Comparison of field and laboratory weathering rates in carbonate rocks from an Eastern Mediterranean drainage basin

Abstract

The rates of carbonate rock weathering affect the global carbon cycle over timescales of hundreds to thousands of years. While field measurements show that the rate of carbonate denudation increases with rainfall, significant variability exists. To determine whether the mineralogical composition of the rocks causes this variability, we compare published long-term field denudation rates determined from cosmogenic isotopes (36Cl) with the weathering rates measured in laboratory experiments conducted on the same rock samples. The samples were collected from natural-rock outcrops across the Soreq drainage basin (Israel) that experience similar mean annual precipitation, but exhibit long-term denudation rates that vary from 6 mm ky−1 to 20 mm ky−1. In laboratory experiments, we found that the laboratory rates also varied, decreasing as the ratio of dolomite to calcite increased. However, no correlation was evident between the long-term denudation rates and mineral composition, suggesting that the variability in field rates was not controlled by the kinetics of dissolution. Other factors, such as rain intensity, biological activity, and mechanical erosion are likely to control the variability in the rates by inhibiting or accelerating the weathering of carbonate surfaces in natural settings.