Massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, Northwestern China
Large-scale nitrate deposits are rare on Earth's surface due to the high solubility of nitrate minerals. Exceptions are found in extremely old (to 14 m.y.) and hyperarid deserts such as the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, or the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica. The nitrate in both of these...
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2012
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ftlouisianastuir:oai:digitalcommons.lsu.edu:geo_pubs-1064 2023-06-11T04:07:14+02:00 Massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, Northwestern China Qin, Yan Li, Yanhe Bao, Huiming Liu, Feng Hou, Kejun Wan, Defang Zhang, Cheng 2012-07-01T07:00:00Z https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/geo_pubs/65 https://doi.org/10.1130/G32953.1 unknown LSU Digital Commons https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/geo_pubs/65 doi:10.1130/G32953.1 Faculty Publications text 2012 ftlouisianastuir https://doi.org/10.1130/G32953.1 2023-05-28T18:16:31Z Large-scale nitrate deposits are rare on Earth's surface due to the high solubility of nitrate minerals. Exceptions are found in extremely old (to 14 m.y.) and hyperarid deserts such as the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, or the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica. The nitrate in both of these regions has been determined to originate from atmospheric oxidation of NOx. Here we report a new type of massive atmospheric nitrate deposit, with resources equivalent to the Atacama deposits, in the Turpan-Hami area, northwestern China. This deposit is characterized by (1) a location in the center of a large continent; (2) young age (Pleistocene); (3) general enrichment near the surface rather than at depth; and (4) high spatial variability in the nitrogen and triple oxygen isotope composition within this arid region, the δ15N ranging from 0.7‰ to 27.6‰, 18O from 30.2‰ to 46.7‰, and 17O from 5.9‰ to 20.7‰. The Turpan-Hami nitrate deposit nitrogen and triple oxygen isotope composition is closely between those of the Mojave Desert (southwestern United States) and the Atacama Desert, suggesting that (1) Earth's low-middle latitudes (i.e., non-polar sites) have been receiving atmospheric nitrate deposition of similar nitrogen and triple oxygen isotope composition; and (2) local or regional isotope differences in nitrate deposits can be attributed to postdepositional processes, namely the difference in aridity and associated microbial activities. © 2012 Geological Society of America. Text Antarc* Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys LSU Digital Commons (Louisiana State University) McMurdo Dry Valleys Geology 40 7 623 626 |
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LSU Digital Commons (Louisiana State University) |
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Large-scale nitrate deposits are rare on Earth's surface due to the high solubility of nitrate minerals. Exceptions are found in extremely old (to 14 m.y.) and hyperarid deserts such as the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, or the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica. The nitrate in both of these regions has been determined to originate from atmospheric oxidation of NOx. Here we report a new type of massive atmospheric nitrate deposit, with resources equivalent to the Atacama deposits, in the Turpan-Hami area, northwestern China. This deposit is characterized by (1) a location in the center of a large continent; (2) young age (Pleistocene); (3) general enrichment near the surface rather than at depth; and (4) high spatial variability in the nitrogen and triple oxygen isotope composition within this arid region, the δ15N ranging from 0.7‰ to 27.6‰, 18O from 30.2‰ to 46.7‰, and 17O from 5.9‰ to 20.7‰. The Turpan-Hami nitrate deposit nitrogen and triple oxygen isotope composition is closely between those of the Mojave Desert (southwestern United States) and the Atacama Desert, suggesting that (1) Earth's low-middle latitudes (i.e., non-polar sites) have been receiving atmospheric nitrate deposition of similar nitrogen and triple oxygen isotope composition; and (2) local or regional isotope differences in nitrate deposits can be attributed to postdepositional processes, namely the difference in aridity and associated microbial activities. © 2012 Geological Society of America. |
format |
Text |
author |
Qin, Yan Li, Yanhe Bao, Huiming Liu, Feng Hou, Kejun Wan, Defang Zhang, Cheng |
spellingShingle |
Qin, Yan Li, Yanhe Bao, Huiming Liu, Feng Hou, Kejun Wan, Defang Zhang, Cheng Massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, Northwestern China |
author_facet |
Qin, Yan Li, Yanhe Bao, Huiming Liu, Feng Hou, Kejun Wan, Defang Zhang, Cheng |
author_sort |
Qin, Yan |
title |
Massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, Northwestern China |
title_short |
Massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, Northwestern China |
title_full |
Massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, Northwestern China |
title_fullStr |
Massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, Northwestern China |
title_full_unstemmed |
Massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, Northwestern China |
title_sort |
massive atmospheric nitrate accumulation in a continental interior desert, northwestern china |
publisher |
LSU Digital Commons |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/geo_pubs/65 https://doi.org/10.1130/G32953.1 |
geographic |
McMurdo Dry Valleys |
geographic_facet |
McMurdo Dry Valleys |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys |
op_source |
Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/geo_pubs/65 doi:10.1130/G32953.1 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1130/G32953.1 |
container_title |
Geology |
container_volume |
40 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
623 |
op_container_end_page |
626 |
_version_ |
1768380215754489856 |