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Molybdenum Isotopes Behavior in the Dolomite-Terra Rossa Weathering System

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Abstract

The assumption that the composition of continental input can be characterized from crustal rock types is the prerequisite for the application of the molybdenum (Mo) isotopic composition as an agent to determine variations in the redox state of the paleo-oceans. The Mo isotopes’ behavior in the weathered profile of basalt and granite had been studied in pervious works (Pearce et al., 2010, Voegelin et al., 2012 and Wang et al., 2018). However, the Mo isotopes’ behavior in the weathered profile of carbonate rock is unknown. In this work, the Mo concentration and Mo isotopic composition in a weathered profile from Guizhou province, China, are investigated for the first time to understand the behavior of Mo isotopes during carbonate rock chemical weathering. The profile is developed on Early Triassic dolomite. According to the field observation and element ratios, the weathered profile is divided into intensely weathered zone (IWZ), weekly weathered zone (WWZ) and fresh bedrock. The clear correlation between Hf and Zr concentration suggests that the dolomite is the parental material for the terra rossa. The τMo of weather soil ranging from ‒1.37 to –0.14 indicates the significant loose of Mo. The δ98Mo of the soil varies from –0.66 to 0.12‰, markedly lighter than the fresh bedrocks (1.82 to 1.97‰). The difference between soils and fresh bedrocks in δ98Mo suggests that Mo isotopes are fractionated during carbonate rock chemical weathering and heavy Mo isotopes are preferentially released, similar to the weathered profile of basalt and granite. According to the coupling relationship between Mo/Al2O3 and δ98Mo, the weathered model of dolomite was established: (1) the carbonate component is firstly dissolved, releasing most Mo with heavy Mo isotope composition. (2) The detrital component then is weathered to form secondary minerals, which adsorb the Mo from weathering fluid. Thus, the Mo/Al2O3 and δ98Mo of samples from IWZ are greater than that of WWZ.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; grants no. 41602343). We thank Jie Zhao (Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for his help with the sequential extraction procedure and analyses. The authors thank an anonymous reviewer and editor Alexei Buikin for their insightful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Land Resources Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, 650000, Kunming, Yunnan, China

    Yi Xiao & Tingting Guo

  2. Yunnan Geological and Mineral Engineering Survey Group Company, 650000, Kunming, Yunnan, China

    Shiguang Xu

  3. State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 510630, Guangzhou, China

    Qian Wang

  4. Faculty of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Kunming University of Science and Technology, 650000, Kunming, Yunnan, China

    Pengfan Wang

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  1. Yi Xiao
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Correspondence to Tingting Guo.

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Yi Xiao, Xu, S., Guo, T. et al. Molybdenum Isotopes Behavior in the Dolomite-Terra Rossa Weathering System. Geochem. Int. 60, 589–595 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016702922060106

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