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Journal Article

Deep weathering in the semi-arid Coastal Cordillera, Chile

Authors
/persons/resource/krone

Krone,  Laura Vivien
3.3 Earth Surface Geochemistry, 3.0 Geochemistry, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Hampl,  F.
External Organizations;

Schwerdhelm,  Christopher
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/lganzert

Ganzert,  L.
3.7 Geomicrobiology, 3.0 Geochemistry, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/akitte

Kitte,  Jan Axel
3.7 Geomicrobiology, 3.0 Geochemistry, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Übernickel,  Kirstin
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/diel

Dielforder,  Armin
4.1 Lithosphere Dynamics, 4.0 Geosystems, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/saldaz

Aldaz Cifuentes,  Santiago Ruben
4.2 Geomechanics and Scientific Drilling, 4.0 Geosystems, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Oses-Pedraza,  Rómulo
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/jpperez

Perez,  J.P.H.
3.5 Interface Geochemistry, 3.0 Geochemistry, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

Sanchez-Alfaro,  Pablo
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/dwagner

Wagner,  D.
3.7 Geomicrobiology, 3.0 Geochemistry, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/uweck

Weckmann,  Ute
2.2 Geophysical Imaging of the Subsurface, 2.0 Geophysics, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

/persons/resource/fvb

von Blanckenburg,  F.
3.3 Earth Surface Geochemistry, 3.0 Geochemistry, Departments, GFZ Publication Database, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum;

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Fulltext (public)

5006658.pdf
(Publisher version), 4MB

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Citation

Krone, L. V., Hampl, F., Schwerdhelm, C., Ganzert, L., Kitte, J. A., Übernickel, K., Dielforder, A., Aldaz Cifuentes, S. R., Oses-Pedraza, R., Perez, J., Sanchez-Alfaro, P., Wagner, D., Weckmann, U., von Blanckenburg, F. (2021): Deep weathering in the semi-arid Coastal Cordillera, Chile. - Scientific Reports, 11, 13057.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90267-7


Cite as: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5006658
Abstract
The weathering front is the boundary beneath Earth’s surface where pristine rock is converted into weathered rock. It is the base of the “critical zone”, in which the lithosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere interact. Typically, this front is located no more than 20 m deep in granitoid rock in humid climate zones. Its depth and the degree of rock weathering are commonly linked to oxygen transport and fluid flow. By drilling into fractured igneous rock in the semi-arid climate zone of the Coastal Cordillera in Chile we found multiple weathering fronts of which the deepest is 76 m beneath the surface. Rock is weathered to varying degrees, contains core stones, and strongly altered zones featuring intensive iron oxidation and high porosity. Geophysical borehole measurements and chemical weathering indicators reveal more intense weathering where fracturing is extensive, and porosity is higher than in bedrock. Only the top 10 m feature a continuous weathering gradient towards the surface. We suggest that tectonic preconditioning by fracturing provided transport pathways for oxygen to greater depths, inducing porosity by oxidation. Porosity was preserved throughout the weathering process, as secondary minerals were barely formed due to the low fluid flow.