| Summary: | The contribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to mineral weathering was investigated under the changing Eh and pH conditions in three subarctic fens, near Schefferville, Quebec. No evidence of increased weathering rates nor different weathering patterns were found in the fen basal sediment despite DOC-rich and low Eh (0 to +200 mV) conditions. Solutions containing 50 mg DOC/L derived from subarctic fen peat, and of 50 and 300 mg DOC/L, derived from deciduous leaf litter were used as weathering agents. Clinochlore, microcline and the Fe-rich basal till from the Schefferville fens were used as weatherable mediums. The DOC rich solutions and controls (made of distilled water buffered to the same initial pH) were used to investigate the relative weathering ability of DOC-rich waters under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The relative ability was determined by comparing the changing cation concentrations in the solutions.
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