Serpentine alteration as source of high dissolved silicon and elevated δ<sup>30</sup>Si values to the marine Si cycle.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33046703.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-18804-y and PMC identifier 7550359.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Serpentine alteration is recognized as an important process for element cycling, however, related silicon fluxes are unknown. Pore fluids from serpentinite seamounts sampled in the Mariana forearc region during IODP Expedition 366 were investigated for their Si, B, and Sr isotope signatures (δ<sup>30</sup>Si, δ<sup>11</sup>B, and <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr, respectively) to study serpentinization in the mantle wedge and shallow serpentine alteration to authigenic clays by seawater. While serpentinization in the mantle wedge caused no significant Si isotope fractionation, implying closed system conditions, serpentine alteration by seawater led to the formation of authigenic phyllosilicates, causing the highest natural fluid δ<sup>30</sup>Si values measured to date (up to +5.2 ± 0.2‰). Here we show that seafloor alteration of serpentinites is a source of Si to the ocean with extremely high fluid δ<sup>30</sup>Si values, which can explain anomalies in the marine Si budget like in the Cascadia Basin and which has to be considered in future investigations of the global marine Si cycle.