K isotopes trace temporal silicate weathering intensity.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41360785.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-67085-w and PMC identifier 12796489.
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Abstract
Silicate weathering alters the biogeochemical compositions of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, and thereby regulates both nutrient cycling and habitable temperatures on Earth, but tracing silicate weathering effectively remains a challenge. Potassium (K) isotopes have been proposed as a tracer of silicate weathering intensity spatially, but there is a significant gap in how and why K isotopes trace silicate weathering temporally. Here we investigate seasonal variations in dissolved K isotopes in the middle Yellow River, which drains a large area of homogeneous loess that represents the average geochemical composition of the upper continental crust, and experiences significant climatic seasonality driven by the East Asian monsoon. We find that K isotopes show strong seasonality as a function of aluminosilicate neoformation following silicate dissolution, and thus could serve as a tracer of silicate weathering intensity. We derive an empirical relationship of δ<sup>41</sup>K<sub>rw</sub> = -0.07 × ln(W/D) - 0.38, where W(silicate chemical weathering)/D(denudation) refers to silicate weathering intensity.