Tesis sobre el tema "Altération de carbonates"
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Hamidi, El Mokhtar. "Altération et formation des encroûtements carbonatés sur basaltes : exemple des basaltes triasiques du Moyen Atlas (Maroc)". Aix-Marseille 3, 1996. http://www.theses.fr/1996AIX30081.
Texto completoHidalgo, Sánchez Liz Stefanny. "Rôle d'un karst andin tropical (Alto Mayo, Pérou) sur la dynamique de production de matériel dissous vers l'Amazone : analyse du fonctionnement hydrogéologique et des flux associés". Electronic Thesis or Diss., Sorbonne université, 2020. http://www.theses.fr/2020SORUS326.
Texto completoIn the Andean area of the Amazon Basin, karst areas play a major role in the geochemistry of the Amazon River and in the CO2 consumption associated with weathering processes despite the small surface they cover (<1% of the basin of the Amazon basin). Amazon). Peru concentrates nearly 90% of these Andean karst areas, which stretch from the peaks of the Cordillera (at more than 5000 m altitude) to the Amazon piedmont (400 m) in a wide variety of tropical ecosystems. Although these areas represent a major source of dissolved materials exported by the Amazon, they have never been studied for characterizing the hydrogeologic functioning of these karstic systems and estimate their contributions in term of dissolved fluxes. To identify the control factors of the dynamics of production and transfer of dissolved matter from the carbonated domain to the Amazon, the hydrogeological functioning of aquifers of the karst massif of Alto Mayo, located on the eastern slope of the Andes Northern Peru, has been analyzed. The three main karst springs of the massif were equipped with CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth) and periodic gauging was carried out to evaluate their flow. A bi-monthly sampling was carried out for the analysis of geochemical parameters (major and trace elements, Total Organic Carbon and stable isotopes of water). The temporal variability of flow rates and concentrations was calculated by the ratio of the standard deviation to the monthly mean percentage. The main spring of this massif (Río Negro, average flow = 22 m3s-1) is currently the most important karstic spring of South America. This major spring presents a low discharge variability during the hydrology cycle (the temporal variability of the discharge is 17%) and a weak impulse response to the precipitations, which indicate a strong damping signal by the karstic system. Low hydrological reactivity to rainfall is also observed at the Río Aguas Claras spring (temporal variability of flows of 59%). The Río Tío Yacu spring has a higher impulse response and a higher hydrological variability (temporal variability of flow rates of 67%). The hydrogeochemical signature of the groundwaters from all springs is highly dominated by the carbonate rocks weathering (Ca2+ et HCO3-). Daily total dissolved solid (TDS) was estimated by the relationship between electrical conductivity and TDS of the peruvian karstic springs studied in this work, and those of the French network of SNO Karst. This daily TDS has a relatively low variability during the hydrologic cycle (12%, 7% and 9% for Rio Negro, Aguas Claras and Tio Yacu springs, respectively) compared to that of the discharge. These results indicate that the dynamics of production of dissolved material, in the karstic spring of the Alto Mayo, is mainly controlled by the variability of flows despite the heterogeneity of the hydrodynamic behaviors. This “chemostatic’’ behavior has been observed in many contexts at the global scale and can be attributed to the fast kinetics of carbonate weathering. However, Rio Negro spring shows a weak variability of TDS fluxes, as a result of low discharge variability. This is conditioned by his hydrogeological behavior (more inertial), which involves weak hydrodynamic and hydrochemical responses after rainfall events. As a result, our results characterize the sensitivity of carbonate rocks weathering to hydroclimatic variability in tropical Andean environments. The weathering of Andean karstic areas represents 50% of the total of the dissolved fluxes exported by the Marañón River, the principal affluent of the Amazon river
Verdier-Paoletti, Maximilien. "Etude des conditions physique et chimique de l'altération hydrothermale dans les astéroïdes carbonés de type C". Thesis, Paris, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017MNHN0020/document.
Texto completoChondrites are leftover solids from the evolution of the solar protoplanetary disk that enable for its primordial conditions to be studied. However, many chondrites have seen their mineralogy modified by the circulation of fluids during hydrothermal alteration events, thereby blurring the primordial informations retained in it. CM carbonaceous chondrites have been extensively studied, mainly because of the various episodes and extent of hydrothermal alteration they exhibit. The understanding of the evolution of water and the influence of alteration on organic matter in those asteroids is essential as they might be the source of life on Earth. In order to better understand the geochemical conditions and the chronology of this process in carbonaceous asteroids, we focused this project on CM chondrites and the secondary phases they contain. We developped a methodology to estimate the precipitation temperatures of carbonates in CM chondrites relying only on in situ measurements of their O-isotopic composition. Our results yield precipitation temperatures in a larger range than what has previsouly been estimated, i.e. from -50 to approximatively 300°C with an average temperature of 113 +/- 54°C (2σ). To further our study of the geochemical conditions of hydrothermal alteration we extensively studied the CM of Boriskino. The peculiar texture of this meteorite, due to its numerous clasts with sharp boundaries and their various degrees of aqueous alteration, enable to investigate the reccurent question of a genetic link between brecciation and aqueous alteration. Using the same methodology as in our first project we concluded that temperatures in which the process took place could not account for the various extent of aqueous alteration that we observe. In addition, Our work suggest that aqueous alteration in this chondrite was discontinuous and preceeded brecciationand that instead the initial quantity of accreted ice could be the controlling parameter of aqueous alteration. However, this study neglect the contribution of the duration of exposure of the rock to the fluid to the extent of aqueous alteration. Therefore, our last project was to determine the age of carbonates in several CM chondrites of various degrees of aqueous alteration. The datation of these minerals in chondrites relies on the radiochronometer 53Mn-53Cr. However, the lack of a suitable carbonate standard for these SIMS analyses pushed us to synthetize carbonates with the adequat cristallinity and chemical composition first. To do so, we experimentated at high pressure and high temperature using a piston-cylinder apparatus
Vacher, Lionel. "Hydratation et évolution isotopique précoce des astéroïdes carbonés : approches expérimentale et isotopique". Thesis, Université de Lorraine, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018LORR0229/document.
Texto completoCarbonaceous asteroids were affected by aqueous alteration processes that have strongly modified their primary mineralogy in favour of a wide diversity of newly formed phases. Despite the numerous studies carried out on hydrated chondrites (CM chondrites), the physicochemical conditions of aqueous alteration and the identification of the water sources accreted by asteroids are still poorly constrain. From the mineralogical and isotopic survey of secondary phases, this thesis aims (i) to decipher the origin and evolution of water accreted by primitive asteroids and (ii) to retrace the physicochemical conditions of aqueous alteration using hydrothermal laboratory experiments. First of all, our results show that the pristine CM chondrite Paris contains Ca-carbonates whose O-isotopic compositions ([delta]17,18O) requires an 8-35% contribution of water ice from the outer part of the Solar System. In addition, our C-isotopic analyses conducted on these same Ca-carbonates indicate similar [delta]13C values to those of the soluble organic matter (SOM) that constitute carbonaceous chondrites. Thus, we suggest that SOM is the most probable source of carbon to form Ca-carbonates. Then, the study of different clasts in the CM chondrite Boriskino revealed that this meteorite has experienced high intensity impact events, causing the formation of fractures and the circulation of later 16O-rich fluid flow. Finally, our low temperature laboratory experiments successfully synthetized the most characteristic phases of CM chondrites: tochilinite and cronstedtite. Moreover, by comparing our results to other experimental studies, we observed a positive correlation between the nMg content in the hydroxide layer of synthetic tochilinite and temperature. This correlation suggests that the chemical composition of tochilinite represents as powerful proxy to retrace the alteration temperature experienced by CM chondrites
Hemadi, Hallouma. "Les silicates et carbonates authigènes de diapirs du Nord de la Tunisie : signification chimique et thermique". Paris 11, 1987. http://www.theses.fr/1987PA112182.
Texto completoBachaud, Pierre. "Stockage du CO₂ dans les aquifères profonds : Etude en conditions réelles des propriétés de confinement des roches de couverture et de leur altération". Thesis, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, INPL, 2010. http://www.theses.fr/2010INPL084N/document.
Texto completoA promising solution to reduce anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse effect gases consists in the injection and long-term storage of a part of the industrial carbon dioxide discharges in underground formations. These formations must be composed of a reservoir surrounded by tight caprocks, which represent the first barrier preventing fluids migration. The characterization of their confining properties and of their evolution in presence of CO2 is thus a key element regarding a storage site security. This work presents a methodology allowing the measurement of caprocks transport parameters and the consequences of an alteration under representative conditions of deep aquifers storage. This methodology was applied to carbonate rocks from the Paris basin. The breakthrough pressure, the diffusion coefficient of CO2 dissolution products, and the permeability, controlling parameters of leakage mechanisms, were measured before and after alteration of the materials by reaction with a CO2-saturated brine under reservoir thermodynamic conditions (about 80°C and 100 bar). Results revealed a satisfactory global behaviour under these aggressive conditions, but also a strong diminution of the confinement potential in presence of initial structural faults (sealed fractures, large-diameter pores…) forming higher-permeability zones. A numeric simulation describing the evolution of a homogeneous rock formation during 1000 years was also realized based on parameters directly measured or obtained by modelling of the alteration experiments. It showed that the transformations brought by the CO2 storage under a rock formation with no initial faults remain very localized spatially
Bultel, Benjamin. "Serpentinisation et carbonatation de la croûte Martienne". Thesis, Lyon, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016LYSE1004/document.
Texto completoOver the last 3 billion years liquid water has an extremely limited presence on Mars. However, the multiple data available on the planet show evidences of a significant presence of liquid water from the accretion of the planet until about 3.7 billion years. The prevailing hypothesis today is that Mars had a denser atmosphere (possibly rich in CO2) early in its history. Much of this atmosphere and water were lost in space. Another possibility for reducing the amount of liquid water available and the reduction of the atmosphere is the water storage of water and CO2 in the crust. The Martian crust is studied via CRISM spectro-imaging data to characterize the early hydrothermal alteration of the planet. Serpentine and carbonates of detections confirm that the storage of a portion of the water and the atmosphere of Mars occurred. Additional constraints are provided by the geochemical modeling of serpentinization and carbonation of the Martian crust through EQ3/6 programs. The importance of serpentinization and carbonation of the Martian crust is thus reassessed. The results allow to open the debate on the role of serpentinization and carbonation on the evolution of the liquid water available and the evolution of the atmosphere. In addition, the thermodynamic conditions help provide constraints on the exobiology potential of the Martian crust
Beaulieu, Emilie. "Modélisation hydrogéochimique des grands bassins fluviaux : implications du réchauffement climatique". Phd thesis, Université Paul Sabatier - Toulouse III, 2011. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00649185.
Texto completoPerrin, Anne-Sophie. "Rôle des fertilisants azotés dans l'érosion chimique des bassins versants carbonatées : implication dans la consommation de CO2 et la composition chimique des eaux de surface". Toulouse 3, 2008. http://thesesups.ups-tlse.fr/817/.
Texto completoNitrogenous fertilizers are a major contributor of acidity to soils and carbonate bedrocks, as a result of their high reactivity, are the main buffers through mineral weathering reactions. This perturbation of natural carbonate weathering processes is susceptible to modify the carbon budget of the weathering loop. Different approaches, from soil and small catchment experiments in the south-west of France (Gascogne area) to global scale estimations allowed us to better constrain the impact of these modifications on the quality of riverine water and on the global carbon budget. Carbonate weathering processes induced by nitrogenous fertilizers would decrease the proportion of alkalinity (and thus of carbon) in relation to calcium and magnesium ions by a minimum of respectively 5,7 to 13,4% and 1,6 to 3,8% of the CO2 naturally consumed by carbonate weathering in France and on a global scale. This decrease represents 6 to 15% of the CO2 consumed by silicate weathering on a global scale. Experimentations on soil columns showed that nitrification processes of ammonium ions increase cations fluxes in drainage soil solutions and lead to direct CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Elements and carbonate weathering budgets, measured from intensive surveys of elements fluxes in two small agricultural catchments (the Montoussé and the Hay catchments) highlighted the role of hydrology, vegetation and secondary precipitation of calcite in the relative loss of CO2 consumption by carbonate weathering in agricultural areas
Beaulieu, Emilie. "Modélisation hydrogéochimique des grands bassins fluviaux : implications du réchauffement climatique". Phd thesis, Toulouse 3, 2011. http://thesesups.ups-tlse.fr/1408/.
Texto completoThe chemical weathering of continental surfaces represents the one of carbon sinks at the Earth's surface which regulates the climate through feedback mechanism. The weathering intensity is controled by climate but also by lithology, vegetal cover, hydrology and presence of smectites and acids in soils. In this work, a study at global scale on grid cells highlighted that a CO2 concentration increase in the atmosphere would involve a decrease of evaportanspiration due to stomatal progressive closure, and a rise of soil acidity related to enhanced biospheric productivity. These changes would promote the silicates chemical weathering and as a result, would lead to CO2 consumption increase by 3% for 100 ppmv of CO2 concentration rise in the atmosphere. Then, the study on the one of the most important catchments located in arctic environment, the Mackenzie basin (Canada), showed the high sensitivity of chemical weathering to sulfuric acid production. Indeed, the Mackenzie mean CO2 consumption has decreased by 56%, taking account the pyrite presence in the catchment. In addition, the mean CO2 consumption of this basin could rise by 53% between today climate and a climatic scenario predicted for the end of century
Essalhi, Mourad. "Application de l'étude du magnétisme des roches à la compréhension des gisements : Traçage des paléocirculations (expérimentation et cas des minéralisations de La Florida, Espagne) ; Structuration et histoire de l'altération des amas sulfurés (cas des chapeaux de fer de la Province Pyriteuse Sud Ibérique, Espagne)". Phd thesis, Université d'Orléans, 2009. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00442602.
Texto completoAssaker, Aurore. "Hydrologie et biogéochimie du bassin versant du fleuve Ibrahim : Un observatoire du fonctionnement de la zone critique au Liban". Thesis, Toulouse, INPT, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016INPT0009/document.
Texto completoThroughout the study framework conducted on the quality of the water resources in the Ibrahim River watershed in Lebanon (notably before the construction of a large dam, Jannah), 7 stations (NI7 to NI1) were selected, from upstream to downstream, including its karst springs. Hydroclimatological and specific catchment characteristics (such as land cover use, geology, hydrology, soil and topography) where characterized for the whole seven sub-basins respectively. Discharge data from the sources (2 stations) and the basin outlet (1 station) enhanced our study to determine and further calculate the discharge of other stations. Sampling and analyzing the chemical composition of water collected monthly during one hydrological cycle allowed us to determine the amount of dissolved material carried by the Ibrahim River. The river flux of dissolved material was estimated at 122 372 tons / year of which 80% of is exported during high flow season. Therefore this flux allowed us to estimate the rate of chemical weathering of carbonate rocks across the basin at 81 cm / 10000 years. This alteration consumes a high flux of CO2 (around 2,23x106 moles/km2/year of CO2) typical for carbonate regions subject to intense drainage (1500 mm). The analysis for the concentration of trace elements in fluvial sediments for the Ibrahim River for the low and high flow periods shows high concentrations of Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu and Ga in the from NI5 station up to NI2. The assessment of the extent of the contamination and its spatio-temporal variation was conducted using the enrichment factor by normalizing to aluminium concentration and using the element concentrations in the sediments of station NI7 (karstic sspring) considered as the natural geochemical background for this catchment. High levels of Zn, Pb, Cu and other traces of noticeable elements show that in this region where industrial, agricultural and urban activities are developed, there is a significant anthropogenic contribution for some metallic elements; thus the trace element contamination remains moderate
Escario, Perez Sofia. "Flux hydrothermaux dans le manteau lithosphérique : étude expérimentale du processus de serpentinisation". Thesis, Montpellier, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018MONTG030/document.
Texto completoThe hydrothermal alteration of the mantle lithosphere at mid-ocean ridges provides a mechanism for transferring heat and mass between the deep Earth and the overlaying ocean. The mantle lithosphere is constituted by ultramafic rocks, also called Peridotites. They comprise more than 70% of olivine, associated pyroxenes and minor mineral phases. The percolation of seawater into the ultramafic basement produces the alteration of olivine and pyroxenes to serpentine through the so-called serpentinization process and is associated to oxidation and carbonation reactions, the later when CO2 is present. The serpentinization process has special interest on H2 production, CO2 storage, development of life, and the production of economically valuable ore-deposits concentrated at hydrothermal vents. The sustainability and efficiency of the reactions requires penetration and renewal of fluids at the mineral-fluid interface. Oceanic detachment faults and fractures are the highly permeable zones allowing seawater derived fluids to penetrate deeply into the mantle lithosphere. However, the serpentinization process lead to the precipitation of low density minerals that can fill the porous network, clogging flow paths efficiently that may in turn modify the hydrodynamic properties and the reactivity of the reacted rocks.This PhD thesis aims at better understanding the feedback effects of chemical reactions on the hydrodynamic rock properties occurred on highly permeable zones during the earliest stages of alteration of the ultramafic basement. It focuses in particular on the changes in texture and chemical reaction paths of ultramafic rocks by assessing the effects of (i) flow rate and (ii) CO2-rich saline fluids. Two suite of reactive percolation experiments were performed at T=170-190°C and P=25MPa. The first suite of experiments consisted in injecting artificial seawater into porous compressed olivine powder cores over a wide range of constant flow rates. X-Ray µ-tomography of high resolution was acquired before and after the experiment run with high flow rates; in order to evaluate the micro-structural changes of the rock occurred during the serpentinization reaction. The second suite of experiments consisted in injecting CO2-rich saline fluids into peridotite cores mechanically fractured.The results allowed us to differentiate: (1) That, a control of flow infiltration rate at the pore-scale can control the local fluid compositions and the development of different reaction paths at the sample-scale. (2) The development of different reaction paths and textural changes in the rock depends on the concentration of CO2 dissolved in solution. (3) The formation of carbonate minerals (MgCO3) can store CO2 in a form of stable mineral at long-term. (4) A control of the concentration of dissolved CO2(g) and the fracture network can enhance/limit the efficiency of CO2-storage in peridotite fractured reservoirs.These new supporting data suggest a complex control of the structure of the ultramafic rocks in serpentinization process and provides new insights for the potential CO2-storage in peridotite fractured reservoirs
Dudoignon, Patrick. "Les altérations hydrothermales des roches volcaniques de l'atoll de Mururoa (Polynésie française)". Poitiers, 1988. http://www.theses.fr/1988POIT2007.
Texto completoNguyen, Minh Tuan. "Caractérisation géomécanique de la dégradation des roches sous l'effet de l'injection de gaz acides". Phd thesis, Université Paris-Est, 2012. http://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00730840.
Texto completoDavenport, Jesse. "Isotopic tracing of silicate and carbonate weathering in the Himalayan erosional system". Thesis, Université de Lorraine, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018LORR0241.
Texto completoWeathering of Himalayan lithologies has had a potential impact on the global carbon cycle. To be able to constrain and understand the processes that occurred in the Himalayas that affected these cycles, we must be able to distinguish the signatures of silicate and carbonate weathering in the dissolved load of Himalayan rivers. Previous studies have attempted to do this using a variety of methods but there is still not a clear consensus on the magnitude and flux of silicate weathering in the Himalaya. This thesis proposes the use of 40Ca as a tracer that could improve the quantification of the silicate and carbonate weathering flux in the dissolved load of Himalayan rivers. Previous work has shown that the 40Ca budget of seawater is dominated by a mantle source, such that marine carbonates have a homogeneous 40Ca signature indistinguishable from the mantle value. In contrast, the upper silicate crust is expected to have developed a radiogenic composition. The difference between the radiogenic Ca signature of carbonate and silicate lithologies can be therefore used to differentiate between carbonate and silicate weathering in the dissolved load of rivers. Here, we present a geochemical survey, including radiogenic Ca analyses, of rivers draining the main lithological units of the Himalaya, as well as results from sediments, bedrock, soil and gravel. Our results show that Himalayan carbonates exhibit no radiogenic 40Ca excesses despite highly variable 87Sr/86Sr signatures, whereas sediments are variably radiogenic (+0.9 to +4). This suggests that for Ca, unlike for Sr, isotopic exchange between the silicate and carbonate lithologies has been minimal. The radiogenic Ca composition of river water ranges from +0.1 in carbonate dominated catchments to +11 in rivers draining silicate catchments. For large rivers, silicate and carbonate weathering budget estimates based on major elements and radiogenic Ca compositions tend to agree. However, for some smaller rivers, especially those draining silicate dominated basins in the HHC and LH formations, some discrepancies are observed. These cannot be attributed to poor definition of the chemical or radiogenic Ca composition of the endmembers used for budget modeling, as the values required to bring the estimates into agreement are unreasonable. They also cannot be explained by precipitation of secondary carbonates in the rivers as the non-radiogenic composition of the carbonate fraction of sediments suggests that this process is only minor. Rather, these discrepancies may be due to the dissolution/weathering of trace amounts of radiogenic calcite contained within HHC and LH silicate lithologies. The weathering of such material, which represents only a tiny fraction of the area of the silicate catchment, could yield a substantial proportion of the radiogenic Ca and may thus have a significant influence on the isotopically based weathering budgets of these basins. Nevertheless, as this effect is observed primarily in basins with low silicate erosion rates, its influence on estimates of the overall silicate weathering flux will be minor. More generally, the results of this thesis imply that the 40K–40Ca system can resolve issues that cannot be successfully addressed using Sr isotopes in the Himalaya. Further work is needed to define the full range of radiogenic Ca compositions in the Himalaya in order to clearly answer questions regarding silicate weathering fluxes
Zinsmeister, Louis. "Étude de l'évolution hydromécanique d'un carbonate après altération chimique. Application des méthodes de corrélation d'images 2D et 3D à la mesure des champs locaux de déformation lors d'essais mécaniques à différentes échelles". Phd thesis, Ecole Polytechnique X, 2013. http://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00955351.
Texto completoBoussen, Salma. "Evolution de haldes plombo-zincifères dans le nord de la Tunisie : l'exemple d’un contexte carbonaté". Limoges, 2010. https://aurore.unilim.fr/theses/nxfile/default/ad96cbba-472a-4fa9-9f24-0c964a2b1273/blobholder:0/2010LIMO4034.pdf.
Texto completoIn Northern Tunisia, mining exploitation left tailings as big heaps rich in Potentially Toxic Elements (PTE) with values up to 46900 mg/kg for Pb and 49501 mg/kg for Zn. These wastes are stored in uncontrolled and untreated deposits and exposed to Aeolian erosion and run-off processes due to specificities of Mediterranean climates. The PTE contents in the surrounding soils generally devoted to cereal cultivation are as high as 12488 mg/kg for Pb and 3485 mg/kg for Zn. The contents in sediments downstream are also high, in the range of 47800 mg/kg for Pb and 5767 mg/kg for Zn. In Mediterranean and carbonate rich context, the main risk of mining activities is the dispersion of tailings particles by prevalent winds and by tailing erosion by the means of streams and during heavy raining seasons. Aassessment by chemical extractions of the potential mobility in the tailings, soils and sediments shows low PTE proportions easily released. The evaluation of the biodisponibility of the PTE reveals that the wheat excluder plants have low bioaccumulation and transfer factor
Pierson-Wickmann, Anne-Catherine. "Le cycle de l'osmium et du rhénium pendant l'érosion himalayenne". Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, INPL, 2000. http://docnum.univ-lorraine.fr/public/INPL_T_2000_PIERSON-WICKMANN_A.pdf.
Texto completoThis study allowed determination of the Os isotopic compositions of the three major Himalayan formations (TSS, HHC, LH), based on both source rocks and river sediments, which represent the erosional products of Himalayan erosion. The High Himalayan formations (TSS+HHC) have ¹⁸⁷0s/¹⁸⁸0s ratios (0. 9 to 1. 6) similar to that of average continental crust. In contras t, the LH includes very radiogenic Os isotopic ratios, found in black shales and some carbonates. River sediments are mixtures of three components: High Himalayan silicates, LH black shales and LH carbonates. Sediments from the Brahmaputra are less radiogenic than those from the Ganga, due to either the addition of an ophiolitic fraction or the absence of detrital carbonates in, the sediments. The origin of the radiogenic Os isotopic compositions in LH carbonates is related to Himalayan metamorphism which mobilized Re and radiogenic Os from black shales and redistributed it in carbonates. Alteration at low temperature was studied in soil profiles. The concentrations of Re and Os, as well as the Os isotopic ratios, do not vary with depth. Nevertheless, an important loss of Re and Os occurs during the earlier stages of alteration, during the passage from source rock to saprolith. Sediments from the Bengal Fan show that Himalayan erosion is the major source of detritic material, especially in the active fan. In the rest of the Bay of Bengal, the Himalayan source may be masked by secondary sources, such as the erosion of the Indo-Burman range or the Sri Lanka. There is no evidence for significant loss of Os during sediment transport or after deposition in the Fan. This implies that the contribution of Himalayan erosion to seawater is limited to that carried in dissolved form, which is not nearly sufficient to explain the increase of the ¹⁸⁷0s/¹⁸⁸0s seawater ratio during the past 16 Ma