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Series:   Elements in Geochemical Tracers in Earth System Science

Lithium Isotopes

A Tracer of Past and Present Silicate Weathering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2021

Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann ,
Mathieu Dellinger  and
A. Joshua West
Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
Affiliation:
University College London
Mathieu Dellinger
Affiliation:
Durham University
A. Joshua West
Affiliation:
University of Southern California

Summary

Lithium isotopes are a relatively novel tracer of present and past silicate weathering processes. Given that silicate weathering is the primary long-term method by which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere, Li isotope research is going through an exciting phase. We show the weathering processes that fractionate dissolved and sedimentary Li isotope ratios, focusing on weathering intensity and clay formation. We then discuss the carbonate and silicate archive potential of past seawater δ7Li. These archives have been used to examine Li isotope changes across both short and long timescales. The former can demonstrate the rates at which the climate is stabilised from perturbations via weathering, a fundamental piece of the puzzle of the long-term carbon cycle.
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Keywords

weatheringerosioncarbonclimateoceans
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Geochemical Tracers in Earth System Science
Online ISBN: 9781108990752
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 26 August 2021

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