Chemical Weathering in Central Iceland: An Analog of Pre-Silurian Weathering

The rate of chemical weathering in central Iceland is two to three times more rapid in areas with plant cover than in barren areas. This relatively small difference in chemical weathering rates suggests that atmospheric CO 2 pressures no greater than five times the present value were needed to susta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Cawley, J. L., Burruss, R. C., Holland, H. D.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1969
Subjects:
Iceland
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.165.3891.391
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.165.3891.391
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Summary:The rate of chemical weathering in central Iceland is two to three times more rapid in areas with plant cover than in barren areas. This relatively small difference in chemical weathering rates suggests that atmospheric CO 2 pressures no greater than five times the present value were needed to sustain present-day rates of chemical weathering before the development of higher land plants in the Silurian.

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