Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword to the English edition
- Foreword to the French edition
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 The properties of elements
- 2 Mass conservation – elemental and isotopic fractionation
- 3 Geochronology and radiogenic tracers
- 4 Element transport
- 5 Geochemical systems
- 6 Waters present and past
- 7 Mineral reactions
- 8 The solid Earth
- 9 The Earth in the Solar System
- 10 The geochemical behavior of selected elements
- Appendix A Composition of the major geological units
- Appendix B The mixing equation for ratios
- Appendix C A refresher on thermodynamics
- Appendix D The Rayleigh distillation equation
- Appendix E The geological time scale
- Appendix F An overview of analytical methods
- Appendix G Physical and geophysical constants
- Appendix H Some equations relative to residence time
- Further reading
- Index
10 - The geochemical behavior of selected elements
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword to the English edition
- Foreword to the French edition
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 The properties of elements
- 2 Mass conservation – elemental and isotopic fractionation
- 3 Geochronology and radiogenic tracers
- 4 Element transport
- 5 Geochemical systems
- 6 Waters present and past
- 7 Mineral reactions
- 8 The solid Earth
- 9 The Earth in the Solar System
- 10 The geochemical behavior of selected elements
- Appendix A Composition of the major geological units
- Appendix B The mixing equation for ratios
- Appendix C A refresher on thermodynamics
- Appendix D The Rayleigh distillation equation
- Appendix E The geological time scale
- Appendix F An overview of analytical methods
- Appendix G Physical and geophysical constants
- Appendix H Some equations relative to residence time
- Further reading
- Index
Summary
This chapter is intended to provide a geochemical overview of a number of important elements. The elements will be grouped according to mixed criteria, in particular their position in the periodic table and their geochemical properties. We will describe the major mineral phases that host these elements in the mantle and the crust, their properties in solution, and the processes by which they are transferred from any major reservoir (mantle, crust, ocean) to its neighbors. We will not reproduce here the terrestrial abundances, which can be found in Appendix A. We will nevertheless provide the reader with some important data. Condensation temperatures in the solar nebula (Wasson, 1985) define the volatile versus refractory character of the element. The solubility and complexation data in surface waters (Morel and Hering, 1993) and the residence times in seawater (Broecker and Peng, 1982) constrain the concentration level and speciation in natural waters at low temperature. Different parts of geochemical cycles may receive uneven attention. This inhomogeneous treatment reflects the power of geochemistry: different elements are used to trace different processes. The elements that essentially fractionate in atmospheric and oceanic processes (N, O, H) have not been dealt with, while only the long-term aspects of the carbon cycle have been considered.
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- GeochemistryAn Introduction, pp. 191 - 206Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003