Boron geochemistry reveals the evolution of Dead Sea brines

Hana Jurikova; Simon J. Ring; Michael J. Henehan; Ina Neugebauer; Birgit Schröder; Daniela Müller; Markus J. Schwab; Rik Tjallingii; Achim Brauer; Cécile Blanchet

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118403

Boron geochemistry reveals the evolution of Dead Sea brines

Hana Jurikova^*, Simon J. Ring, Michael J. Henehan, Ina Neugebauer, Birgit Schröder, Daniela Müller, Markus J. Schwab, Rik Tjallingii, Achim Brauer, Cécile Blanchet

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Earth Sciences

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Abstract

Well-known for their geological and natural singularity, the Dead Sea brines evolved from a marine ingression of the Mediterranean during the Pliocene. Dead Sea brines are currently almost ten times more concentrated than seawater and have a unique chemical composition with high boron isotope values (δ¹¹B_brine = ∼57‰). However, little is known on how these values were attained and their underlaying driving processes. Here we use boron isotopes (δ¹¹B) combined with B/Ca and B/Li of lacustrine authigenic aragonites from the deep basin drill-core ICDP 5017-1, and Ein Gedi and Masada profiles to reconstruct past brine conditions. Comparing reconstructed δ¹¹B_brine from two key periods of contrasting hydro-climatic regimes we find that the brines of the late Holocene Dead Sea were enriched in ¹¹B (δ¹¹B_brine = ∼60‰) relative to its glacial precursor Lake Lisan (∼57‰). With the aid of boron cycle modelling, we quantify the main boron fluxes in the basin. We show that the post-glacial δ¹¹B_brine enrichment is best explained by overall reduction of freshwater inflow to the lake and coeval increase in ¹⁰B sink through boron co-precipitation in evaporitic deposits and boron loss in atmospheric water vapour, consistent with the onset of warmer and drier climate in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Holocene. On geological time scales, adsorption of ¹⁰B on clastic sediments has acted as an important ¹⁰B sink and can explain the evolution of the high δ¹¹B_brine values.

Original language	English
Article number	118403
Journal	Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Volume	622
Early online date	3 Oct 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118403
Publication status	Published - 15 Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank Brian Brandemann, Sylvia Pinkerneil (GFZ Potsdam, Section 4.3), Ilona Schäpan (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.5), and Jutta Schlegel and Daniel Frick (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.3) for support on field and/or laboratory work. This project was funded by the German Research Foundation, DFG (Grant no. TJ 66/2-1, ‘Sediment provenance and past hydrological balance in the Dead Sea region during the Early Holocene’ - PRO-HYDRO) under Priority Programme 1006 ICDP, and was also supported by the DFG project PALEX (Grant no. BR2208/13-1/-2, ‘Paleohydrology and Extreme Floods from the Dead Sea ICDP core’).

Funding Information:
We thank Brian Brandemann, Sylvia Pinkerneil (GFZ Potsdam, Section 4.3), Ilona Schäpan (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.5), and Jutta Schlegel and Daniel Frick (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.3) for support on field and/or laboratory work. This project was funded by the German Research Foundation , DFG (Grant no. TJ 66/2-1 , ‘Sediment provenance and past hydrological balance in the Dead Sea region during the Early Holocene’ - PRO-HYDRO) under Priority Programme 1006 ICDP, and was also supported by the DFG project PALEX (Grant no. BR2208/13-1/-2 , ‘Paleohydrology and Extreme Floods from the Dead Sea ICDP core’).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)

Keywords

boron cycle
boron isotope budget
lacustrine authigenic aragonites
Pleistocene Lake Lisan
Pliocene Sedom Lagoon
seawater evolution

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@article{09bc4ee5ece144beb4ec2207c04f0383,

title = "Boron geochemistry reveals the evolution of Dead Sea brines",

abstract = "Well-known for their geological and natural singularity, the Dead Sea brines evolved from a marine ingression of the Mediterranean during the Pliocene. Dead Sea brines are currently almost ten times more concentrated than seawater and have a unique chemical composition with high boron isotope values (δ11Bbrine = ∼57‰). However, little is known on how these values were attained and their underlaying driving processes. Here we use boron isotopes (δ11B) combined with B/Ca and B/Li of lacustrine authigenic aragonites from the deep basin drill-core ICDP 5017-1, and Ein Gedi and Masada profiles to reconstruct past brine conditions. Comparing reconstructed δ11Bbrine from two key periods of contrasting hydro-climatic regimes we find that the brines of the late Holocene Dead Sea were enriched in 11B (δ11Bbrine = ∼60‰) relative to its glacial precursor Lake Lisan (∼57‰). With the aid of boron cycle modelling, we quantify the main boron fluxes in the basin. We show that the post-glacial δ11Bbrine enrichment is best explained by overall reduction of freshwater inflow to the lake and coeval increase in 10B sink through boron co-precipitation in evaporitic deposits and boron loss in atmospheric water vapour, consistent with the onset of warmer and drier climate in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Holocene. On geological time scales, adsorption of 10B on clastic sediments has acted as an important 10B sink and can explain the evolution of the high δ11Bbrine values.",

keywords = "boron cycle, boron isotope budget, lacustrine authigenic aragonites, Pleistocene Lake Lisan, Pliocene Sedom Lagoon, seawater evolution",

author = "Hana Jurikova and Ring, {Simon J.} and Henehan, {Michael J.} and Ina Neugebauer and Birgit Schr{\"o}der and Daniela M{\"u}ller and Schwab, {Markus J.} and Rik Tjallingii and Achim Brauer and C{\'e}cile Blanchet",

note = "Funding Information: We thank Brian Brandemann, Sylvia Pinkerneil (GFZ Potsdam, Section 4.3), Ilona Sch{\"a}pan (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.5), and Jutta Schlegel and Daniel Frick (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.3) for support on field and/or laboratory work. This project was funded by the German Research Foundation, DFG (Grant no. TJ 66/2-1, {\textquoteleft}Sediment provenance and past hydrological balance in the Dead Sea region during the Early Holocene{\textquoteright} - PRO-HYDRO) under Priority Programme 1006 ICDP, and was also supported by the DFG project PALEX (Grant no. BR2208/13-1/-2, {\textquoteleft}Paleohydrology and Extreme Floods from the Dead Sea ICDP core{\textquoteright}). Funding Information: We thank Brian Brandemann, Sylvia Pinkerneil (GFZ Potsdam, Section 4.3), Ilona Sch{\"a}pan (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.5), and Jutta Schlegel and Daniel Frick (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.3) for support on field and/or laboratory work. This project was funded by the German Research Foundation , DFG (Grant no. TJ 66/2-1 , {\textquoteleft}Sediment provenance and past hydrological balance in the Dead Sea region during the Early Holocene{\textquoteright} - PRO-HYDRO) under Priority Programme 1006 ICDP, and was also supported by the DFG project PALEX (Grant no. BR2208/13-1/-2 , {\textquoteleft}Paleohydrology and Extreme Floods from the Dead Sea ICDP core{\textquoteright}). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Author(s)",

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doi = "10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118403",

language = "English",

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T1 - Boron geochemistry reveals the evolution of Dead Sea brines

AU - Jurikova, Hana

AU - Ring, Simon J.

AU - Henehan, Michael J.

AU - Neugebauer, Ina

AU - Schröder, Birgit

AU - Müller, Daniela

AU - Schwab, Markus J.

AU - Tjallingii, Rik

AU - Brauer, Achim

AU - Blanchet, Cécile

N1 - Funding Information: We thank Brian Brandemann, Sylvia Pinkerneil (GFZ Potsdam, Section 4.3), Ilona Schäpan (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.5), and Jutta Schlegel and Daniel Frick (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.3) for support on field and/or laboratory work. This project was funded by the German Research Foundation, DFG (Grant no. TJ 66/2-1, ‘Sediment provenance and past hydrological balance in the Dead Sea region during the Early Holocene’ - PRO-HYDRO) under Priority Programme 1006 ICDP, and was also supported by the DFG project PALEX (Grant no. BR2208/13-1/-2, ‘Paleohydrology and Extreme Floods from the Dead Sea ICDP core’). Funding Information: We thank Brian Brandemann, Sylvia Pinkerneil (GFZ Potsdam, Section 4.3), Ilona Schäpan (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.5), and Jutta Schlegel and Daniel Frick (GFZ Potsdam, Section 3.3) for support on field and/or laboratory work. This project was funded by the German Research Foundation , DFG (Grant no. TJ 66/2-1 , ‘Sediment provenance and past hydrological balance in the Dead Sea region during the Early Holocene’ - PRO-HYDRO) under Priority Programme 1006 ICDP, and was also supported by the DFG project PALEX (Grant no. BR2208/13-1/-2 , ‘Paleohydrology and Extreme Floods from the Dead Sea ICDP core’). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)

PY - 2023/11/15

Y1 - 2023/11/15

N2 - Well-known for their geological and natural singularity, the Dead Sea brines evolved from a marine ingression of the Mediterranean during the Pliocene. Dead Sea brines are currently almost ten times more concentrated than seawater and have a unique chemical composition with high boron isotope values (δ11Bbrine = ∼57‰). However, little is known on how these values were attained and their underlaying driving processes. Here we use boron isotopes (δ11B) combined with B/Ca and B/Li of lacustrine authigenic aragonites from the deep basin drill-core ICDP 5017-1, and Ein Gedi and Masada profiles to reconstruct past brine conditions. Comparing reconstructed δ11Bbrine from two key periods of contrasting hydro-climatic regimes we find that the brines of the late Holocene Dead Sea were enriched in 11B (δ11Bbrine = ∼60‰) relative to its glacial precursor Lake Lisan (∼57‰). With the aid of boron cycle modelling, we quantify the main boron fluxes in the basin. We show that the post-glacial δ11Bbrine enrichment is best explained by overall reduction of freshwater inflow to the lake and coeval increase in 10B sink through boron co-precipitation in evaporitic deposits and boron loss in atmospheric water vapour, consistent with the onset of warmer and drier climate in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Holocene. On geological time scales, adsorption of 10B on clastic sediments has acted as an important 10B sink and can explain the evolution of the high δ11Bbrine values.

AB - Well-known for their geological and natural singularity, the Dead Sea brines evolved from a marine ingression of the Mediterranean during the Pliocene. Dead Sea brines are currently almost ten times more concentrated than seawater and have a unique chemical composition with high boron isotope values (δ11Bbrine = ∼57‰). However, little is known on how these values were attained and their underlaying driving processes. Here we use boron isotopes (δ11B) combined with B/Ca and B/Li of lacustrine authigenic aragonites from the deep basin drill-core ICDP 5017-1, and Ein Gedi and Masada profiles to reconstruct past brine conditions. Comparing reconstructed δ11Bbrine from two key periods of contrasting hydro-climatic regimes we find that the brines of the late Holocene Dead Sea were enriched in 11B (δ11Bbrine = ∼60‰) relative to its glacial precursor Lake Lisan (∼57‰). With the aid of boron cycle modelling, we quantify the main boron fluxes in the basin. We show that the post-glacial δ11Bbrine enrichment is best explained by overall reduction of freshwater inflow to the lake and coeval increase in 10B sink through boron co-precipitation in evaporitic deposits and boron loss in atmospheric water vapour, consistent with the onset of warmer and drier climate in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Holocene. On geological time scales, adsorption of 10B on clastic sediments has acted as an important 10B sink and can explain the evolution of the high δ11Bbrine values.

KW - boron cycle

KW - boron isotope budget

KW - lacustrine authigenic aragonites

KW - Pleistocene Lake Lisan

KW - Pliocene Sedom Lagoon

KW - seawater evolution

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85172727894&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118403

DO - 10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118403

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

AN - SCOPUS:85172727894

SN - 0012-821X

VL - 622

JO - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

JF - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

M1 - 118403

ER -

Boron geochemistry reveals the evolution of Dead Sea brines

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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Simon Ring

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Boron geochemistry reveals the evolution of Dead Sea brines

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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UN SDGs

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Simon Ring

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