A preliminary investigation of four soil series of the Pin Gin family of krasnozem soils has confirmed the results of field observation on their history and has pointed to the diverse nature of their origins and weathering processes. The weathering pattern and origin can account for differences in their fertility in

Clastic sediments in the Bengal Fan contain a Neogene history of erosion and weathering of the Himalaya. We present data on clay mineralogy, major element, stable and radiogenic isotope abundances from Lower Miocene-Pleistocene sediments from ODP Leg 116. Nd and Sr isotope data show that the Himalayan provenance for the eroded material has varied little since > 17 Ma. However, from 7 to 1 Ma sm...

By applying our understanding of lunar space weathering processes, we can predict how space weathering will effect the soil properties on Mercury. In particular, the extreme temperature range on Mercury may result in latitudinal variations in the size distribution of npFe 0 , and therefore the spectral properties of the soil.

[1] Large fluctuations in continental configuration occur throughout the Mesozoic. While it has long been recognized that paleogeography may potentially influence atmospheric CO2 via the continental silicate weathering feedback, no numerical simulations have been done, because of the lack of a spatially resolved climate-carbon model. GEOCLIM, a coupled numerical model of the climate and global ...

Microorganisms play an important role in the weathering of silicate minerals in many subsurface environments, but an unanswered question is whether the mineral plays an important role in the microbial ecology. Silicate minerals often contain nutrients necessary for microbial growth, but whether the microbial community benefits from their release during weathering is unclear. In this study, we u...

Total suspended sediments and the total dissolved solids (TDS) from three river gaging stations, near Delaware Water Gap, Riegelsville and Trenton on the Delaware River measured by the USGS were used to estimate the physical erosion, chemical weathering and total denudation rates of the Delaware River Basin. The denudation rates are 28 and 128 tons/km 2 /yr for the upper stream and downstream s...

Our study of the Seti River in far western Nepal shows that the solute chemistry of the river and its tributaries is strongly controlled by geology. The Seti flows through four distinct terranes, starting with the Tethyan sedimentary series (TSS) and Greater Himalayan series (GHS). TSS/GHS waters display Sr/Sr ratios of ,0.73 and high Sr and Ca, consistent with the composition of limestone and ...

Mass balance studies in forested catchments in the northeastern USA show that S losses via streamwater SO4 exceed measured atmospheric S inputs. Possible sources of the excess S loss include underestimated dry deposition, mineralization of organic S in soils, desorption of soil sulphate, oxidation of recently formed sulphides and mineral weathering. Evaluating the relative contribution of these...