Dept. of Geophysics Colloquium: Stable Sr Isotopes in Gypsum: From the Oceanic Sr Budget to Carbonate Weathering

Zoom: https://tau-ac-il.zoom.us/j/85032703038

Abstract:

Stable strontium isotopes (δ88/86Sr) are increasingly used to study the modern marine Sr budget and changes in the marine carbonate factory over geological time. Both are linked to the long-term carbon cycle through processes such as continental weathering, hydrothermal alteration of oceanic crust, and carbonate burial. This seminar focuses on the δ88/86Sr composition of the common evaporite minerals gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) and anhydrite (CaSO4). First, I will address whether the δ88/86Sr composition preserved in these minerals can be used to reliably reconstruct ancient seawater values, and what constraints they impose on the marine Sr isotope record. In a second part, I will present ongoing work that builds on these studies and aims to quantify atmospheric CO2 consumption by carbonate weathering in river catchments using stable Sr isotopes.

Event Organizer: Dr. Lior Rubanenko