Section 3.4: Earth Surface Geochemistry

Head of Section: Prof. Dr. Friedhelm von Blanckenburg

New developments in geochemistry have revolutionized our view of the processes which take place on the Earth's surface. Here, complex interactions occur between the forces acting from within the Earth and the influences that climate and humans have on shaping landscapes, soils and sediments. In our section, our goal is to understand these individual processes in detail. To do this we use stable isotopes and cosmogenic nuclides as indicators to measure geomorphological change. We use them, for example, to determine how quickly and in which amounts soils develop and sediments are transported. In brief, we want to understand the material turnover on the Earth's surface with their geochemical fingerprints.