Partitioning of Mg, Sr, Ba and U into a subaqueous calcite speleothem

RN Drysdale; G Zanchetta; I Baneschi; M Guidi; I Isola; I Couchoud; L Piccini; A Greig; H Wong; JD Woodhead; E Regattieri; E Corrick; B Paul; C Spötl; E Denson; J Gordon; S Jaillet; F Dux; JC Hellstrom

Journal article

Partitioning of Mg, Sr, Ba and U into a subaqueous calcite speleothem

RN Drysdale, G Zanchetta, I Baneschi, M Guidi, I Isola, I Couchoud, L Piccini, A Greig, H Wong, JD Woodhead, E Regattieri, E Corrick, B Paul, C Spötl, E Denson, J Gordon, S Jaillet, F Dux, JC Hellstrom

Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta | PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD | Published : 2019

DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2019.08.001

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Abstract

The trace-element geochemistry of speleothems is becoming increasingly used for reconstructing palaeoclimate, with a particular emphasis on elements whose concentrations vary according to hydrological conditions at the cave site (e.g. Mg, Sr, Ba and U). An important step in interpreting trace-element abundances is understanding the underlying processes of their incorporation. This includes quantifying the fractionation between the solution and speleothem carbonate via partition coefficients (where the partitioning (D) of element X (DX) is the molar ratio [X/Ca] in the calcite divided by the molar ratio [X/Ca] in the parent water) and evaluating the degree of spatial variability across time-c..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Russell Drysdale Author

Isabelle Couchoud Author

Alan Greig Author

Jon Woodhead Author

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Funding Acknowledgements

This research was supported by funding from the Australian Research Council (Discovery Project number DP160102969, awarded to RD, GZ, ER and JW; Laureate Fellowship FL160100028 awarded to JW; and Future Fellowship FT130100801 awarded to JH. We are grateful to the Gruppo Speleologico Lucchese and the Federazione Speleologica Toscana for outstanding support. This paper benefitted from discussions with Professor Richard Reeder. This paper has benefitted significantly from three very meticulous and constructive reviews, for which we are very grateful.