Silicate weathering in the semi-arid Southern Pyrenees during the PETM: lithium isotope evidence
Rocio Jaimes-Gutierrez,Marine Prieur,David J. Wilson,Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann,Emmanuelle Pucéat,Thierry Adatte,Jorge E. Spangenberg,and Sébastien Castelltort
London Geochemistry and Isotope Centre (LOGIC), Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University College London and Birkbeck, University of London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
London Geochemistry and Isotope Centre (LOGIC), Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University College London and Birkbeck, University of London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
Emmanuelle Pucéat
Biogéosciences Dijon, Université Bourgogne Franche – Comté, UMR CNRS 6282, Dijon, France
How do semi-arid landscapes respond to rapid global warming? During the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum – an extreme warming event 56 Ma ago – global lithium isotope records show a negative δ7Li excursion, suggesting an increase in weathering fluxes. In the Southern Pyrenees, we find the opposite behaviour: clay δ7Li values became ~1‰ heavier, indicating enhanced clay formation. These results suggest that regional hydroclimatic conditions can decouple regional signals from global averages.
How do semi-arid landscapes respond to rapid global warming? During the Palaeocene-Eocene...