Geochemical mass balance and weathering rates of ultramafic schists in Amazonia

The hydrochemical balance of the Yaou catchment in French Guiana was determined over a period of 1 year, combined with a detailed characterization of the primary minerals and their weathering products, in order to estimate ultramafic rock weathering rates in a rainforest environment. The time required to develop the main horizons of the laterite profile was obtained from estimations of the weathering rates and dissolution kinetics of some major parent minerals (chlorite, serpentine, biotite, calcite). ecific transport of solute matter in the catchment is 205 kg/ha/a. The Cl and NO3 net outputs shows that the system is in dynamic equilibrium, notably with respect to the biomass reservoir. The output flux of Mg in solution is mainly supplied from the weathering of primary minerals, whereas that of Ca comes both from atmospheric contributions and from the dissolution of carbonates. The fluxes of K and, more particularly, Na derive essentially from the atmosphere. Knowing the weathering rate of primary minerals, the total CO2 consumption rate by silicate weathering is estimated at 1430 mol/ha/a. athering rates of chlorite, serpentine and biotite range from 18 to 65 mol/ha/a, and those of talc and calcite are, respectively 51 and 153 mol/ha/a. Weathering rates normalized to mineral modal proportions give a decreasing order of stability resistance to weathering (calcite≫biotite≫chlorite>serpentine>talc) that agrees with their vertical distribution in the weathering profile. The dissolution kinetics of chlorite, biotite and serpentine, expressed in relation to the Si release rate, were calculated using estimations of the mineral exchange surface by (a) optical microscope image processing of crystal outlines, and (b) BET specific surface measurements. The release rate of Si, computed for biotite, chlorite and serpentine, ranges around 10−13 and 10−14 mol/m2/s using microscope images on particle sizes. The estimated dissolution kinetics is two orders of magnitude lower when using the BET measured exchange surface, which is 100 times larger. prolitization rate, calculated from the weathering rates of calcite, chlorite and biotite, is on average 7.5 m/Ma. The rate of latosol development, calculated from the weathering rate of serpentine at the saprolite–latosol interface, is estimated at 4.5 m/Ma. That means that the profile is chemically thickening at a rate of 3 m/Ma.