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Decoupling of Neogene seawater lithium isotopes from uplift-driven weathering
Yibo Yang1, Yudong Liu2,3,4, Philip A E Pogge von Strandmann5
1State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. yangyibo@itpcas.ac.cn.
Nature Communications
|May 15, 2026
Summary
Seawater lithium isotope (δ⁷Li) records from the Tibetan Plateau challenge the idea that mountain uplift drives ocean chemistry changes. Continental weathering likely did not cause the Cenozoic rise in seawater δ⁷Li.
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry
- Paleoclimatology
- Oceanography
Background:
- A 9‰ increase in seawater lithium isotope (δ⁷Li) during the Cenozoic is often linked to enhanced silicate weathering from tectonic uplift.
- This hypothesis lacks direct testing due to the absence of long-term riverine δ⁷Li records.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Tibetan Plateau weathering in global lithium cycling and seawater δ⁷Li changes.
- To reconstruct paleowater δ⁷Li records over the past 15 million years.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of δ⁷Li in paleowater samples from the southern humid and northern arid Tibetan Plateau.
- Integration of paleowater δ⁷Li data into a global lithium cycle model.
Main Results:
- Northern Tibetan Plateau paleowater shows long-term decreasing δ⁷Li trends.
- Southern Tibetan Plateau paleowater exhibits consistently low δ⁷Li values.
- These trends suggest decreased silicate weathering intensity due to cooling and exhumation.
Conclusions:
- Continental silicate weathering from tectonically active mountains may not explain the Cenozoic rise in seawater δ⁷Li.
- The influence of tectonic uplift on ocean chemistry and the carbon cycle requires re-evaluation.
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