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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Conditions of subaerial weathering of basalts in the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic

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Author(s):
Alfimova, Nadezhda A. [1, 2] ; Novoselov, Alexey A. [3] ; Matrenichev, VjacheslavA. [1, 2] ; de Souza Filho, Carlos Roberto [3]
Total Authors: 4
Affiliation:
[1] RAS, Inst Precambrian Geol & Geochronol, St Petersburg 199034 - Russia
[2] St Petersburg State Univ, St Petersburg 199034 - Russia
[3] Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Geosci, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: Precambrian Research; v. 241, p. 1-16, FEB 2014.
Web of Science Citations: 7
Abstract

Precambrian weathering profiles (or regoliths) were formed on the Earth's surface in contact with meteoritic water. This signifies that their mineral and bulk composition should reflect the environmental conditions at the time of weathering. The aim of this study is to reconstruct the main mineralogical and chemical trends involved in the formation of Precambrian weathering regoliths by means of geochemical modeling verified through laboratory experimentation. We have demonstrated that, in a wide range of modeling conditions, weathering profiles of basalts consist mostly of clay minerals (smectites and illite). Carbonate minerals may also be deposited within the profile at the initial stage of weathering, which are later dissolved during a further process. The time, necessary for complete dissolution of primary minerals and crystallization of authigenic minerals is between 100 and 140 Kyr. Modeling results indicate that Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic (2.8-2.0 Ga) weathering profiles were formed under an atmosphere with pCO(2) not much higher than 25 PAL and climatic conditions close to those found in modern times. Weathering under CO2-rich (pCO(2) = 1 and 10 bar) and CH4-rich atmospheres as well as high temperature (50 degrees C and 75 degrees C) conditions do not produce compounds corresponding to the analyzed samples. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 11/12682-3 - Quantifying the constraints on the environment of early earth: the cradle for emerging life on a young planet
Grantee:Alexey Novoselov
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral