Open AccessNon-traditional stable isotope signatures in geological matrices as a tool for interpreting environmental changes – a review
Author(s) -
Željka Fiket,
Martina Furdek Turk,
Maja Ivanić,
Goran Kniewald
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geologia croatica online/geologia croatica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.226
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1333-4875
pISSN - 1330-030X
DOI - 10.4154/gc.2021.12
Subject(s) - isotope , geology , geochemistry , isotope fractionation , earth science , sedimentary depositional environment , weathering , isotope geochemistry , stable isotope ratio , isotopic signature , environmental isotopes , mantle (geology) , environmental chemistry , chemistry , paleontology , groundwater , aquifer , physics , geotechnical engineering , quantum mechanics , structural basin , groundwater recharge
The development of new analytical techniques enabled the precise determination of the expanded set of stable isotopes and provided new insight into the existing geological issues. This review outlines recent studies of non-traditional isotope signatures in geological matrices, summarizing in one place new data for stable isotopes of Ca, Mg, Sr, Li, Ni, Cr, and Cu and their application in the interpretation of environmental processes. Although some of them, such as δ44Ca and δ26Mg, have been previously used to track changes in seawater chemistry throughout geological history, recent studies report their application as geochemical proxies of post-depositional processes. Similarly, isotopic signatures of strontium, previously used in radioactive isotope chronology, and δ7Li, used in tracing plate subduction and crust/mantle material cycling, found a new application in studies of weathering patterns. The use of δ53Cr and δ 65Cu isotope signatures, on the other hand, reflects their fractionation under different redox conditions, whereas δ60Ni, due to its co-precipitation with sulfide species and Fe-Mn phases, is used in interpreting the contributions of different material sources. And while the isotopic signatures of all these elements indicate certain environmental conditions and processes (e.g., post-depositional processes, redox conditions, organic matter input, the contribution of sources, etc.), combining them a more comprehensive insight into the investigated environment can be achieved.