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Science, geology, geochemistry, geophysics, microbiology, Tectonic Fractures, microfractures, climate, earth system, earth surface, plants, soil, rock, water, groundwater, fluid flow, rock fractures, weathering, Critical Zone, CO2, Deep Biosphere, Microbes, Mineral, Andes, GFZ Potsdam, Advection, Diffusion
Abstract:
Weathering of rock needs water. A rock fractured by tectonic movement is gradually eroded from above, and it moves closer towards the Earth's surface. There it is exposed to precipitation and water begins to penetrate the soil and the layers beneath the soil. Through the tectonic fractures, the water can reach great depths. This is a rapid transport process. At a millimetre scale the water slowly moves into the interior along the smallest cracks that occur there. This is a slow transport process. The water can now weather rocks from the inside.
