Abstract
The investigation and the use of lithium isotopes as tracers of water-rock interactions at low and high temperature have significantly developed over the last 10 years. This chapter relates our current understanding of lithium isotope and elemental behaviour in the Earth’s surface environment. In the introduction, we provide information on the chemical properties and behaviour of lithium, its occurrence and applications. The first section reviews the techniques used for the measurement of Li isotopes. The second section outlines the primary sources of Li in the environment and their potential impact on the hydrological cycle. The third and fourth sections investigate the impact of chemical weathering of continental rocks and oceanic crust, respectively. Finally, the last section assesses marine records of lithium.
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We thank the two reviewers, an anonymous reviewer and Rachael James, for their constructive comments on this chapter. We are also grateful for the detailed comments of the Editor, Mark Baskaran.
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Burton, K.W., Vigier, N. (2012). Lithium Isotopes as Tracers in Marine and Terrestrial Environments. In: Baskaran, M. (eds) Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry. Advances in Isotope Geochemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10637-8_4
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