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A new look at old carbon in active margin sediments

2009; Geological Society of America; Volume: 37; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/g25351a.1

1943-2682

Nicholas J. Drenzek, Konrad A Hughen, Daniel B. Montluçon, John Southon, Guaciara M. Santos, Ellen R. M. Druffel, Liviu Giosan, Timothy I. Eglinton,

Marine and coastal ecosystems

Research Article| March 01, 2009 A new look at old carbon in active margin sediments Nicholas J. Drenzek; Nicholas J. Drenzek * 11Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA *E-mail: ndrenzek@whoi.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Konrad A. Hughen; Konrad A. Hughen 11Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Daniel B. Montluçon; Daniel B. Montluçon 11Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John R. Southon; John R. Southon 22Deparment of Earth System Science, University of California–Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Guaciara M. dos Santos; Guaciara M. dos Santos 22Deparment of Earth System Science, University of California–Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ellen R.M. Druffel; Ellen R.M. Druffel 22Deparment of Earth System Science, University of California–Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Liviu Giosan; Liviu Giosan 33Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Timothy I. Eglinton Timothy I. Eglinton 11Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2009) 37 (3): 239–242. https://doi.org/10.1130/G25351A.1 Article history received: 11 Jul 2008 rev-recd: 23 Oct 2008 accepted: 26 Oct 2008 first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Nicholas J. Drenzek, Konrad A. Hughen, Daniel B. Montluçon, John R. Southon, Guaciara M. dos Santos, Ellen R.M. Druffel, Liviu Giosan, Timothy I. Eglinton; A new look at old carbon in active margin sediments. Geology 2009;; 37 (3): 239–242. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G25351A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Recent studies suggest that as much as half of the organic carbon (OC) undergoing burial in the sediments of tectonically active continental margins may be the product of fossil shale weathering. These estimates rely on the assumption that vascular plant detritus spends little time sequestered in intermediate reservoirs such as soils, freshwater sediments, and river deltas, and thus only minimally contributes to the extraneously old 14C ages of total organic matter often observed on adjacent shelves. Here we test this paradigm by measuring the Δ14C and δ13C values of individual higher plant wax fatty acids as well as the δ13C values of extractable alkanes isolated from the Eel River margin (California). The isotopic signatures of the long chain fatty acids indicate that vascular plant material has been sequestered for several thousand years before deposition. A coupled molecular isotope mass balance used to reassess the sedimentary carbon budget indicates that the fossil component is less abundant than previously estimated, with pre-aged terrestrial material instead composing a considerable proportion of all organic matter. If these findings are characteristic of other continental margins proximal to small mountainous rivers, then the importance of petrogenic OC burial in marine sediments may need to be reevaluated. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.