Chemical erosion in the eastern Himalaya: major ion composition of the Brahmaputra and δ¹³C of dissolved inorganic carbon

Abstract

Major ion composition of waters, δ¹³C of its DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon), and the clay mineral composition of bank sediments in the Brahmaputra River System (draining India and Bangladesh) have been measured to understand chemical weathering and erosion and the factors controlling these processes in the eastern Himalaya. The time-series samples, collected biweekly at Guwahati, from the Brahmaputra mainstream, were also analyzed for the major ion composition. Clay mineralogy and chemical index of alteration (CIA) of sediments suggest that weathering intensity is relatively poor in comparison to that in the Ganga basin. This is attributed to higher runoff and associated physical erosion occurring in the Brahmaputra basin. The results of this study show, for the first time, spatial and temporal variations in chemical and silicate erosion rates in the Brahmaputra basin. The subbasins of the Brahmaputra watershed exhibit chemical erosion rates varying by about an order of magnitude. The Eastern Syntaxis basin dominates the erosion with a rate of ~300 t km^-2 y^-1, one of the highest among the world river basins and comparable to those reported for some of the basaltic terrains. In contrast, the flat, cold, and relatively more arid Tibetan basin undergoes much slower chemical erosion (~40 t km^-2 y^-1). The abundance of total dissolved solids (TDS, 102-203 mg/L) in the time-series samples collected over a period of one year shows variations in accordance with the annual discharge, except one of them, cause for which is attributable to flash floods. Na (Na corrected for cyclic component) shows a strong positive correlation with Si, indicating their common source: silicate weathering. Estimates of silicate cations (Na_sil+K_sil+Ca_sil+Mg_sil) suggest that about half of the dissolved cations in the Brahmaputra are derived from silicates, a proportion higher than that for the Ganga system. The CO₂ consumption rate due to silicate weathering in the Brahmaputra watershed is ~6 × 10⁵ moles km^-2 y^-1; whereas that in the Eastern Syntaxis subbasin is ~19 × 10⁵ moles km^-2 y^-1, similar to the estimates for some of the basaltic terrains. This study suggests that the Eastern Syntaxis basin of the Brahmaputra is one of most intensely chemically eroding regions of the globe; and that runoff and physical erosion are the controlling factors of chemical erosion in the eastern Himalaya.