Enrichment of heavy calcium isotopes in saprolite due to secondary mineral formation

Calcium stable isotopes were analyzed in well-characterized saprolite samples developed on a Mesozoic metadiabase dike near Cayce, South Carolina, to determine the degree and sense of isotopic fractionation during chemical weathering. The delta Ca-44/40 values (relative to NIST SRM 915a) of the saprolites, measured using double-spike TIMS, vary significantly (0.91 parts per thousand to 1.26 parts per thousand), and are generally higher than the delta Ca-44/40 value of the unweathered metadiabase (0.98 parts per thousand), which overlaps, within analytical uncertainties, with the delta Ca-44/40 estimate of the bulk silicate Earth. The delta Ca-44/40 values of the saprolites negatively correlate with bulk density, and Ti-normalized calcium concentrations, and positively correlate with chemical index of alteration (CIA) values. These trends reflect loss of light Ca isotopes to the hydrosphere during metadiabase weathering. Using insoluble incompatible elements ratios (e.g., Th/Nb) we estimate that the influence of aeolian dust is minimal (3% - 11%) and therefore unable to explain the observed variation in delta Ca-44/40 values of the saprolites. Selective weathering of rock-forming minerals like plagioclase and clinopyroxene cannot explain the high delta Ca-44/40 values (> 1 parts per thousand) of the saprolites based on mass balance constraints. Samples with higher kaolinite/smectite ratio have higher delta Ca-44/40 values and lower concentrations of Ca, which suggests the loss of Ca from smectite-rich clays during progressive weathering. In this case, the lighter isotopes are preferentially lost, leaving the residual clays enriched in heavier isotopes of Ca. The delta Ca-44/40 values of saprolites correlate positively with delta Mg-26 and negatively with delta Li-7 values of the same samples, which further suggests that Ca stable isotopic variability of the Cayce metadiabase saprolites is controlled by formation of clay minerals and progressive loss of Ca during saprolitization. The enrichment of heavy Ca isotopes in saprolites with progressive loss of Ca can be modeled using Rayleigh distillation, with apparent fractionation factors between saprolites and fluid (alpha) of 1.00005 to 1.00015.

Automated summary

In this study, calcium stable isotopes were analyzed in well-characterized saprolite samples near Cayce, South Carolina to understand the isotopic fractionation during chemical weathering. The results showed that the δCa-44/40 values of the saprolites varied significantly and were generally higher than the unweathered metadiabase, indicating the loss of light Ca isotopes during weathering. The correlation between the δCa-44/40 values and other parameters suggests that the formation of clay minerals and the progressive loss of Ca are controlling factors for the Ca stable isotopic variability in the saprolites.