Abstract We document the evolution of fresh basalt subject to roughly a decade of chemical weathering through systematic temporal shifts in aqueous germanium‐silicon ratios (Ge/Si) in a unique set of meso‐scale artificial hillslopes. Elevated dissolved Ge/Si signatures relative to bedrock in this young system are associated with formation of high‐Si amorphous phase(s) that preferentially exclude Ge. Over several years, dissolved Ge/Si ratios decrease, approaching those of natural watersheds, consistent with a shift toward formation of Ge‐enriched secondary phases. Our study points to the critical control of secondary phase speciation on Ge/Si partitioning, while in contrast, stable silicon isotope ratios (δ30Si) in the same samples show fractionation comparable to natural systems. Paired consideration of Ge/Si and δ30Si tracers may thus offer a previously unrecognized means of interrogating the progression of secondary phase speciation in young landscapes, for example, following deglaciation, volcanism, and landslides, and in engineering applications such as enhanced weathering.
Observations from the Little Bunker
Last updated: November 30, 2025 04:25 AM
Atmospheric CO₂
426.8 ppm
+18.1
ppm/year
Atmospheric CH₄
1927.61 ppb
+2.73
ppb/year
Global Temperature
+1.48 °C
Peak: +1.73°C
World Population
8.1 billion
+67
million/year