美国宾汉姆顿大学Mebrahtu F. Weldeghebriel等根据来自流体包裹体的证据，提出了海底热液系统控制海水[Li⁺]（锂）长期变化的观点。2023年7月26日出版的《科学进展》杂志发表了这项成果。

据锂地球化学循环模型显示，[Li⁺]_SW的减少主要受大洋地壳生产率和大洋中脊及脊侧热液通量长期下降的控制，不需要依靠改变大陆风化通量。[Li⁺]_SW的减少与150 个百万年海水中Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺和⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr的增加一致，从方解石到文石海、氯化钾到硫酸镁蒸发岩、温室到冰室气候的变化，所有这些都表明板块构造活动在调节地球水圈和大气的组成中起着重要的作用。

据悉，海水的主要离子化学和同位素组成在数百万年的时间尺度上的长期变化被很好地记录下来，但是这些变化的原因是有争议的。海相石盐中的流体包裹体证据表明，海水的[Li+]_SW中的Li浓度在过去 1.5 亿年间下降了 7 倍，从 1.5 亿年前的约184 μ mol/kg H₂O 下降到今天的约27 μ mol/kg H₂O。

附：英文原文

Title: Seafloor hydrothermal systems control long-term changes in seawater [Li+]: Evidence from fluid inclusions

Author: Mebrahtu F. Weldeghebriel, Tim K. Lowenstein

Issue&Volume: 2023-07-26

Abstract: Secular variations in the major ion chemistry and isotopic composition of seawater on multimillion-year time scales are well documented, but the causes of these changes are debated. Fluid inclusions in marine halite indicate that the Li concentration in seawater [Li⁺]_SW declined sevenfold over the past 150 million years (Ma) from ~184 μmol/kg H₂O at 150 Ma ago to 27 μmol/kg H₂O today. Modeling of the lithium geochemical cycle shows that the decrease in [Li⁺]_SW was controlled chiefly by long-term decreases in ocean crust production rates and mid-ocean ridge and ridge flank hydrothermal fluxes without requiring changes in continental weathering fluxes. The decrease in [Li⁺]_SW parallels the 150 Ma increase in seawater Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺ and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, and the change from calcite to aragonite seas, KCl to MgSO₄ evaporites, and greenhouse to icehouse climates, all of which point to the importance of plate tectonic activity in regulating the composition of Earth’s hydrosphere and atmosphere.

DOI: adf1605

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adf1605