Abstract
Lithium (Li) has two stable isotopes, 6Li and 7Li, whose large relative mass difference is responsible for significant isotopic fractionation during physico-chemical processes, allowing Li isotopes to be a good tracer of continental chemical weathering. Although physical erosion is dominant in the Polar regions due to glaciers, increasing global surface temperature may enhance chemical weathering, with possible consequences on carbon biogeochemical cycle and nutriment flux to the ocean. Here, we examined elemental and Li isotope geochemistry of meltwaters, suspended sediments, soils, and bedrocks in the Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Li concentrations range from 8.7 nM to 23.3 μM in waters, from 0.01 to 1.43 ppm in suspended sediments, from 9.56 to 36.9 ppm in soils, and from 0.42 to 28.3 ppm in bedrocks. δ7Li values are also variable, ranging from +16.4 to +41.1‰ in waters, from −0.4 to +13.4‰ in suspended sediments, from −2.5 to +6.9‰ in soils, and from −1.8 to +11.7‰ in bedrocks. Elemental and Li isotope geochemistry reveals that secondary phase formation during chemical weathering mainly control dissolved δ7Li values, rather than a mixing with sea salt inputs from atmosphere or ice melting. Likewise, δ7Li values of suspended sediments and soils lower than those of bedrocks indicate modern chemical weathering with mineral neoformation. This study suggests that increasing global surface temperature enhances modern chemical weathering in Antarctica, continuing to lower δ7Li values in meltwater with intense water-rock interactions.
1 Introduction
Chemical weathering of silicate rocks consumes atmospheric CO2, releases solutes to ocean via river, and controls temporal variations in seawater chemistry. Therefore, understanding of silicate weathering has been highlighted to elucidate the global carbon cycle on a geological timescale (; ). Lithium (Li) has two stable isotopes, 6Li and 7Li, whose large relative mass difference is responsible for significant isotopic fractionation during physico-chemical processes. The formation of secondary phases, especially clay minerals, preferentially takes up light isotope (i.e., 6Li), driving residual waters isotopically heavy (; ; ; ), while mineral dissolution is associated with little isotope fractionation (; ; ). In this context, Li isotopes have proved to be the most useful proxy for tracing the type and intensity of silicate weathering because Li is little in carbonates and Li isotopes are not affected by biological processes (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). assessed various factors controlling Li isotopes in soils developed along a 4 million year humid-environment chronosequence in the Hawaiian Islands, in which basalt weathering and secondary mineral formation mainly controls Li isotopes in these soil profiles.
Increasing global surface temperatures due to rising greenhouse gas levels for the Polar regions will enhances glacial melting, sea ice reduction, and organic matter decomposition in thawed permafrost as well as weathering of rocks (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). Increased river runoff during glacial melting can promote chemical weathering and therefore negative feedbacks occur because chemical weathering of rocks regulates global carbon cycle on both human—and geological-timescales (). Many previous studies have long emphasized the impact of physical components of the Earth system, such as albedo, sea level, and possibly, ocean circulation (; ). Recently, studies focusing on geochemical aspect have emphasized on the Arctic (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). For example, the geochemistry of Greenland rivers has been examined to characterize dissolved organic matter associated with the ice sheet (), to address the behaviors of Mg and Li isotopes during glacial weathering (; ), and to identify carbon cycle feedbacks in the present and future (). However, a few studies have been conducted in Antarctica (; ; ; ; ). The Barton Peninsula of King George Island, which is the focus of this study, is located in the marginal area of West Antarctica, where climate is warmer and more humid than in other parts of Antarctica (e.g., ), and will be much more sensitive to increasing global surface temperatures. Although previous studies have suggested little chemical weathering occurs in the Barton Peninsula (; ), recent studies have indicated that chemical weathering may affect to some extent the water chemistry and soil formation (; ; ).
This study focuses on Li isotopes for various types of samples (i.e., meltwater, lake, seawater, suspended sediment, soil, and bedrock) collected in the Barton Peninsula, in order to identify the various factors affecting water chemistry and then to examine if, how, and to what extent chemical weathering may occur in this area. Results will be compared with Li isotope data previously reported in the Polar regions.
2 Materials and Methods
2.1 Study Area
Detailed descriptions of the study area are given in previous studies (e.g., ; ; ). In short, its surface area is approximately 1,310 km2 and its 92% is covered with glaciers with a maximum thickness of 395 m. The snow cover depth ranges from 2 to 73 cm, and mainly melts in summer (November–March; ). Ice-free area is exposed only along the shorelines in restricted area but has expanded with an increase of surface temperature (), in which relatively various vegetation such as flowering plant, bryophytes and lichens grow (). According to climatic data collected at the King Sejong Station in the Barton Peninsula from 1988 to 1996, the climate is warmer and more humid than other Antarctic areas with an average annual temperature of −1.8°C, relative humidity of 89%, precipitation of 437.6 mm and wind velocity of 7.9 m/s from the northwest and southwest ().
The Barton Peninsula consists mainly of lavas, pyroclastics, and Paleocene to Eocene hypabyssal and plutonic rocks. The Sejong Formation, existing at the lowestmost part, consists of mostly volcaniclastic sediments, which is distributed along the southern and southwestern coastal area of the Barton Peninsula. Most volcanic rocks over the Sejong Formation are widely distributed in the Barton Peninsula, ranging from basalt to andesite. Granodiorite is exposed in the southwestern region of Noel Hill and hydrothermal alteration is observed at the boundary between the volcanic rock and the granodiorite in the central part of the Barton Peninsula ( and references therein).
2.2 Samples Collection and Field Measurements
A total of 36 water and 34 suspended sediment samples were collected in January 2015 at the Barton Peninsula, which are supraglacial streams, adjacent lakes, and seawater. A total of 29 surface soil samples were collected from the uppermost 10 cm of the active layer in the soil on the Barton Peninsula, avoiding soils on altered bedrocks (Figure 1). All sample locations were documented with a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx handheld GPS meter. Temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured in-situ using an ORION 5-STAR meter equipped with an ORION Combination epoxy pH electrode and DuraProbe 4-Electrode conductivity cells. Total alkalinity was measured using a Mettler Toledo T50A titrator with 0.01 M HCl acidmetric titration to an endpoint of pH = 4.5. Samples for dissolved cations, and Sr and Li isotopes were passed through 0.2 μm filter, collected in I-CHEM LDPE bottles, and acidified to pH = 2 using ultrapure HNO3. Samples for dissolved anions were passed through 0.2 μm filter and collected in acid-cleaned Nalgene LDPE bottles. About 500 ml of water sample was filtered in the laboratory using pre-weighed 0.2 μm filter, which were later dried at T = 60°C and reweighed in order to calculate the amount of suspended sediment (SS) per liter of meltwater.
FIGURE 1
2.3 Preparation of Soil, Rock, and Suspended Sediment Samples
A total of 32 rock samples were the residual splits of bulk rock powders collected at the Barton Peninsula (Figure 1; ). About 0.1 g of soil and rock samples was completely digested in a 5:3 mixture of HF and HNO3. The samples were dried, refluxed several times in 6.0 M HCl to remove fluorides, and re-dissolved in 5% HNO3. Also, suspended sediment samples were processed in the same way as rock and soil samples.
2.4 Chemical and Isotopic Analyses
Cation and trace element concentrations were measured using a Thermo Scientific iCAP™ Q ICP–MS and a Perkin Elmer Optima 8300 ICP–AES at the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI). Anion concentrations were measured using a Dionex ICS–1100 ion chromatograph at the KBSI.
For water samples, strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) were measured using a Neptune MC–ICP–MS upgraded with a large dry interface pump at the KBSI. Before the measurements, samples were dried in Teflon vessels, re-dissolved in 8 M HNO3, and separated from matrix elements using an Eichrom Sr resin. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios were normalized to 86Sr/88Sr = 0.1194, and the mean 87Sr/86Sr ratio of the NBS987 standard during analysis was 0.710248 ± 0.000053 (2σ, n = 32).
Lithium was separated from matrix elements using an AG 50W−X8 resin (200–400 mesh), dried, and re-dissolved in 5% HNO3 (∼40 ppb Li). Lithium isotope ratios were also measured using a Neptune MC–ICP–MS at the KBSI. Samples were analyzed using a blank-standard-blank-sample-blank-standard-blank external bracketing method, in which sample intensities were matched to within 10% of the intensity of the standard. The sensitivity was ∼90 V/ppm on mass 7 at a typical uptake rate of 100 μl/min, and blank values were low (∼30 mV for 7Li; 0.8%). Prior to the Li isotope measurement, each sample was checked for yield, which were greater than 99%. The Li isotopic composition is reported in delta notation (‰) relative to L-SVEC, where δ7Li = [(7Li/6Li)sample/(7Li/6Li)L-SVEC − 1] × 1000. The accuracy and reproducibility of the whole method was validated using the USGS rock reference materials (BCR-2 and BHVO-2) and seawater standard (IAPSO). BCR-2 yielded + 3.2 ± 0.6‰ (2σ, n = 10), BHVO-2 yielded +4.5 ± 0.0‰ (2σ, n = 2), and IAPSO yielded + 31.5 ± 0.8‰ (2σ, n = 6), which were all in good agreement with reported values (e.g., ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).
3 Results
Table 1 presents physicochemical and isotopic compositions of water samples. Elemental and isotopic compositions of suspended sediment, soil and rock samples are given in Tables 2–4, respectively.
TABLE 1
| Sample | Location | T | pH | EC | Ca | Mg | K | Na | Cl | SO4 | HCO3a | Sr | Li | CBEb | δ7Li | 87Sr/86Sr | 2SEc | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latititude (N) | Longitude (W) | (°C) | (μS/cm) | (mM) | (μM) | (%) | (‰) | |||||||||||
| Seawater | ||||||||||||||||||
| K-1 | 62.220 | 58.770 | 1.0 | 7.2 | 51230 | 9.49 | 44.9 | 8.28 | 405 | 502 | 24.9 | 2.24 | 79.8 | 23.3 | −3 | 31.0 | 0.709136 | 0.000018 |
| K-2 | 62.228 | 58.789 | 3.3 | 7.9 | 53090 | 8.64 | 42.7 | 7.96 | 386 | 468 | 23.5 | 1.84 | 76.6 | 21.8 | −2 | 31.5 | 0.709025 | 0.000023 |
| K-23 | 62.229 | 58.711 | 0.7 | 8.7 | 34280 | 3.56 | 13.8 | 2.94 | 139 | 162 | 8.03 | 0.97 | 27.4 | 5.36 | −1 | 30.6 | 0.709397 | 0.000030 |
| Lake water | ||||||||||||||||||
| K-12 | 62.216 | 58.760 | 8.0 | 6.4 | 61.5 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.19 | 0.02 | 2 | 33.4 | 0.706274 | 0.000022 |
| K-14 | 62.233 | 58.713 | 2.2 | 8.2 | 2209 | 0.72 | 3.05 | 0.68 | 25.8 | 30.4 | 1.61 | 0.76 | 6.20 | 1.63 | −1 | 30.7 | 0.709006 | 0.000024 |
| K-19 | 62.241 | 58.747 | 2.3 | 7.2 | 210 | 0.24 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 0.97 | 1.08 | 0.18 | 0.36 | 0.40 | 0.05 | −3 | 24.2 | 0.706525 | 0.000017 |
| K-28 | 62.225 | 58.793 | 4.3 | 7.1 | 4944 | 0.91 | 3.88 | 0.78 | 32.6 | 39.3 | 2.34 | 0.25 | 7.49 | 2.38 | −1 | 30.8 | 0.708969 | 0.000018 |
| K-36 | 62.232 | 58.779 | 1.4 | 5.7 | 63.9 | 0.01 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.37 | 0.42 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.16 | 0.01 | 1 | 33.6 | 0.708337 | 0.000036 |
| Meltwater | ||||||||||||||||||
| K-3 | 62.220 | 58.768 | 0.9 | 6.7 | 129 | 0.06 | 0.09 | 0.02 | 0.67 | 0.80 | 0.06 | 0.15 | 0.21 | 0.010 | −3 | 41.1 | 0.706624 | 0.000018 |
| K-4 | 62.220 | 58.769 | 0.6 | 6.4 | 248 | 0.15 | 0.19 | 0.03 | 1.24 | 1.65 | 0.11 | 0.14 | 0.44 | 0.019 | −1 | 40.4 | 0.706482 | 0.000016 |
| K-5 | 62.220 | 58.769 | 0.2 | 6.2 | 249 | 0.15 | 0.19 | 0.03 | 1.21 | 1.53 | 0.12 | 0.20 | 0.44 | 0.023 | −2 | 39.2 | 0.706419 | 0.000021 |
| K-6 | 62.220 | 58.775 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 232 | 0.32 | 0.15 | 0.05 | 0.74 | 0.80 | 0.50 | 0.18 | 0.81 | 0.100 | −7 | 25.1 | 0.705032 | 0.000019 |
| K-7 | 62.221 | 58.775 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 236 | 0.37 | 0.17 | 0.05 | 0.74 | 0.78 | 0.58 | 0.26 | 0.90 | 0.094 | −8 | 25.0 | 0.704986 | 0.000021 |
| K-8 | 62.221 | 58.776 | 1.2 | 4.6 | 270 | 0.41 | 0.17 | 0.05 | 0.73 | 0.76 | 0.64 | 0.18 | 0.95 | 0.101 | −6 | 22.1 | 0.704870 | 0.000021 |
| K-9 | 62.221 | 58.775 | 0.4 | 4.3 | 251 | 0.31 | 0.13 | 0.04 | 0.74 | 0.79 | 0.51 | 0.15 | 0.94 | 0.176 | −8 | 16.6 | 0.704554 | 0.000011 |
| K-10 | 62.215 | 58.758 | 1.6 | 6.7 | 68.6 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.33 | 0.29 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.21 | 0.039 | 1 | 21.9 | 0.705631 | 0.000026 |
| K-11 | 62.215 | 58.758 | 0.9 | 7.1 | 68.6 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.33 | 0.29 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.21 | 0.042 | 2 | 19.6 | 0.705449 | 0.000026 |
| K-13 | 62.219 | 58.766 | 0.2 | 7.7 | 94.7 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.54 | 0.48 | 0.04 | 0.16 | 0.19 | 0.029 | 1 | 18.3 | 0.705853 | 0.000039 |
| K-15 | 62.231 | 58.713 | 0.2 | 8.3 | 180 | 0.34 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 0.64 | 0.48 | 0.13 | 0.88 | 0.59 | 0.068 | −2 | 20.8 | 0.704736 | 0.000026 |
| K-16 | 62.232 | 58.712 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 238 | 0.41 | 0.16 | 0.03 | 0.91 | 0.60 | 0.20 | 1.10 | 0.66 | 0.106 | −1 | n.d | 0.705001 | 0.000024 |
| K-17 | 62.241 | 58.747 | 0.2 | 7.1 | 192 | 0.22 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 0.80 | 0.81 | 0.22 | 0.35 | 0.30 | 0.058 | −4 | 16.4 | 0.706225 | 0.000017 |
| K-18 | 62.241 | 58.747 | 0.4 | 7.2 | 186 | 0.21 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 0.81 | 0.82 | 0.21 | 0.30 | 0.31 | 0.056 | −3 | 17.5 | 0.706560 | 0.000023 |
| K-20 | 62.241 | 58.748 | 0.0 | 7.3 | 214 | 0.23 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 1.00 | 1.15 | 0.13 | 0.34 | 0.40 | 0.038 | −1 | 26.7 | 0.705732 | 0.000026 |
| K-21 | 62.241 | 58.747 | 0.1 | 7.5 | 214 | 0.24 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 1.03 | 1.16 | 0.12 | 0.40 | 0.41 | 0.037 | −1 | 26.6 | 0.706079 | 0.000022 |
| K-22 | 62.239 | 58.723 | 0.2 | 7.5 | 132 | 0.15 | 0.05 | 0.01 | 0.66 | 0.66 | 0.05 | 0.34 | 0.24 | 0.024 | −2 | 24.3 | 0.705869 | 0.000023 |
| K-24 | 62.230 | 58.713 | 0.1 | 7.5 | 206 | 0.13 | 0.15 | 0.02 | 1.06 | 1.18 | 0.09 | 0.36 | 0.42 | 0.081 | −2 | 24.1 | 0.706720 | 0.000022 |
| K-25 | 62.231 | 58.710 | 4.5 | 8.0 | 208 | 0.20 | 0.16 | 0.03 | 1.03 | 1.15 | 0.10 | 0.53 | 0.49 | 0.079 | −3 | 22.0 | 0.706068 | 0.000019 |
| K-26 | 62.231 | 58.712 | 2.3 | 7.5 | 202 | 0.14 | 0.16 | 0.02 | 1.06 | 1.17 | 0.09 | 0.31 | 0.43 | 0.079 | 0 | 24.2 | 0.706324 | 0.000020 |
| K-27 | 62.226 | 58.791 | 0.3 | 6.2 | 87.0 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.01 | 0.44 | 0.46 | 0.08 | 0.03 | 0.14 | 0.037 | −1 | 19.7 | 0.706445 | 0.000023 |
| K-29 | 62.237 | 58.752 | 0.3 | 7.1 | 84.9 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.47 | 0.52 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.21 | 0.029 | 1 | 28.4 | 0.706597 | 0.000045 |
| K-30 | 62.238 | 58.751 | 1.1 | 6.7 | 84.7 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.11 | 0.024 | 0 | 29.6 | 0.706659 | 0.000028 |
| K-31 | 62.239 | 58.748 | 0.2 | 6.7 | 71.4 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.40 | 0.45 | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.19 | 0.020 | 0 | 30.8 | 0.706784 | 0.000030 |
| K-32 | 62.237 | 58.755 | 0.3 | 6.4 | 49.6 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.29 | 0.31 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.15 | 0.012 | 1 | 34.3 | – | |
| K-33 | 62.234 | 58.770 | 0.2 | 6.5 | 48.1 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.21 | 0.23 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.14 | 0.009 | 1 | 32.5 | 0.707716 | 0.000045 |
| K-34 | 62.235 | 58.770 | 1.8 | 6.4 | 60.3 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.32 | 0.36 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.09 | 0.016 | −1 | 31.2 | 0.706685 | 0.000020 |
| K-35 | 62.234 | 58.777 | 1.5 | 6.2 | 75.1 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.43 | 0.44 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.17 | 0.013 | 1 | 33.8 | – | |
Physicochemical and isotopic compositions for water samples.
HCO3 ≈ total alkalinity.
CBE: a percent charge balance error =(TZ+ − TZ−)/(TZ+ + TZ−) × 100 (%).
two standard error (n = 20).
–: not measured.
TABLE 2
| Sample | Al | Ca | Mg | Na | Fe | K | Li | δ7Li |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (wt%) | (mg/kg) | (‰) | ||||||
| K-23 | 0.41 | 0.06 | 0.11 | 0.67 | 0.18 | 0.10 | 1.05 | 6.4 |
| K-12 | 0.08 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.24 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.27 | 11.0 |
| K-14 | 0.43 | 0.05 | 0.10 | 0.25 | 0.22 | 0.12 | 0.86 | 2.1 |
| K-19 | 0.30 | 0.09 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.32 | 0.07 | 0.52 | −0.4 |
| K-28 | 0.27 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.44 | 0.21 | 0.02 | 0.65 | 13.4 |
| K-36 | 0.16 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.35 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.30 | 11.2 |
| K-3 | 0.16 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.23 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.48 | 9.8 |
| K-4 | 0.11 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.26 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.31 | 11.8 |
| K-5 | 0.08 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.25 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.29 | 11.1 |
| K-6 | 0.58 | 0.15 | 0.11 | 0.33 | 0.35 | 0.05 | 1.18 | 8.6 |
| K-7 | 0.42 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.28 | 0.25 | 0.04 | 0.94 | 6.4 |
| K-8 | 0.68 | 0.21 | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.52 | 0.05 | 0.98 | 4.4 |
| K-9 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.06 | – |
| K-10 | 0.18 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.24 | 0.09 | 0.02 | 0.50 | 7.1 |
| K-11 | 0.41 | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0.29 | 0.18 | 0.06 | 0.92 | 3.1 |
| K-13 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.12 | – |
| K-15 | 0.67 | 0.14 | 0.12 | 0.17 | 0.45 | 0.11 | 1.43 | 3.1 |
| K-16 | 0.22 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.25 | 0.08 | 0.03 | 0.58 | 7.4 |
| K-17 | 0.19 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.25 | 0.26 | 0.01 | 0.44 | 7.7 |
| K-18 | 0.20 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.26 | 0.22 | 0.02 | 0.51 | 6.4 |
| K-20 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | – |
| K-21 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | – |
| K-22 | 0.09 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.25 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.32 | 10.4 |
| K-24 | 0.16 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.28 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.39 | 8.4 |
| K-25 | 0.28 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.30 | 0.11 | 0.04 | 0.62 | 7.2 |
| K-26 | 0.20 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.33 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.41 | 8.3 |
| K-27 | 0.13 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.25 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.29 | 11.7 |
| K-29 | 0.39 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.91 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.27 | 10.9 |
| K-30 | 0.17 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.38 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.28 | 10.5 |
| K-31 | 0.19 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.26 | 0.08 | 0.02 | 0.39 | – |
| K-32 | 0.24 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.45 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.29 | 10.5 |
| K-33 | 0.26 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.32 | 0.09 | 0.02 | 0.41 | 10.3 |
| K-34 | 0.18 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.28 | 0.06 | 0.01 | 0.39 | 11.8 |
| K-35 | 0.34 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.32 | 0.17 | 0.04 | 0.47 | 9.7 |
Elemental and isotopic compositions for the suspended sediments.
–: not measured.
TABLE 3
| Sample | Bedrock | Al | Ca | Mg | Na | Fe | K | Ti | Sr | Li | δ7Li |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (wt%) | (mg/kg) | (‰) | |||||||||
| LKS1 | Basaltic andesite | 10.9 | 3.38 | 1.92 | 3.00 | 6.13 | 1.62 | 0.44 | 689 | 14.5 | 4.5 |
| LKS2 | 9.36 | 3.79 | 2.29 | 2.46 | 6.44 | 0.80 | 0.65 | 523 | 13.6 | 5.1 | |
| LKS3 | 11.5 | 2.55 | 2.17 | 1.70 | 6.08 | 1.20 | 0.72 | 553 | 17.7 | 6.4 | |
| LKS4 | 1.20 | 0.49 | 0.30 | 0.31 | 0.81 | 0.11 | 0.08 | 67.9 | 14.1 | 5.0 | |
| LKS5 | 9.11 | 4.85 | 2.44 | 2.82 | 7.16 | 0.43 | 0.98 | 553 | 14.0 | 5.9 | |
| LKS6 | 10.6 | 1.76 | 1.99 | 2.23 | 6.85 | 1.18 | 0.51 | 506 | 20.5 | 3.5 | |
| LKS7 | 10.5 | 2.12 | 2.12 | 2.13 | 6.26 | 1.20 | 0.66 | 517 | 18.2 | 4.8 | |
| LKS8 | 8.46 | 2.88 | 1.31 | 2.66 | 5.44 | 1.31 | 0.46 | 600 | 10.5 | 4.3 | |
| LKS9 | 9.54 | 3.14 | 1.74 | 2.74 | 6.29 | 1.23 | 0.55 | 626 | 13.2 | 3.2 | |
| LKS10 | 10.4 | 4.87 | 2.44 | 2.38 | 7.38 | 0.36 | 0.87 | 679 | 10.8 | 5.2 | |
| LKS11 | 8.44 | 3.13 | 1.72 | 1.90 | 5.87 | 0.84 | 0.78 | 521 | 12.8 | 1.5 | |
| LKS12 | 10.1 | 3.04 | 1.78 | 1.85 | 6.59 | 1.11 | 0.82 | 474 | 12.9 | 3.8 | |
| LKS13 | 10.8 | 3.66 | 2.28 | 2.42 | 6.87 | 0.75 | 0.97 | 556 | 16.7 | 4.9 | |
| LKS14 | 10.8 | 3.30 | 1.78 | 2.72 | 6.42 | 1.21 | 0.81 | 613 | 16.8 | 5.9 | |
| LKS15 | 10.3 | 0.93 | 0.52 | 2.28 | 5.61 | 2.48 | 0.60 | 434 | 10.6 | 1.5 | |
| LKS16 | 10.9 | 1.46 | 1.97 | 1.53 | 6.82 | 1.72 | 0.78 | 418 | 13.3 | 3.9 | |
| LKS17 | 10.3 | 0.48 | 0.44 | 1.47 | 3.75 | 1.67 | 0.48 | 484 | 36.9 | 3.9 | |
| LKS19 | 10.1 | 2.37 | 1.93 | 2.72 | 6.43 | 1.54 | 0.79 | 518 | 18.5 | 1.7 | |
| LKS26 | 10.6 | 5.12 | 2.67 | 2.94 | 7.83 | 0.79 | 1.09 | 606 | 15.9 | 4.4 | |
| LKS28 | 11.1 | 3.36 | 2.26 | 2.56 | 10.3 | 1.06 | 0.83 | 681 | 15.6 | 5.6 | |
| LKS20 | Diorite | 8.93 | 4.04 | 1.99 | 2.93 | 6.48 | 1.12 | 0.78 | 560 | 15.2 | 5.3 |
| LKS21 | 10.8 | 3.15 | 1.46 | 2.02 | 6.21 | 1.78 | 0.83 | 519 | 9.56 | 4.8 | |
| LKS22 | 8.59 | 2.49 | 1.55 | 2.41 | 4.80 | 1.91 | 0.49 | 470 | 16.4 | 6.9 | |
| LKS23 | 9.14 | 3.27 | 0.98 | 3.05 | 6.11 | 1.62 | 0.56 | 594 | 21.1 | 3.6 | |
| LKS24 | 13.4 | 3.81 | 2.72 | 3.25 | 6.79 | 1.19 | 0.57 | 770 | 17.0 | 4.8 | |
| LKS25 | Lapilli Tuff | 9.27 | 1.69 | 1.23 | 1.61 | 7.70 | 1.99 | 0.63 | 377 | 20.2 | −0.7 |
| LKS27 | 10.3 | 2.41 | 2.06 | 2.74 | 6.76 | 1.56 | 0.80 | 551 | 13.8 | 1.5 | |
| LKS29 | Sejong Formation | 10.5 | 0.93 | 1.39 | 2.48 | 6.84 | 1.98 | 0.61 | 457 | 14.4 | 0.4 |
| LKS30 | 8.24 | 4.95 | 1.54 | 2.49 | 5.57 | 0.98 | 0.86 | 643 | 16.7 | −2.5 | |
Elemental and isotopic compositions for soils.
TABLE 4
| Sample | Lithology | Al | Ca | Mg | Na | Fe | K | Sr | Li | δ7Li | 87Sr/86Sra |
| (wt%) | (mg/kg) | (‰) | |||||||||
| HB25 | Less altered basaltic andesite | 10.1 | 6.23 | 2.07 | 2.96 | 6.30 | 1.24 | 665 | 10.9 | 2.6 | 0.703546 |
| HB26 | 9.85 | 6.63 | 1.93 | 2.81 | 5.98 | 0.48 | 730 | 5.87 | 2.0 | 0.703454 | |
| HB37 | 9.83 | 7.20 | 2.86 | 2.76 | 6.09 | 0.95 | 740 | 7.21 | 1.2 | 0.703320 | |
| HB38 | 9.81 | 7.88 | 2.58 | 2.57 | 6.01 | 0.22 | 653 | 15.3 | 0.6 | 0.703218 | |
| HB3 | Altered basaltic andesite | 7.86 | 0.37 | 0.41 | 4.12 | 2.03 | 2.78 | 221 | 3.31 | 9.1 | 0.704188 |
| HB21 | 9.16 | 4.37 | 3.21 | 1.82 | 6.14 | 0.43 | 434 | 10.6 | 4.4 | 0.703507 | |
| HB23 | 8.05 | 2.53 | 0.30 | 4.46 | 3.03 | 0.94 | 409 | 15.7 | 6.1 | 0.703603 | |
| HB24 | 9.68 | 4.74 | 2.83 | 3.85 | 6.35 | 1.79 | 626 | 15.1 | 1.7 | 0.703567 | |
| HB27 | 4.13 | 0.67 | 0.02 | 0.70 | 16.1 | 0.10 | 988 | 0.42 | 10.8 | 0.703430 | |
| HB28 | 9.54 | 4.33 | 1.85 | 3.28 | 5.95 | 0.79 | 744 | 8.68 | 4.4 | 0.703554 | |
| HB29 | 11.0 | 0.15 | 0.02 | 0.81 | 7.23 | 0.15 | 916 | 1.17 | 8.8 | – | |
| HB32-2 | 9.90 | 3.16 | 4.68 | 1.98 | 7.32 | 0.61 | 310 | 28.3 | 3.8 | 0.703578 | |
| HB32-3 | 9.29 | 0.26 | 0.06 | 0.52 | 5.22 | 2.15 | 110 | 16.4 | – | 0.704341 | |
| HB32-4 | 11.7 | 2.06 | 0.10 | 2.91 | 9.78 | 2.54 | 910 | 5.66 | 7.1 | 0.703536 | |
| HB32-5 | 7.80 | 0.30 | 0.10 | 0.76 | 5.18 | 2.71 | 169 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 0.704620 | |
| HB32-6 | 11.3 | 2.10 | 1.03 | 1.42 | 5.85 | 1.97 | 442 | 20.4 | 1.5 | 0.703826 | |
| HB32-7 | 8.89 | 1.75 | 1.26 | 3.38 | 6.93 | 0.96 | 511 | 16.5 | 1.8 | 0.703517 | |
| HB33 | 9.11 | 2.72 | 0.25 | 2.18 | 4.19 | 0.97 | 760 | 9.15 | 9.1 | 0.703554 | |
| HB35 | 9.40 | 10.4 | 2.10 | 2.47 | 7.58 | 0.14 | 789 | 6.52 | 6.4 | 0.703447 | |
| HB36 | 2.95 | 6.26 | 1.01 | 0.84 | 3.03 | 0.13 | 189 | 8.30 | – | 0.703419 | |
| HB4 | Quartz-veined volcaniclastic rock | 1.05 | 1.26 | 0.23 | 0.45 | 0.89 | 0.29 | 28 | 9.45 | 11.2 | 0.704035 |
| HB5 | 4.56 | 4.66 | 0.47 | 1.53 | 5.61 | 0.99 | 89 | 12.2 | 9.2 | 0.704227 | |
| HB6 | 8.47 | 4.17 | 1.89 | 2.67 | 7.06 | 1.03 | 232 | 23.3 | 5.1 | 0.703711 | |
| HB7 | 5.60 | 2.59 | 0.73 | 2.46 | 8.54 | 0.44 | 252 | 12.8 | 8.1 | 0.703791 | |
| HB16A | 7.97 | 4.46 | 1.00 | 3.19 | 9.86 | 0.96 | 502 | 12.4 | 2.3 | 0.703541 | |
| HB16B | 9.07 | 15.5 | 1.06 | 0.55 | 5.74 | 0.38 | 1110 | 11.9 | 6.3 | 0.703491 | |
| HB1 | Altered dyke | 10.1 | 7.99 | 2.63 | 2.11 | 4.26 | 0.14 | 758 | 5.81 | -1.8 | 0.703554 |
| HB14 | 7.95 | 2.07 | 0.72 | 2.67 | 7.34 | 2.79 | 341 | 7.67 | 3.2 | 0.703835 | |
| HB15 | 6.47 | 4.04 | 1.29 | 1.55 | 12.4 | 1.38 | 408 | 14.4 | 1.0 | 0.703598 | |
| HB30 | Granodiorite | 8.77 | 3.79 | 2.08 | 3.36 | 5.50 | 2.32 | 450 | 19.3 | – | 0.703709 |
| HB31 | 8.00 | 3.85 | 2.04 | 3.19 | 5.55 | 2.19 | 401 | 15.2 | 8.5 | 0.703682 | |
| HB32-1 | 8.46 | 2.87 | 1.32 | 3.32 | 4.35 | 2.74 | 375 | 10.4 | 5.2 | 0.703850 | |
Elemental and isotopic compositions for bedrocks.
data from .
–: not measured.
3.1 General and Major Element Chemistry of Water Samples
The pH of most of water samples ranges from 5.69 to 8.72 except for four meltwater samples (K−6–9), which display much low pH (∼4.41). The EC of meltwaters (n=28) and lake waters (n=5) ranges from 48.1 to 269.9 μs/cm and from 61.5 to 4,944 μs/cm, respectively. On an average molar basis (Figure 2), major cation abundances of meltwater samples follow the order of Na+ (74%) > Ca2+ (15%) > Mg2+ (10%) > K+ (2%), while lake samples follow the order of Na+ (81%) > Mg2+ (9%) > Ca2+ (8%) > K+ (2%). Major anion abundances of meltwater samples follow the order of Cl− (69%) > HCO3− (19%) > SO42− (13%), whereas lake samples follow the order of Cl− (85%) > SO42− (8%) > HCO3− (7%). The high abundances of Na+ and Cl−, and the strong correlation between them (r2 = 0.99) suggest that water chemistry is mainly controlled by marine aerosol.
FIGURE 2
3.2 Major Element Chemistry of Solid Phases
The compositions of the suspended sediment samples are, on average, different from those of rock () and soil samples. Based on the average wt%. (Tables 2–4), major cation abundances of the suspended sediment samples collected in meltwater follow the order of Na (37%) > Al (33%) > Fe (16%) > Ca (6%) > Mg (4%) = K (4%), whereas rocks and soils follow the order of Al (35%) > Fe (27%) > Ca (17%) > Na (10%) > Mg (6%) > K (5%), and Al (40%) > Fe (26%) > Ca (12%) > Na (10%) > Mg (7%) > K (5%), respectively.
3.3 Strontium and Lithium Isotopes
The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of meltwater, lake and seawater samples range from 0.704554 to 0.707716 with an average of 0.706004 (n = 26), from 0.706274 to 0.709006 with an average of 0.707822 (n = 5), and from 0.709025 to 0.709397 with an average of 0.709186 (n = 3), respectively (Table 1). Previous study showed that rock samples display the 87Sr/86Sr ratios, ranging from 0.703218 to 0.704620 with an average of 0.703685 ().
The rock samples display Li concentrations ranging from 0.42 to 28.3 mg/kg (11.6 mg/kg, n=32) and δ7Li values ranging from −1.8 to +11.7‰ (+5.2‰, n = 29). Compared to rock samples, the soil samples show higher Li concentrations ranging from 9.56 to 36.9 mg/kg (15.9 mg/kg, n = 28) but lower δ7Li values ranging from −2.5 to +6.9‰ (+3.8‰, n = 28). The suspended sediment samples have much lower Li concentrations ranging from 0.011 to 1.4 mg/kg (0.50 mg/kg, n = 28) but higher δ7Li values than soil and rocks, ranging from −0.4 to +13.4‰ (+8.3‰, n = 23). On the contrary, meltwater samples have the lowest Li concentrations ranging from 8.69 to 176 nM (50.6 nM, n = 28) but much higher δ7Li values ranging from +16.4 to +41.1‰ (+26.4‰, n = 27). Lake samples display Li concentrations ranging from 13.1 nM to 2.38 μM (819 nM, n = 5) and also higher δ7Li values ranging from +24.2 to +33.6‰ (+30.5‰, n = 5). Seawater samples have Li concentrations ranging from 5.36 to 23.3 μM (16.8 μM, n = 3) and δ7Li values ranging from +30.6 to +31.5‰ (+31.1‰, n = 3), consistent with reported δ7Li value for seawater (+31‰; ) (Figure 3).
FIGURE 3
3.4 Correction of Atmospheric Inputs
In order to constrain the controls on the dissolved Li isotope signatures, it is important to first determine the sources of dissolved Li. Because Li concentrations of meltwater samples are relatively low, it is critical to evaluate the atmospheric contribution before considering either rock or mineral inputs in waters, especially in maritime regions. Given the proximity of the study area to the ocean, it can be assumed that atmospheric input has the same chemical composition as seawater, as shown in other regions (
4 Discussion
4.1 Sources of Dissolved Lithium
4.1.1 Atmospheric Inputs
Based on major water chemistry, it is critical to evaluate the atmospheric contribution before considering the effect of either rock or mineral dissolution on meltwater chemistry. The atmospheric contribution to dissolved Li was calculated using Eq. 1 and the average molar ratio of 1000*Li to Cl− in two seawater samples (K−1 & 2; 0.047) as described in Section 3.4. Interestingly, corrected Li concentrations in one sample (K−36) among five lake samples, and eleven samples (K−3–5, K−20–22, K−31–35) among twenty-eight meltwater samples display negative values, highlighting a Li loss. Indeed, this result suggests that dissolved Li was preferentially sorbed into/onto secondary phases. On the contrary, corrected Li in the other samples account for 4%–79% (mean 46%, n = 17) of measured dissolved Li, indicating Li may come from other sources.
4.1.2 Rock Weathering
Several studies have suggested that both phosphatization and sulfurization enhance chemical weathering in Maritime Antarctica (
A linear correlation between (Ca* + Mg*) and (HCO3* + SO4*) in meltwater samples suggests that these ions are mostly derived from chemical weathering by carbonic and sulphuric acids (Figure 4A). Interestingly, four samples plotted on high SO4 (K−6–9) display low pH (∼4.4), indicating that the sulphuric acid produced by sulphide oxidation is a major agent. Likewise, a plot of Mg/Na and Ca/Na ratios shows that meltwater samples plot near the silicate end member (Figure 4B), likely indicating that silicate weathering is dominant with a little carbonate weathering.
FIGURE 4

Plots of (Ca + Mg)* and (HCO3 + SO4)* (A) and Mg/Na versus Ca/Na (B). Asterisk represents the concentration corrected for atmospheric input. Bedrock endmembers are from
It has been shown that Li is correlated to Mg in world river waters due to similar ionic radii between Li+ (0.78Å) and Mg2+ (0.72Å), allowing Li to substitute for Mg in silicate minerals (
4.2 Li Isotope Fractionation During Weathering
4.2.1 High δ7Li in Meltwaters
The incorporation of Li into/onto secondary phases may results in Li isotope fractionation explaining the enrichment of 7Li in the meltwater samples. However, as sea salt may also have high δ7Li values, it is important to elucidate whether high δ7Li values in meltwater result from isotope fractionation or source effects with high δ7Li value.
The meltwater δ7Li values ranging from +16.4 to +41.1‰ (26.4‰, n = 27) are significantly higher than those of suspended sediments, rocks, and soils. As described in Section 3.3, there is a clear difference in 87Sr/86Sr ratios among water samples. Furthermore, the negative correlation between 87Sr/86Sr ratios and Sr/Na (molar ratio) reflects that water chemistry is mainly controlled by a simple binary mixing between seawater and silicate weathering (Figure 5A). Likewise, it might be expected that a binary mixing affects both Li concentrations and δ7Li values in meltwater samples because Li contents in carbonates are negligible. As shown in the correlation between 87Sr/86Sr ratios and Sr/Na, it seems that the correlation between δ7Li and Li/Na (molar ratio) also reflect a binary mixing between seawater and silicate weathering (Figure 5B). However, there is a little correlation between δ7Li and 87Sr/86Sr ratios (Figure 5C), indicating a simple binary mixing cannot explain Li isotopic compositions in meltwater.
FIGURE 5

Plots of 87Sr/86Sr ratios versus Sr/Na (molar ratio) (A), δ7Li versus Li/Na (molar ratio) (B) and δ7Li versus 87Sr/86Sr ratios (C). Bedrock 87Sr/86Sr ratios are from
If a binary mixing controls δ7Li values in meltwater samples, one lake and eleven meltwater samples showing negative Li concentration after atmospheric input correction should have seawater δ7Li value because all Li comes from seawater. However, their δ7Li values range from +24.3‰ to +41.1‰ with an average of +32.9‰ (n = 12), which is higher than seawater δ7Li value (31.3‰; K−1 & 2). The other meltwater samples having excess Li after sweater correction display δ7Li values ranging from +16.4‰ to +29.6‰ with an average of +22.0‰ (n = 16), which is much lower than seawater δ7Li, suggesting a non-negligible contribution from silicate weathering.
As described above, we can assume that the dissolved Li is essentially explained by a binary mixing as follows: where fsw is a fraction of seawater in total Li concentration and δ7Liweathering is an average δ7Li value of bedrock (+5.2‰; Table 4). The differences in between measured and calculated δ7Li values range from −7.0 to +10.2‰, with an average of +2.3‰ (n = 16), implying that conservative mixing is not a dominant control on δ7Li and process-related fractionation occurs in this system. Below, multiple process-controlled fractionations are considered in more detail.
4.2.2 Rock Weathering and Soil Formation in This Region
Experimental studies have demonstrated that Li isotopes fractionate significantly during weathering processes, mostly during secondary phase neoformation (
As reported in previous studies, if chemical weathering in Barton Peninsula is insignificant (
Although soil samples plot near igneous rock endmember on a plot of Na/Al versus Li/Al (Figure 6A), they plot outside a weathering trend between igneous rocks and shales endmembers on a plot of δ7Li versus Li/Al (Figure 6B), displaying lower δ7Li values than igneous rocks. It clearly supports that a significant modern chemical weathering occurs with mineral neoformation in the Maritime Antarctica.
FIGURE 6

Plots of Na/Al (mass ratio) (A) and δ7Li (B) versus Li/Al (mass ratio) in the suspended sediment and soil samples. Bedrock endmembers are from
4.2.3 Suspended Sediments
The δ7Li values of the suspended sediment samples ranging from –0.4 to +13.4‰ (mean +8.3‰, n = 20, Table 2) are higher than those of bedrock (mean +5.2‰) and soil (mean +3.8‰) samples, but much lower than meltwater samples (mean +26.4‰). Due to the high solubility of Na during chemical weathering compared to immobile Al, the Na/Al ratio can be regarded as “a weathering index” (Millot et al., 2010) or an index of the leaching intensity, such as the K/Mg (
The fact that δ7Li values of the suspended sediments are higher than those of bedrock and soil samples suggests additional Li input with high δ7Li values. Interestingly, eight suspended sediment samples (mean +10.7‰; K–3–5, 22, and 32–35) collected from meltwater showing a Li loss have much higher δ7Li values than the other samples (+7.4‰). Also, they do not show any correlation between δ7Li and Na/Li ratio with relatively constant δ7Li values regardless of Na/Li ratios. The differences in δ7Li between meltwater and suspended sediment samples (Δ7Liwater-sed) are clearly distinct from between suspended sediments affected by high sea salt input and the others. That is, Δ7Liwater-sed of the former and latter samples are +23.9‰ and +15.5‰, respectively. The results could be explained by the fact that meltwater Li entirely coming from sea salt input is sorbed onto/into secondary phases present in the glaciers, allowing the suspended sediments to be δ7Li higher than those less affected by sea salt input as well as soils and rocks. That is, δ7Li values in the suspended sediments are not simply controlled by incorporating light 6Li that would result in lower δ7Li than rock/soil samples. Instead, they incorporate Li from sea salt with higher δ7Li that finally results in higher δ7Li in the suspended sediments relative to rock/soils.
Although it is difficult to estimate the partitioning of Li transported in the dissolved and particulate load in this study because chemical weathering process is not at steady-state (
4.3 Comparison With Other Studies in the Polar Regions
Lithium isotope studies have been conducted in the Arctic regions (
FIGURE 7

Plot of δ7Li versus Li/Na (molar ratio) in the water samples. Data for Iceland, Mackenzie and Greenland rivers, and the McMurdo Dry Valley are from
Although
Overall, given that the increase in global surface temperature enhances chemical weathering in Antarctica, it is expected that the increase in temperature causes a decrease in Δ7Lisolution–solid (δ7Lisolution – δ7Lisolid) as chemical weathering of bedrocks becomes congruent.
5 Conclusion
Elemental and Li isotope geochemistry of meltwaters, suspended sediments, soils and bedrocks in the Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica are investigated in order to elucidate the processes controlling Li isotopes in meltwaters. Li concentrations and isotopic compositions are quite variable in the samples, where dissolved phases display the lowest Li concentration but the highest Li isotopic composition. Correlation between elemental and Li isotope geochemistry reveals that dissolved Li isotopic compositions are mainly controlled by incongruent dissolution with secondary neoformation, rather than sea salt inputs from atmosphere or ice melting. Likewise, δ7Li values of soils also are affected by a modern chemical weathering with mineral neoformation rather than a binary weathering between igneous rocks and shales. However, the sorption of sea salt Li into/onto the suspended sediments causes δ7Li values higher than soils and bedrocks. Compared to other studies in polar regions, this study suggests that increasing global surface temperature enhances modern chemical weathering in Antarctica, which cause dissolved Li isotopic compositions to be as low as those in the Arctic rivers.
Statements
Data availability statement
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
Author contributions
J-SR designed the study, analyzed the samples, interpreted the data, and wrote the manuscript. H-BC and J-HK analyzed the samples. HL and O-SK designed the study and conducted the fieldwork. NV interpreted the data, wrote and reviewed the manuscript. All authors assisted with interpretation.
Funding
J-SR was funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grants funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. NRF-2019R1A2C2085973), the Polar Academic Program (PAP; PD14010 and PE15020) of the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) research grant, and the Korea Basic Science Institute (National research Facilities and Equipment Center) grant funded by the Ministry of Education (No. 2021R1A6C101A415). J-HK was funded by the Korea Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (NP 2011-040).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Summary
Keywords
Li isotopes, chemical weathering, meltwater, mineral neoformation, Antarctica
Citation
Ryu J-S, Lim HS, Choi H-B, Kim J-H, Kim O-S and Vigier N (2022) Lithium Isotope Geochemistry in the Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Front. Earth Sci. 10:913687. doi: 10.3389/feart.2022.913687
Received
06 April 2022
Accepted
21 June 2022
Published
22 July 2022
Volume
10 - 2022
Edited by
Kang-Jun Huang, Northwest University, China
Reviewed by
Zhangdong Jin, Institute of Earth Environment (CAS), China
Shijun Jiang, Hohai University, China
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Copyright
© 2022 Ryu, Lim, Choi, Kim, Kim and Vigier.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Jong-Sik Ryu, jongsikryu@pknu.ac.kr
This article was submitted to Geochemistry, a section of the journal Frontiers in Earth Science
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