The liming of the Earth after the Chicxulub large meteorite impact at the K/T boundary

Details The liming of the Earth after the Chicxulub large meteorite impact at the K/T boundary The liming of the Earth after the Chicxulub large meteorite impact at the K/T boundary

May 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agusm.p12a..02a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2005, abstract #P12A-02

Physics

5420 Impact Phenomena (Includes Cratering)

Scientific paper

Shock metamorphism induced by large meteorite impacts on Earth decomposes sediments (carbonates: CaCO3, CaMg(CO3)2 and sulfates: CaSO4) into CaO, MgO, CO2 and SO2. For the Chicxulub case at the K/T boundary, up to 2850 Gt of CO2 and up to 550 Gt of SO2 were liberated into the atmosphere (Ivanov et al., 1996; Pierazzo et al., 1998; Gupta et al., 2002). Though numerous works have depicted the resulting environmental consequences of dispersing CO2, SO2, dust into the atmosphere (greenhouse warming, aerosol cooling, acid rains,...), no study has described the fate of the corresponding liberated CaO and MgO (up to 3718 Gt of CaO) in the atmosphere. Considering the high reactivity and the caustic nature of CaO (lime), we argue that spreading lime on the Earth surface increases the pH of natural waters up to 12.5. It would produce harmful environmental effects (carbonate and metal depletion in natural waters, oxydation of organic matter) and symptomatic isotopic 13C- and 18O-depleted, metal-enriched carbonates would form. Neutralization by the natural carbonate acid-base system (H2CO3/HCO3-/CO32-) of waters, by acid rains (H2CO3, H2SO4, HNO3) produced by the impact generated-CO2 and SO2, NOx and atmospheric CO2 pumping control the duration of this high pH effect on lands, while at the surface of the oceans, dilution and mixing with normal pH (? 8) seawater further reduce the duration of this high pH effect. The timescale of this high pH severe effects would be as short as a few months. As a conclusion, due to its high reactivity, lime rapidly neutralizes a significant part of the acidic atmospheric perturbation produced by the impact-liberated CO2, SO2, NOx. Ivanov et al., 1996 ; Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. Pap., 307, 125-142. Pierazzo et al., 1998; J. Geophys. Res., Planet 103(E12), 28607-28625. Gupta et al., 2002; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 201, 1-12

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