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Sulfur isotope fractionation between aqueous and carbonate-associated sulfate in abiotic calcite and aragonite

Journal Article · · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1]
  1. Weizmann Inst. of Science, Rehovot (Israel)
  2. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); Univ. de Lorraine (France)
  3. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
  4. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech)
Sulfate (SO42–) incorporated into calcium carbonate minerals enables measurements of sulfur (S) isotope ratios in carbonate rocks. This Carbonate Associated Sulfate (CAS) in marine carbonate minerals is thought to faithfully represent the S isotope composition of the seawater sulfate incorporated into the mineral, with little or no S isotope fractionation in the process. However, comparison between different calcifying species reveals both positive and negative S isotope fractionation between CAS and seawater sulfate, and a large range of S isotope ratios can be found within a single rock sample, depending on the component measured. To better understand the isotopic effects associated with sulfate incorporation into carbonate minerals, we precipitated inorganic calcite and aragonite over a range covering more than two orders of magnitude of sulfate concentration and precipitation rate. Coupled measurements of CAS concentration, S isotope composition and X-ray absorption near-edge spectra (XANES) permit characterization and explanation of the observed dependence of S isotope fractionation between CAS and aqueous sulfate (CAS-SO42– isotope fractionation) on sulfate concentration and precipitation rate. In aragonite, the CAS-SO42– isotope fractionation is 1.0 ± 0.3‰ and independent of the sulfate (and CAS) concentration. In contrast, we note the CAS-SO42– isotope fractionation in calcite covaries strongly with the sulfate concentration and weakly with the precipitation rate, between values of 1.3 ± 0.1 and 3.1 ± 0.6‰. We suggest that the correlation between aqueous sulfate concentration and CAS-SO42– isotope fractionation in calcite reflects a dependence of the equilibrium S isotope fractionation on the concentration of CAS, through the effect of the sulfate impurity on the carbonate mineral’s energetic state.
Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
Sponsoring Organization:
European Research Council (ERC); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1637646
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1775796
Journal Information:
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Journal Issue: C Vol. 280; ISSN 0016-7037
Publisher:
Elsevier; The Geochemical Society; The Meteoritical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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