Open AccessTesting the effect of carbonate saturation on the Sr/Ca of biogenic aragonite: A case study from the River Ehen, Cumbria, UK
Author(s) -
Bailey Trevor R.,
Lear Caroline H.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.928
H-Index - 136
ISSN - 1525-2027
DOI - 10.1029/2005gc001084
Subject(s) - aragonite , strontium , carbonate , saturation (graph theory) , geology , calcite , mineralogy , calcium carbonate , geochemistry , chemistry , mathematics , organic chemistry , combinatorics
It has been suggested that the incorporation of strontium into biogenic aragonite may be influenced by the degree of carbonate saturation in aquatic environments. We measured the Sr/Ca ratios of river water and the aragonitic shells of freshwater bivalves ( Margaritifera margaritifera ) from two sites with different carbonate saturation states in the River Ehen, Cumbria, UK. Shell Sr/Ca and river water Sr/Ca are 0.1 mmol/mol and 0.42 mmol/mol lower, respectively, at the high carbonate saturation site. However, the distribution coefficients of strontium into aragonite (K D ) are the same (∼0.28) at both sites. These analyses show that Sr uptake into aragonite bivalve shells is not affected by the degree of carbonate saturation of the water, perhaps reflecting a strong biological control on trace element incorporation.