Iron isotope composition of the suspended matter along depth and lateral profiles in the Amazon River and its tributaries

Samples of suspended matter were collected at different locations, seasons, depths and lateral profiles in the Amazon River and three of its main tributaries, the Madeira, the Solimões and the Negro rivers. Their iron isotope compositions were studied in order to understand the iron cycle and investigate the level of isotopic homogeneity at the river cross-section scale. Samples from four depth profiles and three lateral profiles analyzed show suspended matter δ57Fe values (relative to IRMM-14) between −0.501 ± 0.075‰ and 0.196 ± 0.083‰ (2SE). Samples from the Negro River, a blackwater river, yield the negative values. Samples from other stations (whitewater rivers, the Madeira, the Solimões and the Amazon) show positive values, which are indistinguishable from the average composition of the continental crust (δ57FeIRMM-14 ∼ 0.1‰). Individual analyses of the depth and lateral profiles show no significant variation in iron isotope signatures, indicating that, in contrast to certain chemical or other isotopic tracers, one individual subsurface sample is representative of river deeper waters. This also suggests that, instead of providing detailed information on the riverine iron cycling, iron isotopes of particulate matter in rivers will rather yield a general picture of the iron sources.

► Iron contents appear to increase with increasing depths.
► Iron isotopic signatures are homogeneous for all the depth and lateral profiles analyzed.
► Iron isotopic signatures are distinct for whitewater rivers and blackwater rivers.