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- Goodfellow, Bradley W., et al.
(författare)
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The chemical, mechanical, and hydrological evolution of weathering granitoid
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface. - 2169-9003 .- 2169-9011. ; 121:8, s. 1410-1435
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Surprisingly few studies connect the chemical, mechanical, and hydrological evolution of rock as it weathers to saprolite and soil. We assess this coevolution in granodiorite from Monterey Peninsula, California, by measuring changes in bulk chemistry, mineralogy, volumetric strain, the oxidation state of Fe in biotite crystals, tensile strength, abrasion rate, connected porosity, and hydraulic conductivity in samples covering a range of weathering grades. We identify the oxidative dissolution of biotite as the key chemical reaction because of the volumetric expansion that accompanies formation of altered biotite and precipitation of ferrihydrite. We show how the associated accumulation of elastic strain produces an energy density that is sufficient to support rock fracturing over length scales equivalent to constituent crystals. The resulting intragranular and intergranular cracking profoundly reduces tensile strength and increases the abrasion rate, connected porosity, and hydraulic conductivity of the rock matrix. These changes increase the rate of plagioclase weathering, and ultimately the rock disintegrates into grus and clay. Major changes in rock properties can occur with only minor element leaching, and the threshold behavior of weathering that arises from the coevolution of chemical, hydrological, and mechanical properties may be difficult to capture using simplified weathering models that fail to incorporate these properties. Our results, which combine the mechanical and hydrological evolution of weathering rock with more common measurements of chemical changes, should help to more accurately model the effects of, and mechanical and hydrological feedbacks upon, chemical weathering of rock.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Moon, Seulgi, et al.
(författare)
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Present-Day Stress Field Influences Bedrock Fracture Openness Deep Into the Subsurface
- 2020
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Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 47:23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fracturing of bedrock promotes water-rock interactions and influences the formation of the life-sustaining layer of soil at Earth's surface. Models predict that present-day stress fields should influence bedrock fracture openness, but testing this prediction has proven difficult because comprehensive fracture data sets are rarely available. We model the three-dimensional present-day stress field beneath the deglaciated, low-relief landscape of Forsmark, Sweden. We account for ambient regional stresses, pore pressure, topography, sediment weight, and seawater loading. We then compare the modeled stresses to a data set of similar to 50,000 fractures reaching depths of 600 m at Forsmark. We show that modeled failure proxies correlate strongly with the fraction of observed open fractures to depths of similar to 500 m. This result implies that the present-day regional stress field, affected by surface conditions and pore pressure, influences fracture openness in bedrock hundreds of meters beneath the surface, thereby preparing the rock for further weathering. Plain Language Summary The "critical zone"-the life-sustaining part of the Earth that extends from the top of the tree canopy to the bottom of permeable bedrock-is essential for ecosystems and agriculture. The opening of bedrock fractures and onset of water-rock interaction are crucial to the formation of the critical zone. Within the bedrock, the intensities of horizontal regional forces and vertical gravitational forces typically increase with depth. These force intensities, or stresses, are modified by surface effects associated with topography, the weight of overlying seawater and sediment, and by groundwater pressure. However, the influence of these surface effects on fractures has been difficult to observe because comprehensive fracture data sets are rare. In this study, we examine whether, and to what depths, bedrock may fracture under the influence of stress associated with surficial conditions. We compare bedrock stress calculations with similar to 50,000 fractures from 18 cores reaching depths of 600 m at Forsmark, Sweden. We find that the present-day stress field influences the opening of fractures to depths of 500 m, contributing to the formation of the critical zone and the preparation of rock for weathering hundreds of meters beneath the surface, much deeper than previously thought.
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