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Abstract Volcanic arcs are chemical weathering hotspots that may contribute disproportionately to global CO2consumption through silicate weathering. Accurately modeling the impact of volcanic‐arc landscapes on the Earth's long‐term carbon cycle requires understanding how climate and physical erosion control weathering fluxes from arc landscapes. We evaluate these controls by examining the covariation of stream solutes, sediment geochemistry, and long‐term physical erosion fluxes inferred from cosmogenic36Cl in magnetite in volcanic watersheds in Puerto Rico that span a ca. 15‐fold gradient in specific discharge. Analysis of this data using power‐law relationships demonstrates that CO2consumption from arc‐rock weathering in the humid tropics is more strongly limited by physical erosion and the supply of primary minerals to the weathering zone than by temperature or the flux of fresh, chemically reactive waters through the critical zone. However, a positive correlation between long‐term physical erosion fluxes and specific discharge is also observed. This indicates that fresh mineral supply in arc environments may ultimately depend on precipitation rates, which may maintain a coupling between arc‐rock weathering fluxes and climate under principally supply limited weathering conditions.
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This content will become publicly available on January 1, 2026
Chemical Weathering and Physical Erosion Fluxes From Serpentinite in Puerto Rico
Abstract Weathering of ultramafic rocks emplaced at low latitude during arc‐arc and arc‐continent collisions may provide an important sink for atmospheric CO2over geologic timescales. Accurately modeling the effects of ultramafic rock weathering on Earth's carbon cycle and climate requires understanding mass fluxes from ultramafic landscapes. In this study, physical erosion and chemical weathering fluxes and weathering intensity are quantified in 15 watersheds across the Monte del Estado, a serpentinite massif in Puerto Rico, using measurements of in situ36Cl in magnetite, stream solute fluxes, and sediment geochemistry. Despite high relief in the study watersheds, erosion fluxes are moderate (22–109 tons km−2 yr−1), chemical weathering fluxes are large (55–143 tons km−2 yr−1), and weathering intensities are among the highest yet reported for silicate‐rock weathering (up to 0.88). We use these data to parameterize power‐law relationships between weathering, erosion, and runoff. We interpret the relative importance of climate versus erosion in setting weathering fluxes and CO2consumption from the best‐fit power‐law slopes. Weathering fluxes from tropical, montane serpentinite landscapes are found to be strongly controlled by runoff and weakly controlled by the supply of fresh rock to the weathering zone through physical erosion. The strong runoff dependence of weathering fluxes implies that, to the extent that precipitation rates are coupled to global temperature, ultramafic landscapes may be important participants in the negative silicate weathering feedback, increasing (decreasing) CO2consumption in response to a warming (cooling) climate. Thus, serpentinite landscapes may help stabilize Earth's climate state through time.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2300559
- PAR ID:
- 10575402
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Geophysical Union
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface
- Volume:
- 130
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2169-9003
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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