Geochemical Reactions Between Water and Mineral Substrates

Water quality and pollution contamination depend strongly on geochemical processes involving reactions with mineral surfaces and substrates. Such processes include weathering reactions that contribute dissolved chemicals, sorption that removes aqueous species, and electron transfer mechanisms that establish redox conditions. Although extensive research has been conducted on the aqueous chemistry, minimal information exists on the corresponding solid phases and their effects on chemical transport. Objectives of this project are to: investigate the composition and structure of common mineral surfaces and determine the extent of heterogeneity between specific surfaces and the bulk mineral phase; determine the mechanism and rates of chemical and electron transfer between mineral substrates and surface- and ground-water systems; determine the nature and extent of temporal changes in surface compositions during natural weathering and contaminant introduction and assess the effects on sorption and retardation; assess environmental hazards due to the weathering of toxic materials contained in natural minerals and rocks and plan mitigation and cleanup under geologic constraints; and assess the effects of hydrologic parameters on rates of chemical weathering in soil profiles and watersheds and predict impacts of climate change.

REPORTS PUBLISHED 1999-2008

Izbicki, J.A., Ball, J.W., Bullen, T.D., and Sutley, S.J., in press, Chromium, chromium isotopes and selected trace elements, western Mojave Desert, USA: Applied Geochemistry. (on-line abstract of preprint)

Bouchaou, L. , Michelot, J.L. , Vengosh, A. , Hsissou, Y. , Qurtobi, M. , Gaye, C.B., Bullen, T.D., and Zuppi, G.M., 2008, Application of multiple isotopic and geochemical tracers for investigation of recharge, salinization, and residence time of water in the Souss–Massa aquifer, southwest of Morocco: Journal of Hydrology, v. 352, no. 3-4, p. 267-287. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Brantley, S.L., Kubicki, J.D. and White, A. F. eds., 2008, Kinetics of Water-Rock Interaction: New York, Springer, 832 p. (on-line book information)

White, A.F., Quantitative approaches to characterizing natural chemical weathering rates in Brantley, S.L., Kubicki, J.D. and White, A. F. eds., 2008, Kinetics of Water-Rock Interaction: New York, Springer, p. 469-543.

White, A.F., Schulz, M.S., Vivit, D.V., Blum, A.E., Stonestrom, D.A., and Anderson, S.P., 2008, Chemical weathering of a marine terrace chronosequence, Santa Cruz, California I: Interpreting rates and controls based on soil concentration-depth profiles: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 72, p. 36-68. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Baesman, S.M., Bullen, T.D., Dewald, J., Zhang, D.H., Curran, S., Islam, F.S., Beveridge, T.J., and Oremland, R.S., 2007, Formation of tellurium nanocrystals during anaerobic growth of bacteria using Te-oxyanions as respiratory electron acceptors: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, v. 73, p. 2,135-2,143. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Bullen, T.D., and Wang, Y., eds., 2007, Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction, Kunming, China, 31 July - 5 August, 2007: London, Taylor and Francis CRC Press, 1734 p. (on-line book information)

Balci, N., Bullen, T.D., Witte-Lien, K., Shanks, W.C., Motelica, M. and Mandernack, K.W., 2006, Iron isotope fractionation during microbially stimulated Fe(II) oxidation and Fe(III) precipitation: Geochemica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 70, p. 622-639. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Perakis, S.S., Maguire, D.A., Bullen, T.D., Cromack, K., Waring, R.H. and Boyle, J.R., 2006, Coupled nitrogen and calcium cycles in forests of the Oregon Coast Range: Ecosystems, v. 9, no.1, p. 63-74. (on-line abstract of journal article)

White, A.F., Schulz, M.S., Vivit, D.V., Blum, A.E., and Stonestrom, D.A., 2006, Controls on pore water solutes: An approach for distinguishing between biogenic and lithogenic processes: Journal of Geochemical Exploration, v. 88, p. 363-366. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Bullen, T.D. and Bailey, S.W., 2005, Identifying calcium sources at an acid deposition-impacted spruce forest: a strontium isotope, alkaline earth element multi-tracer approach: Biogeochemistry, v. 74, no. 1, p. 63-99. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Farber, E., Vengosh, A., Gavrieli, I., Marie, A., Bullen, T.D., Mayer, B., Holtzman, R., Segal, M., Shavit, U., 2005, Management scenarios for the Jordan River salinity crisis: Applied Geochemistry, v.20, no.11, p. 2138-2153. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Verstraeten, I.M., Fetterman, G.S., Meyer, M.T., Bullen, T.D. and Sebree, S.K., 2005, Use of tracers and isotopes to evaluate vulnerability of water in domestic wells to septic waste: Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation, v. 25, no. 2, p. 107-117. (on-line abstract of journal article)

White, A.F., Schulz, M.S., Lowenstern, J.B., Vivit, D.V., and Bullen, T.D., 2005, The ubiquitous nature of accessory calcite in granitoid rocks: Implications for weathering, solute evolution, and petrogenesis: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 69, p. 1,455-1,471. (on-line abstract of journal article)

White A.F., Schulz M.S., Vivit D.V., Blum A.E., Stonestrom D.A., and Harden, J., 2005, Chemical weathering rates of a soil chronosequence on granitic alluvium: III Hydrochemical evolution and contemporary solute fluxes and rates: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 69, p. 1,975-1,996. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Ziegler, K., Chadwick, O. A., White, A. F. and Brezinski, M.A., 2005, Delta 30Si systematics in a granitic saprolite, Puerto Rico: Geology, v. 33, no. 10, p. 817-820. (on-line abstract of journal article)

Anderson, S.P., Blum, J., Brantley, S.L., Chadwick, O., Chorover, J., Derry, L.A., Drever, J.I., Hering, J.G., Kirchner, J., Kump, L.R., Richter, D., and White, A.F., 2004, Proposed initiative would study Earth's weathering engine: EOS, v. 85, p. 265, 269.

Bayless, E.R., Bullen, T.D., and Fitzpatrick, J.A., 2004, Use of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ¹¹B to identify slag-affected sediment in southern Lake Michigan: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 38, p. 1330-1337. (on-line abstract or on-line pdf file, 486 kb - published by the American Chemical Society; not subject to U.S. copyright.)

Bullen, T.D., Fitzpatrick, J.A., White, A.F., Schulz, M.S., and Vivit, D.V., 2004, Calcium stable isotope evidence for three soil calcium pools at a granitoid chrono-sequence, in Wanty, R.B., and Seal, R.R., II, eds., Water-Rock Interaction, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction, Saratoga Springs, New York, July 2004: London, Taylor & Francis, v. 1, p. 813-817.

Buss, H.L., Brantley, S.L., Sak, P.B., and White, A.F., 2004, Mineral dissolution at the granite-saprolite interface, in Wanty, R.B., and Seal, R.R., II, eds., Water-Rock Interaction, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction, Saratoga Springs, New York, July 2004: London, Taylor & Francis, v. 1, p. 819-823.

Ellis, A.S., Johnson, T.M., and Bullen, T.D., 2004, Using chromium stable isotope ratios to quantify CR(VI) reduction - lack of sorption effects: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 38, p. 3604-3507. (on-line abstract)

Farber, E., Vengosh, A., Gavrieli, I., Marie, A., Bullen, T.D., Mayer, B., Holtzman, R., Segal, M., and Shavit, U., 2004, The origin and mechanisms of salinization of the lower Jordan river: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 68, no. 9, p. 1989-2006. (on-line abstract)

Johnson, T.M., and Bullen, T.D., 2004, Mass dependent fractionation of selenium and chromium isotopes in low-temperature environments, in Johnson, C.M., Beard, B.L., and Albarede, F., eds., Geochemistry of Non-Traditional Stable Isotopes: Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, v. 55, p. 255-288.

Moore, J., White, A.F., and Brantley, S.L., 2004, Effects of giant sequoia on soil chemistry, in Wanty, R.B., and Seal, R.R., II, eds., Water-Rock Interaction, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction, Saratoga Springs, New York, July 2004: London, Taylor & Francis, v. 2, p. 1,341-1,345.

Schulz, M.S., White, A.F., and Vivit, D.V., 2004, Geochemistry and evolution of pedogenic Fe nodules in a marine terrace chronosequence, in Wanty, R.B., and Seal, R.R., II, eds., Water-Rock Interaction, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction, Saratoga Springs, New York, July 2004: London, Taylor & Francis, v. 2, p. 1,231-1,234.

Shanley, J.B., Krám, P., Hruska, J., and Bullen, T.D. , 2004, A biogeochemical comparison of two well-buffered catchments with contrasting histories of acid deposition. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution: Focus, v. 4, no. 2-3, p. 325-342. (on-line abstract)

Vengosh, A., Hening, S., Ganor, J., Bullen, T.D., Weyhenmeyer, C.E., Sturchio, N.C., and Paytan, A., 2004, The origin and age of groundwater in the Nubian Sandstone aquifer in the Negev, Israel, in Wanty, R.B., and Seal, R.R., II, eds., Water-Rock Interaction, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction, Saratoga Springs, New York, July 2004: London, Taylor & Francis, v. 1, p. 509-512.

Verstraeten, I.M., Fetterman, G.S., Sebree, S.K., Meyer, M.T., and Bullen, T.D., 2004, Is Septic Waste Affecting Drinking Water From Shallow Domestic Wells Along the Platte River in Eastern Nebraska?: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2003-0072 (on-line fact sheet or on-line fact sheet in pdf format, 1004 KB)

Vivit, D.V., Schulz, M.S., White, A.F., and Anderson, S.P., 2004, Si cycling in a marine chronosequence demonstrated by pore-water Ge/Si ratios, in Wanty, R.B., and Seal, R.R., II, eds., Water-Rock Interaction, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction, Saratoga Springs, New York, July 2004: New York, A.A. Balkema, v. 1, p. 887-890.

White, A.F., Schulz, M.S., Lowenstern, J.B., Vivit, D.V., and Bullen, T.D., 2005, The ubiquitous nature of accessory calcite in granitoid rocks: Implications for weathering, solute evolution, and petrogenesis: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 69, p. 1,455-1,471. (on-line abstract of journal article)

White, A.F., Schulz, M.S., Vivit, D., and Blum, A.E., 2004. Hydrochemical evolution and contempory weathering rates in a soil chronosequence, Merced, California, USA, in Wanty, R.B., and Seal, R.R., II, eds., Water-Rock Interaction, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction, Saratoga Springs, New York, July 2004: New York, A.A. Balkema, v. 1, p. 891-894.

Bayless, E.R., and Schulz, M.S., 2003, Mineral precipitation and dissolution at two slag-disposal sites in northwestern Indiana, USA: Environmental Geology, v. 45, p. 252-261. (on-line abstract)

Bullen, T.D., White, A.F., Childs, C.W., Johnson, C.M., Beard, B.L., Braterman, P.W., and Welch, S.A., 2003, Isotopic fractionation between Fe(III) and Fe(II) in aqueous solutions; discussion and reply: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 206, no. 1-2, p. 229-236.

Ellis, A.S., Johnson, T.M., Herbel, M.J., and Bullen, T.D., 2003, Stable isotope fractionation of selenium by natural microbial consortia: Chemical Geology, v. 195, no. 1, p. 119-129. (on-line abstract)

Johnson, T.M., and Bullen, T.D., 2003, Selenium isotope fractionation during reduction by Fe(II)-Fe(III) hydroxide-sulfate (green rust): Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 67, no. 3, p. 413-419. (on-line abstract)

Landmeyer, J.W., Bradley, P.M., and Bullen, T.D., 2003, Stable lead isotopes reveal a natural source of igh lead concentrations to gasoline-contaminated ground water: Environmental Geology, v. 45, no. 1, p. 12-22. (on-line abstract)

Walker, J.F., Hunt, R.J., Bullen, T.D., Krabbenhoft, D.P., and Kendall, C., 2003, Variability of Isotope and Major Ion Chemistry in the Allequash Basin, Wisconsin: Ground Water, v. v. 41, p. 883-894. (on-line abstract)

White, A.F., 2003, Natural weathering rates of silicate minerals, in Drever, J.I., ed., Surface and Ground Water, Weathering and Soils, Treatise on Geochemistry, v. 5, chapter 5: Elsevier.

White, A.F., and Brantley, S.L., 2003, The effect of time on the weathering of silicate minerals - Why do weathering rates differ in the laboratory and field?: Chemical Geology, v. 202, no. 3, p. 479-506. (on-line abstract)

Ellis, A.S., Johnson, T.M., and Bullen, T.D., 2002,Chromium isotopes and the fate of hexavalent chromium in the environment: Science, v. 295, p. 2060-2062. (on-line abstract)

Herbel, M.J., Johnson, T.M., Tanji, K.K., Gao, S., and Bullen, T., 2002, Selenium stable isotope ratios in California agricultural drainage water management systems: Journal of Environ. Qual., v. 31, p. 1146-1156. (on-line abstract)

Kraemer, T.F., Doughten, M.W., Bullen, T.D., 2002, Use of ICP/MS with ultrasonic nebulizer for routine determination of uranium activity ratios in natural water: Environmental Science & Technology, v. 36, no. 22, p. 4899-4904. (on-line abstract)

Lyons, W.B., Nezat, C. A., Benson, L.V., Bullen, T.D., Graham, E.Y., Kidd, J., Welch, K.A., and Thomas, J.M., 2002. Strontium isotopic signatures of the streams and lakes of Taylor Valley, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica: chemical weathering in a polar climate: Aquatic Geochemistry, vol. 8, p. 75-95. (on-line abstract)

White, A. F., 2002, Determining mineral weathering rates based on solid and solute weathering gradients: Application to biotite weathering in saprolites: Chemical Geology, v. 190, p. 69-89. (on-line abstract)

White A.F., Blum A.E., Schulz M.S., Huntington T.G., Peters N.E., and Stonestrom D.A., 2002, Chemical weathering of the Panola Granite: Solute and regolith elemental fluxes and the dissolution rate of biotite, in Hellmann, R., and Wood, S.A., eds., Water-rock Interaction, Ore Deposits, and Environmental Geochemisty: A tribute to David A. Crerar: Geochemical Society Special Publication 7, p. 37-59. (on-line pdf file)

Brantley, S.L., Liermann, L., Bullen, T.D., 2001, Fractionation of Fe isotopes by soil microbes and organic acids: Geology, v. 29, no. 6, p.535-538. (on-line abstract)

Bullen, T.D., White, A.F., Childs, C.W., and Horita, J. 2001, Reducing ambiguity in isotopic studies using a multi-tracer approach, in Cidu, R., ed., Proceedings of the tenth international symposium WRI-10, Villasimius, Italy, 10-15 June 2001: A.A. Balkema, v. 1, p. 19-28.

Bullen, T.D., White, A.F., Childs, C.W., Vivit, D.V., and Schulz, M.S. 2001, Demonstration of significant abiotic iron isotope fractionation in nature: Geology, v. 29, no. 8, p. 699-702. (on-line abstract)

Hunt, R.J., Steuer, J.J; Mansor, M.T.C., Bullen, T.D., 2001, Delineating a recharge area for a spring using numerical modeling, Monte Carlo techniques, and geochemical investigation: Ground Water, v.39, no.5, p.702-712. (on-line abstract)

White, A.F., 2001, Weathering of silicate minerals: Yearbook of Science and Technology 2001: N.Y., McGraw-Hill, p. 421-425.

White, A.F., Bullen, T.D., Schulz, M.S., Blum, A.E., Huntington, T.G., and Peters, N.E. , 2001, Differential rates of feldspar weathering in granitic regoliths: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 65, p. 847-870. (on-line abstract)

White, A.F., Schulz, M.S., Vivit, D.V., and Bullen, T.D., 2001, Disseminated calcite in a gloval suite of granitic rocks - correlations with experimental solutes, in Cidu, R., ed., Proceedings of the tenth international symposium WRI-10, Villasimius, Italy, 10-15 June 2001: A.A. Balkema, p. 435 - 439.

Aggarwal, J.K., Palmer, M.R., Bullen, T.D., Arnorsson, S. and Ragnarsdottir, K.V., 2000, The boron isotope systematics of Icelandic geothermal waters: 1. Meteoric water charged systems: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 64, no. 4, p. 579-585. (on-line abstract)

Herbel, M.J., Johnson, T.M., Oremland, R.S., and Bullen, T.D., 2000, Fractionation of selenium isotopes during bacterial respiratory reduction of selenium oxyanions: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 64, p. 3,701 - 3,709. (on-line abstract)

Johnson, T.M., Bullen, T.D. and Zawislanski, P.T., 2000, Selenium stable isotope ratios as indicators of sources and cycling of selenium: results from the Northern Reach of San Francisco Bay: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 34, p. 2075-2079. (on-line abstract)

Johnson, T.M., Roback, R.C., McLing, T.L., Bullen, T.D., DePaolo, D.J., Doughty, C., Hunt, R.J., Smith, R.W., Cecil, L. DeW., Murrell, M.T., 2000, Groundwater "fast paths" in the Snake River Plain Aquifer; radiogenic isotope ratios as natural groundwater tracers: Geology, v. 28, no. 10, p. 871-874. (on-line abstract)

Piper, D.Z., Skorupa, J.P., Presser, T.S., Hardy, S.J. Hamilton, M.A., Huebner, M.A., Gulbrandsen, R.A., 2000, The Phosphoria Formation at the Hot Springs Mine in southeast Idaho: a source of trace elements to ground water, surface water, and biota: U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 00-050, 73 p. (on-line abstract)

Walker, J.F., and Bullen, T.D., 2000, Trout Lake, Wisconsin -- A Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets Program site: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 161-99. (on-line fact sheet)

Brantley, S.L., White, A.F. and Hodson, M.E., 1999, Surface area of primary silicate minerals, in Jantveit, B., and Meakin, P., eds., Growth, dissolution and pattern formation in geosystems: Kluwer Academic Publishers, p. 291-326.

Bullen, T.D., White, A.F., Huntington, T.G. and Peters, N.E., 1999, A new approach for determining the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of the granitoid weathering component, in Armannsson, H. ed., Proceedings of the 5th international symposium on geochemistry of the Earth's surface: Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 369-372. (on-line abstract)

Johnson, T.M., Herbel, M.J., Bullen, T.D. and Zawislanski, P.T., 1999, Selenium isotope ratios as indicators of selenium sources and oxyanion reduction: Geochim. et. Cosmochim. Acta, v. 63, no. 18, p. 2775-2783. (on-line abstract)

Katz, B.G., Berndt, M.P., Bullen, T.D. and Hansard, P., 1999, Factors controlling elevated Pb concentrations in water samples from aquifer systems in Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4020, 22 p. (on-line abstract or on-line report in pdf format - 297 KB)

Mandernack, K.W., Bazylinski, D.A., Shanks, W.C. and Bullen, T.D., 1999, Oxygen and iron isotope studies of magnetite produced by magnetotactic bacteria: Science, v. 285, p. 1892-1896. (on-line abstract)

Presser, T.S., 1999, Selenium Pollution; in Alexander, D.A., and Fairbridge, R.W., eds., Encyclopedia of Environmental Science: The Netherlands, Kluwer Academic Publishers, p. 554-556.

Schulz, M.S. and White, A.F., 1999, Chemical weathering in tropical watershed, Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico III: Quartz dissolution rates: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 63, n. 3/4, p. 337-350. (on-line abstract)

White, A.F., Blum, A.E., Bullen, T.D., Vivit, D.V. Schulz, M.S. and Fitzpatrick, J., 1999, The effect of temperature on experimental and natural weathering of granitoid rocks: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 63, p. 3277-3291. (on-line abstract)

White, A.F., Bullen, T.D., Vivit, D.V. and Schulz, M.S., 1999, The effect of climate on chemical weathering of silicate rocks, in Armannson, H. ed., Proceedings of the 5th Internal Symposium on Geochemistry of the Earth's Surface, Revkjvik, Iceland, p. 79-82.

White, A.F., Bullen, T.D., Vivit, D.V., Schulz, M.S. and Clow, D.W., 1999, The role of disseminated calcite in the chemical weathering of granitoid rocks: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 63, p. 1939-1953. (on-line abstract)

White, A.F. and Peterson, M.L., 1999, The reduction of aqueous metal species on the surfaces of Fe(II)-containing oxides: The role of surface passivation, in Sparks, D.L., and Grundi, T.J., eds., Mineral-Water Interfacial Reactions Kinetics and Mechanisms, ACS Symposium Series, v. 715, p. 323-341.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PROJECT, CONTACT:
Arthur F. White
U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd, MS420, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Email: afwhite@usgs.gov
Telephone: 650-329-4519

Thomas D. Bullen
U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd, MS420, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Email: tdbullen@usgs.gov
Telephone: 650-329-4577

Davison V. Vivit
U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd, MS420, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Email: dvvivit@usgs.gov
Telephone: 650-329-4565

Marjorie S. Schulz
U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd, MS420, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Email: mschulz@usgs.gov
Telephone: 650-329-4518

For information on additional projects in the National Research Program, see Indexes to NRP projects and bibliographies