ge sink whereas the leaching of fe bearing minerals released 28 si and ge into soil solutions an attempt to estimate 30 si and ge si signatures of released dissolved elements into soil solution provided 30 si and ge si signatures of about 0 1 and 1 4 mol mol respectively furthermore shales deposited shortly after paleosol formation display 30 si and ge si compositions that may be explained as mixtures of the recognized paleosol components the shale record suggests that weathering induced desilication and leaching of fe bearing minerals to a lesser extent might have been widely effective during the mesoarchean for the transfer of si from the continents to the hydrosphere comparison of si isotopes recorded in detrital sediments and chemical precipitates over time might thus provide a useful supplementary tool to decipher the impact of putative increases in continental weathering and desilication relative to changes in hydrothermal and continent derived solute inputs to ocean and ocean cooling

silicon isotope compositions of euhedral authigenic quartz crystals implications for abiotic fractionation at surface temperatures abstract silicon si isotopes have been demonstrated as proxies for the paleoenvironmental conditions of various silica deposits in an effort to investigate the petrogenesis and paleoenvironments of phanerozoic silica deposits a suite of euhedral megaquartz crystals in the cretaceous edwards formation from central texas was petrographically analyzed and their si isotopic compositions analyzed by bulk and in situ techniques petrographic analysis shows a close relationship between megaquartz and evaporite minerals the lithologic association of silica with evaporite bearing dolomitized carbonate strata suggests that the silicification probably developed in a back reef tidal flat environment in which quartz crystals formed after the primary calcite cementation and partial dissolution of evaporites silicon isotopic mapping across the megaquartz crystals show that 30si nbs28 values range from 2 90 to 2 94 these values span the majority of published silicon isotopic values observed in nature and indicate complex growth histories the negative 30si values are attributed to the dissolution of sponge spicules which likely act as the primary source of the authigenic megaquartz the observed range of 30si values in megaquartz crystals is interpreted using a two stage model in which amorphous silica from sponge spicules is dissolved and re precipitated as megaquartz in a closed system during diagenesis this rayleigh type fractionation model also adds a new level of insight into the abiotic fractionation factor between dissolved and precipitated silica based on temperature estimates of 20 to 50 c for megaquartz precipitation the fractionation factor was determined to be between 1 8 and 2 1 the estimated average 30si value of early cretaceous seawater is 2 7 to 3 0 significantly higher than modern seawater

the dynamics of si cycling during weathering in two small catchments in the black forest germany traced by si isotopes abstract silicon stable isotopes have emerged as a powerful proxy to investigate weathering because si uptake from solution by secondary minerals or by the vegetation causes significant shifts in the isotope composition in this study we determined the si isotope compositions of the principle si pools within two small catchments located on sandstone and paragneiss respectively in the temperate black forest germany at both settings clay formation is dominated by mineral transformation preserving largely the signature of parental minerals with 30si values of around 0 7 bulk soils rich in primary minerals are similar to bulk parental material with 30si values close to 0 4 topsoils are partly different because organic matter degradation has promoted intense weathering leading to 30si values as low as 1 0 water samples expose highly dynamic weathering processes in the soil zone 1 after spring snowmelt increased release of doc and high water fluxes trigger clay mineral dissolution which leads to 30si values down to 0 7 and 2 in course of the summer si uptake by the vegetation and secondary mineral formation drives dissolved si to typical positive 30si values up to 1 1 groundwater with 30si values of around 0 4 records steady processes in bedrock reflecting plagioclase weathering together with kaolinite precipitation an isotope mass balance approach reveals incongruent weathering conditions where denudation of si is largely driven by physical erosion erosion of phytoliths contributes 3 to 21 to the total si export flux which is in the same order as the dissolved si flux these results elucidate the si dynamics during weathering on catchments underlain of sedimentary origin prevailing on the earth surface and provide therefore valuable information to interpret the isotope signature of large river systems

variations of δ30si and ge si with weathering and biogenic input in tropical basaltic ash soils under monoculture in soils silicon released by mineral weathering can be retrieved from soil solution through clay formation si adsorption onto secondary oxides and plant uptake thereby impacting the si isotopic signature and ge si ratio of dissolved si dsi exported to rivers here we use these proxies to study the contribution of biogenic si bsi in a soil plant system involving basaltic ash soils differing in weathering degree under intensive banana cropping delta si 30 and ge si ratios were determined in bulk soils 2 mm sand 50 2000 mu m silt 2 50 mu m amorphous si asi 2 50 mu m and clay 2 mu m fractions delta si 30 by mc icp ms nu plasma in medium resolution operating in dry plasma with mg doping delta si 30 vs nbs28 0 12 parts per thousand 2 sigma sd ge si computed after determination of ge and si concentrations by hr icp ms and icp aes respectively components of the asi fraction were quantified by microscopic counting phytoliths diatoms ashes compared to fresh ash delta si 30 0 38 parts per thousand ge si 2 21 mu mol mol 1 soil clay fractions 2 mu m were enriched in light si isotopes and ge with increasing weathering degree delta si 30 decreased from 1 19 to 2 37 parts per thousand and ge si increased from 4 10 to 5 25 mu mol mol 1 sand and silt fractions displayed delta si 30 values close to fresh ash 0 33 parts per thousand or higher due to saharian dust quartz deposition whose contribution was evaluated by isotopic mass balance calculation si isotopic signatures of bulk soils 2 mm were strongly governed by the relative proportions of primary and secondary minerals the bulk soil si isotopic budget could be closed indicating that all the phases involved were identified microscopic counting highlighted a surface accumulation of banana phytoliths and a stable phytolith pool from previous forested vegetation delta si 30 and ge si values of clay fractions in poorly developed volcanic soils isotopically heavier and ge depleted in surface horizons support the occurrence of a dsi source from banana phytolith dissolution available for si sequestration in clay sized secondary minerals clay minerals formation and si adsorption onto fe oxide in the soil plant system delta si 30 and ge si are thus highly relevant to trace weathering and input of dsi from phytoliths in secondary minerals although not quantifying the net input of bsi to dsi c 2009 elsevier ltd all rights reserved

modeling novel stable isotope ratios in the weathering zone when rock is converted to weathering products the involved processes can be fingerprinted using the stable isotope ratios of metals for example li mg ca fe sr and metalloids b si here we construct a framework for interpreting these novel stable isotope ratios quantitatively in the compartments of the weathering zone in a geomorphic context the approach is applicable to any novel stable isotope system and is based on a simple steady state mass balance model that represents the weathering zone from the scale of a soil column to that of entire continents our model is based on the assumption that the two main processes associated with isotope fractionation are formation of secondary precipitates such as clays and uptake of nutrients by plants the model results show that the isotope composition of a given element in the weathering zone compartments depends on 1 the ratio between the release flux to water through primary mineral dissolution and the erosion flux of isotopically fractionated solid material consisting of secondary precipitates and organic matter 2 the isotope fractionation factors associated with secondary mineral precipitation and uptake by plants a relationship is established between isotope ratios isotope fractionation factors and indexes for chemical weathering such as chemical depletion fractions cdf and elemental mass transfer coefficients derived from simple elemental concentration measurements from this relationship isotope fractionation factors can be calibrated from chemical and isotope data measured on field material furthermore we show how the ratio of solid export to dissolved export of a given element from the weathering system can be estimated from the comparison of the isotope composition between bedrock water and sediment this calculation can be applied to samples from soils from rivers and from the sedimentary record and does not require knowing the isotope fractionation factors involved in the reactions finally we apply the model to the oceanic li isotope record reconstructed from marine carbonate sediments in order to discuss changes in global geomorphic regimes through the cenozoic

silicon isotopes and the tracing of desilication in volcanic soil weathering sequences guadeloupe abstract silicon si stable isotopes have the potential to become a useful weathering proxy given that light si isotopes are preferentially incorporated into secondary clay minerals here we investigate how si depletion in soils and associated clay mineralogy influence the si isotope fractionation associated with clay mineral formation we report 30 si compositions in bulk soils and clay fractions relative to their parent andesite in three soil weathering sequences from guadeloupe that were formed under contrasting climatic conditions strongly desilicated soils containing kaolinite that formed in wet areas high precipitation are compared with less desilicated soils containing smectite formed in drier conditions low precipitation clay fractions are isotopically lighter than the parent andesite 30 si 0 23 and increasingly lighter with si depletion in soils which supports the view that the si isotope composition in secondary clay fractions is controlled by the degree of soil desilication it is shown that the si isotope fractionation factor between the parent silicate material and the secondary clay minerals is smaller for si rich secondary clay minerals such as smectite and larger for si poor secondary clay minerals such as kaolinite this study provides new insights to better define si isotopes as a proxy for environmental conditions for clay neoformation

the silicon isotopic composition of fine grained river sediments and its relation to climate and lithology abstract the 30si stable isotopic composition of silicon in soils and fine grained sediments can provide insights into weathering processes on continents with important implications on the si budget of modern and past oceans to further constrain the factors controlling the distribution of si isotopes in sediments we have analysed a large number n 50 of separate size fractions of sediments and suspended particulate materials collected near the mouth of rivers worldwide this includes some of the world s largest rivers e g amazon congo mackenzie mississippi murray darling nile yangtze and rivers from the case study areas of the congo river basin and northern ireland silt size fractions exhibit a mean si isotopic composition 30si 0 21 0 19 2 s d similar to that previously inferred for the upper continental crust in contrast clay size fractions display a much larger range of 30si values from 0 11 to 2 16 which yield a global 30siclay of 0 57 0 60 2 s d representative of the mean composition of the average weathered continental crust overall these new data show that the si isotopic signature transported by river clays is controlled by the degree of chemical weathering as inferred from strong relationships with al si ratios at a global scale the clay bound si isotopic composition of the world s largest river systems demonstrates a link with climate defining a general correlation with mean annual temperature mat in corresponding drainage basins while the distribution of si isotopes in river sediments also appears to be influenced by the tectonic setting lithological effects and sediment recycling from former sedimentary cycles our results pave the way for their use as paleo weathering and paleo climate proxies in the sedimentary record

improved in situ sr isotopic analysis by a 257 nm femtosecond laser in combination with the addition of nitrogen for geological minerals abstract in situ sr isotope analysis of geological materials by laser ablation multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry la mc icp ms is a powerful tracer technique for tracking magmatic source components and geological processes however the accuracy and precision of the 87sr 86sr ratio are limited in the analysis of natural minerals because of the low sr concentration the isobaric interference or small grains with complex textural contexts especially for transparent minerals such as feldspars in this study analytical results demonstrated that ablation rates in fs laser ablation were consistent for various samples 0 08 0 11 m per pulse but those in ns laser ablation were obviously material properties dependent such as the rates of 0 026 m per pulse and 0 144 m per pulse for feldspar and pyrite respectively in addition at similar energy fluences the sensitivities of sr in feldspars analyzed by the fs laser were 3 4 times higher than those analyzed by the ns laser due to the higher ablation efficiency of the fs pulse these advantages of the fs laser not only offer the benefit of eliminating or weakening the matrix effect during the laser ablation processes but also help to improve the analytical precision for transparent minerals we also demonstrated that the isobaric interferences of calcium dimers and argides caar caca and kr were dramatically reduced by factors of 6 5 11 7 and 5 12 5 in the presence of 6 12 ml min 1 n2 respectively furthermore with the addition of n2 12 ml min 1 the sensitivity of rb was inhibited resulting in a decrease of 1 47 times in rb sr signal ratios due to the effect of suppressing interferences by adding n2 both the stability and accuracy of the 87sr 86sr and 84sr 86sr ratios show improvement especially for the rb rich feldspars combining the advantages of the fs laser system with the addition of nitrogen an improved in situ sr isotope analytical method is then developed the satisfactory accuracy and precision of the 87sr 86sr ratio from natural plagioclases a k feldspar with high rb sr ratios 0 46 and a low sr clinopyroxene were obtained demonstrating the reliability of the proposed method four feldspars which have different contents of the major elements sr and rb showed homogeneous sr isotope compositions and were recommended as potential suitable reference materials for in situ sr isotope analysis as an application two plagioclases in mafic microgranular enclaves mmes with small grain sizes 200 300 m and wide ranges of rb sr ratios were analyzed and showed obvious variations of the 87sr 86sr ratios from core to rim which indicated that the proposed method in this study can provide high spatial resolution geochemical information for a single mineral

lateral podzolization in a sandstone catchment a sandstone catchment of the cool perhumid black forest germany was studied with respect to podzolization processes on a landscape scale soil mapping along a steep slope 25 revealed spodosols with thick e horizons combined with thin spodic horizons in the upper catchment area lowermost parts of the landscape showed thinnest e and thickest bhs horizons this catenary trend was quantified by a non linear increase of the illuviation eluviation ratio of podzolization ierpodzol soil texture pedogenic oxides feo fed alo mnd ph cacl2 corg and mineralogical composition of the clay and medium sand fraction were determined in six representative pedons chemical analysis matched morphology in that very low contents and mass densities of feo fed alo and mnd were found in upslope soils the distal pedons were 2 5 fold higher in these elements the catenary trends corresponded to a downslope increase in ph as well as organic carbon in mineral soils mineralogical analysis showed a decrease in feldspar weathering and an increase in hydroxy interlayered vermiculites towards the downslope soils the morphological chemical and mineralogical results led to the conclusion of a process sequence of i an upslope mobilization and depletion of iron manganese and aluminum e spodosols ii a lateral translocation 30 of catchment discharge occurred as interflow and iii a downslope immobilization resulting in a relative or absolute accumulation of the translocated soil compounds bs spodosols the immobilization probably was controlled by an admixture of fe and base richer rocks into the parent material downslope the concept of lateral podzolization developed in a granite landscape was confirmed in the sandstone area studied