Chemical Weathering and Physical Erosion Fluxes From Serpentinite in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Weathering of ultramafic rocks emplaced at low latitude during arc-arc and arc-continent collisions may provide an important sink for atmospheric CO₂ over geologic timescales. Accurately modeling the effects of ultramafic rock weathering on Earth's carbon cycle and climate requires understanding mass fluxes from ultramafic landscapes. In this study, physical erosion and chemical weathering fluxes and weathering intensity are quantified in 15 watersheds across the Monte del Estado, a serpentinite massif in Puerto Rico, using measurements of in situ ³⁶Cl in magnetite, stream solute fluxes, and sediment geochemistry. Despite high relief in the study watersheds, erosion fluxes are moderate (22–109 tons km⁻² yr⁻¹), chemical weathering fluxes are large (55–143 tons km⁻² yr⁻¹), and weathering intensities are among the highest yet reported for silicate-rock weathering (up to 0.88). We use these data to parameterize power-law relationships between weathering, erosion, and runoff. We interpret the relative importance of climate versus erosion in setting weathering fluxes and CO₂ consumption from the best-fit power-law slopes. Weathering fluxes from tropical, montane serpentinite landscapes are found to be strongly controlled by runoff and weakly controlled by the supply of fresh rock to the weathering zone through physical erosion. The strong runoff dependence of weathering fluxes implies that, to the extent that precipitation rates are coupled to global temperature, ultramafic landscapes may be important participants in the negative silicate weathering feedback, increasing (decreasing) CO₂ consumption in response to a warming (cooling) climate. Thus, serpentinite landscapes may help stabilize Earth's climate state through time.