Abstract
Abstract. Benthic fluxes of dissolved silicon (Si) from sediments into the water column are driven by the dissolution of biogenic silica (bSiO2) and terrigenous Si minerals and modulated by the precipitation of authigenic Si phases. Each of these processes has a specific effect on the isotopic composition of silicon dissolved in sediment pore fluids, such that the determination of pore fluid δ30Si values can help to decipher the complex Si cycle in surface sediments. In this study, the δ30Si signatures of pore fluids and bSiO2 in the Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California) were analyzed, which is characterized by high bSiO2 accumulation and hydrothermal activity. The δ30Si signatures were investigated in the deep basin, in the vicinity of a hydrothermal vent field, and at an anoxic site located within the pronounced oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). The pore fluid δ30Sipf signatures differ significantly depending on the ambient conditions. Within the basin, δ30Sipf is essentially uniform, averaging +1.2±0.1 ‰ (1 SD). Pore fluid δ30Sipf values from within the OMZ are significantly lower (0.0±0.5 ‰, 1 SD), while pore fluids close to the hydrothermal vent field are higher (+2.0±0.2 ‰, 1SD). Reactive transport modeling results show that the δ30Sipf is mainly controlled by silica dissolution (bSiO2 and terrigenous phases) and Si precipitation (authigenic aluminosilicates). Precipitation processes cause a shift to high pore fluid δ30Sipf signatures, most pronounced at the hydrothermal site. Within the OMZ, however, additional dissolution of isotopically depleted Si minerals (e.g., clays) facilitated by high mass accumulation rates of terrigenous material (MARterr) is required to promote the low δ30Sipf signatures, while precipitation of authigenic aluminosilicates seems to be hampered by high water ∕ rock ratios. Guaymas OMZ δ30Sipf values are markedly different from those of the Peruvian OMZ, the only other marine OMZ setting where Si isotopes have been investigated to constrain early diagenetic processes. These differences highlight the fact that δ30Sipf signals in OMZs worldwide are not alike and each setting can result in a range of δ30Sipf values as a function of the environmental conditions. We conclude that the benthic silicon cycle is more complex than previously thought and that additional Si isotope studies are needed to decipher the controls on Si turnover in marine sediment and the role of sediments in the marine silicon cycle.
Highlights
Silicon (Si) is one of the key macronutrients in the ocean, mainly utilized by siliceous organisms, such as diatoms, radiolarians, or sponges
The δ30Si signatures were investigated in the deep basin, in the vicinity of a hydrothermal vent field, and at an anoxic site located within the pronounced oxygen minimum zone (OMZ)
We investigated the processes controlling Si isotope fractionation during early diagenesis based on pore fluid and bSiO2 data from three fundamentally different environmental settings within the Guaymas Basin, including the deep basin, a hydrothermal site, and a site within the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) on the slope of the basin (Fig. 1)
Summary
Silicon (Si) is one of the key macronutrients in the ocean, mainly utilized by siliceous organisms, such as diatoms, radiolarians, or sponges (see the recent review by Sutton et al, 2018). Studies of Si isotopes (δ30Si) have revealed complex uptake and dissolution processes of siliceous organisms, which have a dominant control on the δ30Si distribution in ocean waters Fractionation factors between −0.5 ‰ and −2.1 ‰ have been derived from regional water mass mixing and laboratory studies (De La Rocha et al, 1997; Varela et al, 2004; Cardinal et al, 2005; Beucher et al, 2008; Sutton et al, 2013; Meyerink et al, 2017)
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