Articles tagged with Weathering
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Researchers investigate strata spanning critical intervals in Siberia to link eukaryotic evolution and Cambrian Explosion with deep-Earth processes. The study aims to provide insights into the coupled evolution of life and environment in Earth history.
Researchers found elevated total mercury concentrations in dragonfly larvae from various national parks, with higher levels in rivers and streams. The study suggests that these insects can be used to predict mercury levels in other species, enabling early warning systems for environmental hazards.
Researchers find that pyrite weathering played a significant role in ending glacial periods, releasing greenhouse gas CO2 into the atmosphere. The process helped to increase sea levels and warm the climate system, leading to rapid sea-level rise and the melting of glaciers.
A Rutgers-led study suggests that the breakdown of Himalayan rocks may not be responsible for long-term climate cooling over the past 15 million years. Algae production and calcium carbonate levels decreased in deep-sea sediments during this period, indicating alternative processes may have driven climate change.
Geophysicists challenge traditional views on how pores are formed in weathered rock, finding that physical weathering plays a larger role than previously thought. This process is crucial for sustaining life and water cycles in mountain ecosystems.
Researchers discovered that rock expansion, rather than chemical decomposition, is the primary cause of subsurface porosity in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. This finding has significant implications for water resource management in the US, as saprolite can store large volumes of water and maintain forest health during droughts.
A new study suggests that increased reactivity of land surfaces led to a decrease in CO2 in the atmosphere, resulting in cooling. The researchers used isotope analysis and computer modeling to show that constant rock weathering was not the primary cause of the temperature drop before the last ice age.
The study found that Australian fairy circles were formed by physical processes such as weathering of the soil by heavy rainfall, extreme heat, and evaporation. The researchers also discovered that there is no causal relationship between termites and fairy circles.
A new study by University of Colorado Boulder geoscientists sheds light on the hidden world beneath our feet, revealing how rainfall affects the depth of the critical zone. The researchers found that a shallow critical zone forms under dry conditions, while a thick one forms in wet conditions.
A new study found that mined lands undergo dramatic increases in chemical weathering rates, melting away bedrock up to 45 times faster than unmined areas. This process releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, offsetting 20-90% of the carbon absorbed by plants.
Researchers found that rapidly thawing permafrost in the western Canadian Arctic is enhancing mineral weathering, driven by sulfuric acid. This process releases substantial CO2 into surrounding water and air, contributing to climate warming.
Researchers modeled Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) eruptions and weathering to identify times when they controlled atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. LIPs can absorb and release CO2 through weathering, influencing Earth's temperature.
A University of Oregon-led study found that the rapid rise of land above the ocean 2.4 billion years ago triggered dramatic changes in climate and life on Earth. The researchers discovered archival-quality evidence of rainwater weathering, which led to a stepwise change in oxygen isotopes, coinciding with the emergence of eukaryotes an...
A new study shows that sunlight transforms oil into different compounds that dispersants cannot easily break up, reducing their effectiveness by at least 30 percent. The findings suggest that responders should factor in sunlight when determining the window of opportunity to use dispersants effectively.
New studies show that sunlight transforms oil on the ocean surface more significantly and quickly than previously thought, reducing the effectiveness of chemical dispersants. This process, known as photochemical weathering, alters crude oil into different compounds that dispersants cannot easily break up.
Researchers found that up to 26 percent of natural ecosystems' nitrogen comes from rocks, not the atmosphere. This discovery could help forests and grasslands sequester more fossil fuel CO2 emissions.
A new study from the University of Washington found that early Earth's temperature was moderate, not extremely hot or cold, allowing for a stable climate that enabled life to emerge. This discovery is significant for the search for life on other planets, as it suggests that habitable zones may retain stable climates.
The enhanced weathering process has the potential to remove up to 4.9 billion tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere if basalt is used, but its costs and trade-offs are significant. The study suggests that basalt could be a more sustainable option than dunite, which contains harmful substances.
A century-long study reveals freshwater salinization affects 37% of US drainage areas, with 90% increase in stream pH, primarily due to human salt inputs and accelerated weathering
Scientists confirm weathering of rocks is key to planet's recovery from extreme temperatures, enabling life to thrive for over 4 billion years. However, rapid global warming poses a threat to this recovery process, highlighting the need for urgent action.
Chemical weathering, a process breaking down rocks and trapping carbon dioxide, can occur at tens of thousands of years, not millions, potentially alleviating some climate change impacts. This natural response to increased CO2 levels could help balance the effects of human activities.
A University of Washington study questions the natural thermostat related to rock weathering, suggesting a weaker link between temperature and chemical weathering rates. Researchers suggest alternative mechanisms controlling weathering, such as land exposure and surface steepness, may be more significant.
New fossil discoveries from the Ediacaran Doushantuo formation in South China reveal embryonic features similar to those of living animals. The fossils display unique structures preserved through discoidal cleavage, supporting the conclusion that animal lineages evolved by the mid-Ediacaran period.
Researchers directly measure real-time rock cracking and model sun-driven thermal stresses. They conclude that slow cracking by daily solar forces represents the majority of rock breakdown over deep geologic time. Rare events like freezing contribute to rapid crack growth, but only briefly surpassing the 'tortoise' effect.
A new study suggests that the weathering of rocks by early non-vascular plants, such as mosses and lichens, may have contributed to the cooling of the climate during the Late Ordovician period. This process, known as chemical weathering, can draw down atmospheric CO2, leading to global cooling.
Geologists at MIT identified ancient tectonic collisions as the trigger for two ice ages, 80 million and 50 million years ago. The collisions exposed rock to the atmosphere, leading to chemical reactions that absorbed large amounts of carbon dioxide.
New research finds that chemical weathering can weaken rock structures in river beds, making them more susceptible to erosion. The study reveals a positive feedback loop where high precipitation rates maintain high erosion rates despite continuously exposing 'fresh rock'.
Scientists discover enhanced weathering of rock can draw CO2 out of atmosphere, stabilizing climate and preventing ocean acidification. This process converts CO2 to bicarbonate, which drains away via rivers to the oceans, benefiting coral reefs.
Researchers found that cold, steep slopes produce coarser sediment than gentle slopes, suggesting variations in climate, topography, and weathering rates shape mountain landscapes. This discovery quantifies the relationship between sediment size and erosion rates, providing new insights into the interplay of climate and tectonics.
Scientists developed a model that estimates the thickness of Earth's 'critical zone' given topography, gravity, and plate tectonics. The results show that bedrock weathering varies with tectonic compression, influencing the diversity of terrestrial life.
Researchers developed a mathematical model to estimate stress in bedrock, enabling predictions of fracture locations and landslides. The study reveals topography above ground influences weathering below the surface, improving understanding of geological processes.
A new study reveals that weathering rates over the past 2 million years have remained relatively stable between glacial and interglacial periods. This finding contradicts previous assumptions that weathering rates should slow down during ice ages due to lower temperatures.
Researchers found minimal variation in weathering rates of silicate rocks between glacial and interglacial periods, contradicting expectations. The study used a geochemical technique to analyze beryllium isotopes in marine sediments, revealing stable runoff and weathering fluxes into the oceans.
Historical records describe the intense Kamikaze typhoons that struck Japan in 1274 and 1281, preventing a Mongol conquest. A new sedimentary reconstruction reveals these storms were more frequent during this time period, supporting their significant role in shaping Japan's geopolitics.
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem used laser scans and atomic force microscopes to study the Western Wall's erosion. They found that fine-grained limestone erodes up to 100 times faster than coarse-grained limestone, potentially weakening the structure.
A team of French scientists has proposed a model explaining the sudden drop in atmospheric CO2 levels 300 million years ago, when a massive mountain range formed in Pangea. The formation of these mountains led to physical erosion and rock weathering, removing CO2 from the atmosphere and preventing severe greenhouse effects.
A research group from the University of Exeter has discovered a possible mechanism behind Earth's rising oxygen concentration. The team suggests that as continents grew, chemical processes on land took over controlling CO2 levels, leading to increased phosphate availability in oceans and ultimately, oxygen production.
Scientists have devised a pair of math equations that better describe how topography, rock compositions, and water movement affect the geologic carbon cycle. The research, supported by the National Research Foundation, aims to improve understanding of the recycling process between carbon dioxide and rocky interior.
Researchers found that tree roots in mountainous ecosystems can regulate carbon dioxide levels by breaking down rock into component parts. This process, called weathering, draws carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and cools the planet, potentially preventing catastrophic overheating or cooling over millions of years.
Researchers found that low atmospheric CO2 concentrations acted as a 'carbon starvation' brake, slowing down weathering rates and reducing forests' ability to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This mechanism helped maintain stable CO2 levels and climate over millions of years.
Researchers in New Zealand have discovered that rock can transform into soil more than twice as fast as previously thought possible. Soil production rates range from 0.1 to 2.5 millimeters per year, depending on soil thickness and location. This breakthrough has implications for the Earth's carbon cycle and weathering processes.
Researchers found high levels of Hafnium 176 and low levels of Neodymium 143 in ancient seawater, indicating the presence of exposed landmasses. This discovery provides insights into weathering processes during the Neoarchean period.
Researchers track changing aridity patterns across the Northern Hemisphere using fossil mammal data, while also studying a change in volcanic behavior at Pisciarelli, Italy. In the Atacama Desert, they discover new barrier islands and explore periglacial weathering mechanisms.
Researchers study tectonic tilting in the Bahamas and its implications for hydrocarbon reservoirs. A new study demonstrates interhemispheric climate asynchrony during the Holocene era.
A study suggests that subaerial chemical weathering plays a more significant role in forming rock platforms along coasts and rivers than previously thought. The researchers found that the platforms correspond to the saprock-bedrock boundary, remain within the zone of modern water table, and are weakened by wet/dry cycling.
Researchers found that plants played a critical role in maintaining stable carbon dioxide levels during the last ice age, preventing runaway 'icehouse' conditions. The team's discovery highlights the importance of plant buffering agents in controlling atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
A recent Ohio State University study reveals that a single typhoon in Taiwan buries as much carbon in the ocean as all other rains combined, with 500,000 tons of carbon being washed away during Typhoon Mindulle. This finding could help scientists develop better models of global climate change.
Scientists analyzed ancient zircons to find evidence of heavy weathering by an acidic climate 4.3 billion years ago, suggesting the destruction of early rocks and possibly habitats for life. This discovery provides new insights into the Earth's habitability, contradicting previous theories on the formation and evolution of continents.
Geologists found that continents lose around 20% of their mass through chemical weathering involving the Earth's crust, water, and atmosphere. The lighter silicon-rich rock left behind is buoyed up by denser magnesium-rich rock beneath the Earth's crust.
The Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory will investigate how soils form from bedrock, affecting water movement and groundwater flow. Researchers will conduct field experiments and implement high-performance computers to predict weathering rates and model the impact of forest regolith on local water resources.
Researchers invent technology to accelerate Earth's own solution to greenhouse gas accumulation by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and transferring it to the ocean. The engineered weathering process can safely and permanently remove excess CO2 in a matter of decades, mitigating global warming.
Researchers developed a method to accelerate removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in oceans for centuries, mimicking nature's natural weathering process. This new technology may counteract acidification of oceans threatening coral reefs and provide a feasible solution for reducing global warming.
Analyses of glacial sedimentary rocks in Oman have produced clear evidence of hot-cold cycles during the Cryogenian period, approximately 850-544 million years ago. These findings undermine hypotheses of an ice age so severe that Earth's oceans completely froze over.
This article discusses distal fluvio-lacustrine volcaniclastic resedimentation in central Japan and its tectonic implications. Additionally, sedimentology on Macquarie Island reveals fossil ridge-transform intersections, while high-resolution C-isotope stratigraphy sheds light on mid-Neoproterozoic climate change in the Grand Canyon. T...
New study by Benjamin Burke and Arjun Heimsath predicts future soil production and erosion in similar landscapes, supporting previous research on chemical weathering's role. The researchers studied three sites in Australia and California, finding variability in chemical and physical weathering processes across small areas.
The USGS has discovered a vast area of green mineral olivine on Mars, suggesting that the planet's surface has been dry and free from recent water activity. This finding is significant as it implies that the Martian surface has not experienced significant chemical weathering due to liquid water.
Researchers at Penn State found that laboratory experiments on soil mineral weathering do not match natural processes, with molecules dissolving in groundwater forming coatings or wearing away. The team is monitoring conditions in the field to better understand the mechanisms underway in the soil and develop more accurate models.