Weathering, by which rock becomes soil, has implications for the Earth’s climate, metal ore management, pollution detection and food production. Using a new isotope method, the IsoNose project successfully followed the journey of chemical elements from rock to plants.
Harnessing natural resources at the Earth’s surface is taking place at an unprecedented pace and scale. If this exploitation of soil, water, and precious metals is to be sustainable, it has to become more efficient. Achieving this rests on better understanding the transformative biogeochemical processes involved when chemical elements travel from rock to soil, into plants, through ground water, into river water and into ore deposits.
Further information: New weathering analysis accurately traces the geochemical flux beneath the Earth’s surface