Publication Date:
2024-02-23
Description:
The understanding of silicate weathering and its role as a sink for atmospheric CO 2 is important to get a better insight into how the Earth shifts from warm to cool climates. The lithium isotope composition (δ 7 Li) of marine carbonates can be used as a proxy to track the past chemical weathering of silicates. A high‐resolution δ 7 Li record would be helpful to evaluate the role of silicate weathering during the late Cretaceous climate cooling. Here, we assess chalk as a potential archive for reconstructing Late Cretaceous seawater Li isotope composition by comparing Maastrichtian chalk from Northern Germany (Hemmoor, Kronsmoor) to a Quaternary coccolith ooze from the Manihiki Plateau (Pacific Ocean) as a lithological analog to modern conditions. We observe a negative offset of 3.9 ± 0.6‰ for the coccolith ooze relative to the modern seawater Li isotope composition (+31.1 ± 0.3‰; 2SE; n = 54), a value that falls in the range of published offsets for modern core‐top samples and for brachiopod calcite. Further, the negative offset between the Li isotope compositions of Manihiki coccolith ooze and modern planktonic foraminifera is 2.3 ± 0.6‰. Although chalk represents a diagenetically altered modification of pelagic nannofossil ooze, manifested by changes in the composition of trace elements, we observe a consistent offset of Li isotope data between Maastrichtian chalk and Maastrichtian planktonic foraminiferal data (−1.4 ± 0. 5‰) that lies within the uncertainty of modern values. We therefore suggest that chalk can be used as a reliable archive for δ 7 Li reconstructions.
Key Points
Chalk is a reliable archive for the Li isotope composition of seawater
Coccolith ooze has a negative offset of 3.9 ± 0.6‰ from modern seawater for Li isotope ratios
The estimated mean value for the late Maastrichtian seawater Li isotope composition is +27.5 ± 1.0‰
Type:
Article
,
PeerReviewed
Format:
text
Format:
text
Format:
other
Format:
other
Format:
other
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