Geochemistry and oxygen isotopic composition of the Canton Saint-Onge wollastonite deposit, central Grenville Province, Canada

The geology and geochemistry of the Canton Saint-Onge wollastonite deposit indicate that it is a skarn formed by silica metasomatism of dolomite-rich rocks. Oxygen isotopic compositions of the skarn rocks and the nearby plutons show that the fluids responsible for the metasomatism were not meteoric, but were probably associated with the Du Bras granitic pluton. However, the granite is not in contact with the wollastonite rocks at the present level of exposure, hence the fluids must have been released at greater depths. Wollastonite-rich parts of the skarn rocks are isotopically lighter than diopside-rich rocks, suggesting that wollastonite formed in regions of higher fluid flux.

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Changes of Ionic and Oxygen Isotopic Composition of the Snowpack at the Glacier Austre Okstindbreen, Norway, 1995

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.1998.0001 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 1-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Peter Raben ◽

Wilfred H. Theakstone

Keyword(s):

Isotopic Composition ◽

Sea Level ◽

Oxygen Isotopes ◽

Oxygen Isotopic Composition ◽

Isotopic Ratios ◽

Vertical Variations ◽

Oxygen Isotopic ◽

The Difference ◽

Liquid Precipitation ◽

Different Altitudes

Marked vertical variations of ions and oxygen isotopes were present in the snowpack at the glacier Austre Okstindbreen during the pre-melting phase in 1995 at sites between 825 m and 1,470 m above sea level. As the first meltwater percolated from the top of the pack, ions were moved to a greater depth, but the isotopic composition remained relatively unchanged. Ions continued to move downwards through the pack during the melting phase, even when there was little surface melting and no addition of liquid precipitation. The at-a-depth correlation between ionic concentrations and isotopic ratios, strong in the pre-melting phase, weakened during melting. In August, concentrations of Na+ and Mg2+ ions in the residual pack were low and vertical variations were slight; 18O enrichment had occurred. The difference of the time at which melting of the snowpack starts at different altitudes influences the input of ions and isotopes to the underlying glacier.

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δ2Hn-alkane and δ18Osugar biomarker proxies from leaves and topsoils of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, and implications for paleoclimate reconstructions

Biogeochemistry ◽

10.1007/s10533-021-00773-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bruk Lemma ◽

Lucas Bittner ◽

Bruno Glaser ◽

Seifu Kebede ◽

Sileshi Nemomissa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Isotopic Composition ◽

Leaf Growth ◽

Thermal Conversion ◽

Oxygen Isotopic Composition ◽

Leaf Water ◽

Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer ◽

Oxygen Isotopic ◽

Calibration Study ◽

Microclimatic Conditions ◽

Paleoclimate Reconstructions

AbstractThe hydrogen isotopic composition of leaf wax–derived n-alkane (δ2Hn-alkane) and oxygen isotopic composition of hemicellulose–derived sugar (δ18Osugar) biomarkers are valuable proxies for paleoclimate reconstructions. Here, we present a calibration study along the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia to evaluate how accurately and precisely the isotopic composition of precipitation is imprinted in these biomarkers. n-Alkanes and sugars were extracted from the leaf and topsoil samples and compound–specific δ2Hn-alkane and δ18Osugar values were measured using a gas chromatograph–thermal conversion–isotope ratio mass spectrometer (GC–TC–IRMS). The weighted mean δ2Hn-alkane and δ18Osugar values range from − 186 to − 89‰ and from + 27 to + 46‰, respectively. Degradation and root inputs did not appear to alter the isotopic composition of the biomarkers in the soil samples analyzed. Yet, the δ2Hn-alkane values show a statistically significant species dependence and δ18Osugar yielded the same species–dependent trends. The reconstructed leaf water of Erica arborea and Erica trimera is 2H– and 18O–enriched by + 55 ± 5 and + 9 ± 1‰, respectively, compared to precipitation. By contrast, Festuca abyssinica reveals the most negative δ2Hn-alkane and least positive δ18Osugar values. This can be attributed to “signal–dampening” caused by basal grass leaf growth. The intermediate values for Alchemilla haumannii and Helichrysum splendidum can be likely explained with plant physiological differences or microclimatic conditions affecting relative humidity (RH) and thus RH–dependent leaf water isotope enrichment. While the actual RH values range from 69 to 82% (x̄ = 80 ± 3.4%), the reconstructed RH values based on a recently suggested coupled δ2Hn-alkane –δ18Osugar (paleo–) hygrometer approach yielded a mean of 78 ± 21%. Our findings corroborate (i) that vegetation changes, particularly in terms of grass versus non–grassy vegetation, need to be considered in paleoclimate studies based on δ2Hn-alkane and δ18Osugar records and (ii) that the coupled δ2Hn-alkane –δ18Osugar (paleo–) hygrometer approach holds great potential for deriving additional paleoclimatic information compared to single isotope approaches.

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Reconstructing Terrestrial Environments Using Stable Isotopes in Fossil Teeth and Paleosol Carbonates

The Paleontological Society Papers ◽

10.1017/s1089332600002606 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 18 ◽

pp. 167-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Benjamin H. Passey

Keyword(s):

Isotopic Composition ◽

Soil Temperature ◽

Carbon Isotopes ◽

Oxygen Isotopes ◽

Precipitation Amount ◽

Radiative Heating ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Isotopic Compositions ◽

Heat Effects ◽

Oxygen Isotopic

Carbon isotopes in Neogene-age fossil teeth and paleosol carbonates are commonly interpreted in the context of past distributions of C3 and C4 vegetation. These two plant types have very different distributions in relation to climate and ecology, and provide a robust basis for reconstructing terrestrial paleoclimates and paleoenvironments during the Neogene. Carbon isotopes in pre-Neogene fossil teeth are usually interpreted in the context of changes in the δ13C value of atmospheric CO2, and variable climate-dependent carbon-isotope discrimination in C3 plants. Carbon isotopes in pre-Neogene soil carbonates can be used to estimate past levels of atmospheric CO2. Oxygen isotopes in fossil teeth and paleosol carbonates primarily are influenced by the oxygen isotopic compositions of ancient rainfall and surface waters. The oxygen isotopic composition of rainfall is has a complex, but tractable, relationship with climate, and variably relates to temperature, elevation, precipitation amount, and other factors. Mammal species that rely on moisture in dietary plant tissues to satisfy their water requirements (rather than surface drinking water) may have oxygen isotopic compositions that track aridity. Thus, oxygen isotopes of fossil mammals can place broad constraints on paleoaridity. Carbonate clumped isotope thermometry allows for reconstruction of soil temperatures at the time of pedogenic carbonate mineralization. The method is unique because it is the only thermodynamically based isotopic paleothermometer that does not require assumptions about the isotopic composition of the fluid in which the archive mineral formed. Soil temperature reflects a complex interplay of air temperature, solar radiative heating, latent heat effects, soil thermal diffusivity, and seasonal variations of these parameters. Because plants and most animals live in and/or near the soil, soil temperature is an important aspect of terrestrial (paleo)climate.

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