The purpose of this research was to investigate the physical weathering of rock along the Victoria Land Coast, Antarctica. It was designed to contribute to the Latitudinal Gradient Project, a joint initiative between the New Zealand, Italian and United States Antarctic Programmes. The Latitudinal Gradient Project aims to improve our understanding of the ecosystems of the Dry Valleys and ice-free areas of the Ross Sea Region and, by using latitude as a proxy measure, identify how they might be affected by future climate change. The approach taken for this research was to use information on rock (from one rock group) temperature and moisture conditions gathered from three field locations to inform laboratory simulations. The laboratory simulations would then be used to investigate the weathering of small rock blocks and aggregates. Two temperature cycles approximating those experienced during summer and spring/autumn were identified and simulations undertaken in a specially adapted freezer. Three levels of moisture were applied: no moisture, half saturation and full saturation. Results of the laboratory simulations indicated that although rocks responded in different ways to different processes, granular disintegration took place even in the absence of additional moisture and did not require crossings of the 0 OC isotherm, nor were high levels of moisture required for across zero temperature cycling to produce weathering effects. A model that related weathering to latitude was developed and changes in climate explored. It was found that the weathering effect of summer and spring/autumn cycles was different and depended on rock characteristics rather than latitude. Increasing the ratio of summer to spring/autumn temperature cycles by 10% indicated that weathering could decrease or remain the same depending on the particular rock. Changes in temperature were found to be more important than changes in moisture. A weathering index that related local climate and rock properties to weathering was also developed and this highlighted the difficulties of using laboratory results to predict field rates of weathering. There were some surprising results from the field, including the presence of much more moisture on the surface of the rock, primarily from blowing snow, than had been predicted for this dry environment. This occurred even in the presence of negative rock surface temperatures. In addition, winter rock surface temperatures can fluctuate up to 25 OC, getting as warm as -10 OC. Macro-climate and changes in air temperature in response to foehn and katabatic winds were the drivers for these fluctuations.

No description available.

Consideration of almost any geomorphology textbook will show the fundamental argument that in cold environments mechanical weathering processes, usually freeze-thaw, will predominate and that chemical weathering will be temperature-limited, often to the point of non occurrence. These basic concepts have underpinned geomorphology for over a century and are the basis for the development of many landforms in periglacial regions. With the introduction of data loggers so field data became more readily available but, sadly, those data were not of a quality to other than justify the existent assumptions and thus did little more than reinforce, rather than test, the nature of our understanding of cold region weathering. Factors such as rock properties were dealt with to a limited extent but rock moisture was all but ignored, despite its centrality to most weathering processes. Here the results of field studies into weathering in cold regions, coupled with laboratory experiments based on the field data, are presented. An attempt is made to overcome the shortcomings of earlier studies. Temperature, moisture and rock properties have all been considered. Processes were not assumed but rather the data were used to evaluate what processes were operative. The results, both in terms of weathering process understanding per se and of its application to landform development, significantly challenge our longheld perceptions. Information is presented that shows that it is not temperature, but rather water, that is the limiting factor in cold region weathering. Indeed, in the absence of water, many cold environments have attributes akin to a hot desert. The relevance of this is that weathering processes other than freeze-thaw may play a significant role and that in the presence of water chemical weathering can play a far greater role than hitherto thought. Overall, the whole concept of zonality with respect to weathering is questioned. Finally, the attributes of weathering are put within the context of landform development and questions raised regarding the origin of some forms and of their palaeoenvironmental significance. Attributes of periglacial, glacial and zoogeomorphic processes and landforms in present and past cold environments are also presented. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the physical weathering of rock along the Victoria Land Coast, Antarctica. It was designed to contribute to the Latitudinal Gradient Project, a joint initiative between the New Zealand, Italian and United States Antarctic Programmes. The Latitudinal Gradient Project aims to improve our understanding of the ecosystems of the Dry Valleys and ice-free areas of the Ross Sea Region and, by using latitude as a proxy measure, identify how they might be affected by future climate change. The approach taken for this research was to use information on rock (from one rock group) temperature and moisture conditions gathered from three field locations to inform laboratory simulations. The laboratory simulations would then be used to investigate the weathering of small rock blocks and aggregates. Two temperature cycles approximating those experienced during summer and spring/autumn were identified and simulations undertaken in a specially adapted freezer. Three levels of moisture were applied: no moisture, half saturation and full saturation. Results of the laboratory simulations indicated that although rocks responded in different ways to different processes, granular disintegration took place even in the absence of additional moisture and did not require crossings of the 0 OC isotherm, nor were high levels of moisture required for across zero temperature cycling to produce weathering effects. A model that related weathering to latitude was developed and changes in climate explored. It was found that the weathering effect of summer and spring/autumn cycles was different and depended on rock characteristics rather than latitude. Increasing the ratio of summer to spring/autumn temperature cycles by 10% indicated that weathering could decrease or remain the same depending on the particular rock. Changes in temperature were found to be more important than changes in moisture. A weathering index that related local climate and rock properties to weathering was also developed and this highlighted the difficulties of using laboratory results to predict field rates of weathering. There were some surprising results from the field, including the presence of much more moisture on the surface of the rock, primarily from blowing snow, than had been predicted for this dry environment. This occurred even in the presence of negative rock surface temperatures. In addition, winter rock surface temperatures can fluctuate up to 25 OC, getting as warm as -10 OC. Macro-climate and changes in air temperature in response to foehn and katabatic winds were the drivers for these fluctuations.

The weathering of shales is a globally important process affecting both natural and built environments. Shales form roughly 70 % of worldwide sedimentary rock deposits and therefore the weathering of these rocks has substantial effects on the geochemical cycling of elements such as carbon, iron and sulfur. Microbes have been shown to play a key role in weathering shales, primarily through the oxidation of the iron and sulfur of embedded pyrite and the resultant production of sulfuric acid. Despite significant interest in the microbial weathering of shales within industrial sectors such as biohydrometallurgy and civil engineering, comparatively few studies have investigated microbial shale weathering in natural environments. Furthermore, the role of microbes in natural shale weathering processes beyond iron oxidation has largely remained unexplored. In this thesis, the weathering capabilities of microbial communities from natural weathered shale was investigated. The North Yorkshire coastline was used as a study location, due to the abundance and diversity of natural cliffs and historic, disused industrial sites. Cliff erosion and recession on the North Yorkshire coastline is a major concern for local authorities and is the focus of current research. The aim of this work has been to evaluate microbial shale weathering processes within these environments, and hypothesise the possible contribution they may have to erosive processes. Phenotypic plate assays inoculated with weathered shale material were used to obtain rock weathering bacterial isolates that tested positive for a specific weathering phenotype, such as iron oxidation or siderophore production. Subsequent 16S rRNA sequencing enabled genera level identification, revealing 15 genera with rock weathering capabilities with several being associated with multiple weathering phenotypes including Aeromonas sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Streptomyces sp. Shale enrichment liquid cultures were incubated with shale rock chips to simulate natural biological weathering conditions, and the concentration of rock-leached elements in the fluid measured. No evidence of microbially-enhanced leaching was found consistently for any element, however the significant reduction in leachate iron concentration under biological conditions indicates that iron precipitation occurred via microbial iron oxidation. Enrichment cultures inoculated with weathered shale and containing organic matter (OM) rich rocks in water or M9 medium, both liquids lacking an organic carbon source, were grown over several months. The cultures yielded microbial isolates that could utilise rock bound OM sources and one bacterial isolate, Variovorax paradoxus, was taken forward for ecophysiological study. The shale rock that the organism was isolated from, along with other OM rich rocks (mudstones and coals), elicited complex responses from V. paradoxus including enhanced growth and motility. Finally, mineral microcosms in vitro and mesocosms in situ investigated microbial colonization and weathering of shale-comprising minerals (albite, calcite, muscovite, pyrite and quartz). Microcosms were established using iron oxidizing enrichment cultures, as based on the results of the simulated rock weathering experiments, while the in situ mesocosms were buried within weathered shale scree within a disused mine level. Levels of colonization significantly varied between minerals within the microcosms (pyrite > albite, muscovite > quartz > calcite). Although differences in mineral colonization were seen in the mesocosms, they did not match those in the microcosms and were not statistically significant. Pyrite incubated in the microcosms became significantly weathered, with extensive pit formation across the mineral surface that is consistent with microbial iron oxidation. In the mesocosms, pit formation was not identified on pyrite surfaces but dark etchings into the pyrite surface were found underneath fungi hyphal growth. The results of this thesis highlights that a range of microbial rock weathering mechanisms are abundant across weathered shale environments. Microbial iron oxidizing activity was a dominant biogeochemical process that altered rock-fluid geochemistry and weathered pyrite surfaces. However, the impact on rock or mineral weathering of other microbial mechanisms was not elucidated by this work. Given the known capabilities of these mechanisms, the conditions under which they are active may not have been met within the experimental setup used. Microbial iron oxidation in shale and shale-derived materials has previously been demonstrated to weaken rock structure through acid production and secondary mineral formation. From the results of this thesis, it is clear that microbial iron oxidation is an active process within some of the weathered shale environments studied, including cliff surfaces. Therefore, it can be hypothesised that microbial activity could play a role in structurally weakening shale rock within cliffs and accelerate their erosion. Future work should attempt to quantify the rate and extent of microbial iron oxidizing activity within shale cliff environments and investigate its contribution to erosive processes.

No description available.

With large populations living in tropical regions of the world with volcanic substrates, understanding basalt weathering processes is vital. The Hawaiian Islands are an excellent natural analogue to study chemical weathering rates due to a uniform bedrock (basalt), large variations in rainfall, and varying ages across the islands. Laterite weathering profiles (LWP) develop over time through chemical weathering, where LWP thickness is influenced by many factors, including precipitation and time. Using the rapid, non-invasive horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method, LWP thicknesses can be estimated to constrain chemical weathering rates. Studying the laterite weathering profiles developed from basaltic bedrock of varying ages on Oahu (~2 Ma), Molokai (~1 Ma) and Kohala, Hawaii (~0.3 Ma) reveals three profiles in varying developmental stages. Over 200 HVSR soundings were collected on Oahu, Molokai, and Kohala. Shear wave velocity values of LWPs were determined by MASW (multichannel analysis of surface waves), and LWP thicknesses verified from geologic logs and outcrop. Oahu has thick LWPs compared to the other islands and shows a trend of increasing thickness with increasing precipitation across the island. The Molokai LWP follows a trend similar to Oahu, with a noticeable difference of thicknesses (20-40 m) at similar precipitation thresholds. Molokai presented a unique case, where the shear-wave velocity (Vs) boundaries between laterite and basalt were gradational for ~43% of HVSR datapoints, resulting in featureless frequency spectra that could not reliably model laterite-basalt boundary depths. The gradational nature of the LWP of Molokai is attributed to the young age of the island, and primary permeability properties of the thick, post-shield alkalic lavas. Molokai has an aerially average weathering rate of 0.02 to 0.04 m/ka. Kohala HVSR data show a newly developed LWP with varying LWP thickness within the same precipitation isohyet. LWPs on Kohala show a unique trend where LWP is thickest along the coast and is wedge shaped thinning out towards higher elevations. Each island differs in age and has its own unique LWP trends, with older islands tending to have deeper, more developed LWPs at similar precipitation ranges.

The aim of this study was to arrive at a fundamental understanding of kimberlite weathering and of factors which affect the rate and extent of weathering. Weathering was evaluated by measuring the change in size distribution after immersing crushed kimberlite in solutions of various compositions. Reproducibility of the measurements was found to be good, with the cumulative mass passing a given size differing by 7% or less, as tested for various weathering conditions. Kimberlite mineralogy, specifically the swelling clay content, was found to play a central role: kimberlite ores containing no swelling clay were not prone to weathering under any of the conditions tested. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) correlates well with the swelling clay content and with the weathering behaviour. The cation exchange capacity may be used in conjunction with the swelling clay content, as a predictor of possible kimberlite behaviour; however, given the relative complexity and cost of measuring swelling clay content (by X-ray diffraction), the CEC is the preferred parameter for practical use. Cations in the weathering solution have a strong effect on kimberlite weathering; the strength of the effect followed the series Cu2+ > Li+ > Fe2+ > Ca2+ > Fe3+ > Mg2+, whereas K+ and NH4+ stabilised the kimberlite somewhat against weathering. This sequence was in reasonable correlation with the ionic potential (ratio of valency to ionic radius), but with exceptionally strong weathering effects of Cu2+, and (to a lesser extent) of Li+ and Fe2+. The strong effect of the latter group of cations may be related to their tendency to adsorb onto other crystal sites in addition to the interlayer – the associated change in surface energy can change the fracture behaviour of the kimberlite. Measurement of the layer spacing of the swelling clay (by X-ray diffraction) showed no correlation between the weathering effect of a cation and the associated thickness of the interlayer. For solutions of cupric ions, the identity of the anion (chloride or sulphate) has little effect on weathering. The size of the crushed kimberlite ore similarly has little effect on the relative extent of size degradation by weathering. The concentration of cupric ions affects weathering, as does the weathering time – although 85% of the weathering caused by 30 days' exposure was found to occur within the first 24 hours. Increasing the temperature to 40°C (in a magnesium chloride solution) also increased weathering strongly. The kinetics of exchange of cuprous and potassium ions was measured (for two different kimberlites); the apparent reaction order (with respect to the concentration of exchanging cations in solution) varied between 1 and 3.5, and exchange of potassium was more rapid. This work has practical implications for in-plant processing of kimberlite, possible alternative kimberlite processing routes which eliminate one or more crushing steps, and for the stability of mine tunnels which pass through kimberlite. / Thesis (PhD (Metallurgical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering / PhD / unrestricted

Dissolution rates of hornblende and tremolite were studied in constant pH batch experiments over the pH range 4-6, in order to understand the acid neutralizing role of hornblende in watersheds with low alkalinity. Hornblende and tremolite exhibit linear dissolution kinetics within one or two days after the onset of weathering. During the first 80-100 hours of weathering, base cations are released preferentially to silica in both minerals. During this period a leached surface layer similar in structure to the original material, but altered in composition is believed to be formed. Release rates of Si, Ca, Na, and Mg from hornblende exhibit weak fractional dependence on pH: d[Mg] /dt = k₁[H⁺] 0.13, d[Ca] /dt = k₁[H⁺] 0.065, d[Na] /dt = k₁[H⁺] 0.17, and d[Si] /dt = k₁[H⁺] 0.045. As a result, it is believed that, for large and transient influxes of acidified water, hornblende is not an important pH buffer. Because of rapid dissolution rates, however, hornblende could be an important source of acid neutralizing capacity.

No description available.