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Another continental pool in the terrestrial silicon cycle.

Isabelle Basile-Doelsch1, Jean Dominique Meunier, Claude Parron

  • 1IRD-Réunion, UR037, LSTUR, BP 172, 97492 St-Denis Messagerie Cedex, France. basile@cerege.fr

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Researchers identified a significant silicon-30 depleted reservoir in terrestrial quartz cements. This finding helps explain the continental silicon cycle and its role in atmospheric carbon dioxide removal.

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Area of Science:

  • Geochemistry
  • Biogeochemical Cycles
  • Isotope Geochemistry

Background:

  • Silicon is Earth's second most abundant element, crucial for phytoplankton and terrestrial plants.
  • Silicon aids atmospheric carbon dioxide removal via silicate weathering, but the continental silicon cycle remains poorly understood.
  • Silicon stable isotopes (28Si, 29Si, 30Si) offer a tool to quantify continental silicon reservoirs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the continental silicon cycle using silicon stable isotopes.
  • To identify the missing 30Si-depleted terrestrial silicon reservoir.
  • To quantify silicon reservoirs and understand fractionation processes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of silicon isotopes in in situ quartz from a French sandstone series.
  • Utilized a new-generation secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) apparatus.
  • Measured isotopic values of precipitated siliceous cements.

Main Results:

  • Identified a strongly 30Si-depleted quartz cement reservoir with isotopic values as low as -5.7 per mil.
  • This reservoir is more depleted in 30Si than any previously reported terrestrial sample.
  • Dissolved silicon in seawater and rivers is enriched in 30Si (+1.1 per mil) relative to igneous rocks (-0.3 per mil).

Conclusions:

  • Quartz re-precipitation significantly impacts the continental silicon cycle.
  • The identified 30Si-depleted reservoir helps reconcile isotopic differences between marine and terrestrial silicon.
  • This study advances our understanding of silicon's role in Earth's biogeochemical processes.