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Courtney-Davies L, Fiorentini M, Dalstra H, Hagemann S, Ramanaidou E, Danišik M, Evans NJ, Rankenburg K, McInnes BIA. A billion-year shift in the formation of Earth's largest ore deposits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2405741121. [PMID: 39042687 PMCID: PMC11295007 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2405741121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Banded iron formations (BIFs) archive the relationship between Earth's lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere through time. However, constraints on the origin of Earth's largest ore deposits, hosted by BIFs, are limited by the absence of direct geochronology. Without this temporal context, genetic models cannot be correlated with tectono-thermal and atmospheric drivers responsible for BIF upgrading through time. Utilizing in situ iron oxide U-Pb geochronology, we provide a direct timeline of events tracing development of all the giant BIF-hosted hematite deposits of the Hamersley Province (Pilbara Craton, Western Australia). Direct dating demonstrates that the major iron ore deposits in the region formed during 1.4 to 1.1 Ga. This is one billion to hundreds of millions of years later than previous age constraints based upon 1) the presence of hematite ore clasts in conglomerate beds deposited before ~1.84 Ga, and 2) phosphate mineral dating, which placed the onset of iron mineralization in the Province at ~2.2 to 2.0 Ga during the great oxidation event. Dating of the hematite clasts verified the occurrence of a ~2.2 to 2.0 Ga event, reflecting widespread, but now largely eroded iron mineralization occurring when the Pilbara and Kaapvaal cratons were proximal. No existing phosphate mineral dates overlap with obtained hematite dates and therefore cannot be related to hematite crystallization and ore formation. New geochronology conclusively links all major preserved hematite deposits to a far younger (1.4 to 1.1 Ga) formation period, correlated with the amalgamation of Australia following breakup of the Columbia supercontinent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco Fiorentini
- Centre for Exploration Targeting, School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA6009, Australia
| | - Hilke Dalstra
- Rio Tinto Exploration Pty. Ltd., Perth, WA6104, Australia
| | - Steffen Hagemann
- Centre for Exploration Targeting, School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA6009, Australia
| | - Erick Ramanaidou
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Mineral Resources, Australian Resources Research Centre, Perth, WA6151, Australia
| | - Martin Danišik
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, Perth, WA6845, Australia
| | - Noreen J. Evans
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, Perth, WA6845, Australia
| | - Kai Rankenburg
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, Perth, WA6845, Australia
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2
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Zhang M, Xu S, Sano Y. Deep carbon recycling viewed from global plate tectonics. Natl Sci Rev 2024; 11:nwae089. [PMID: 38933601 PMCID: PMC11203916 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwae089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Plate tectonics plays an essential role in the redistribution of life-essential volatile elements between Earth's interior and surface, whereby our planet has been well tuned to maintain enduring habitability over much of its history. Here we present an overview of deep carbon recycling in the regime of modern plate tectonics, with a special focus on convergent plate margins for assessing global carbon mass balance. The up-to-date flux compilation implies an approximate balance between deep carbon outflux and subduction carbon influx within uncertainty but remarkably limited return of carbon to convecting mantle. If correct, carbon would gradually accumulate in the lithosphere over time by (i) massive subsurface carbon storage occurring primarily in continental lithosphere from convergent margins to continental interior and (ii) persistent surface carbon sinks to seafloors sustained by high-flux deep CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Further assessment of global carbon mass balance requires updates on fluxes of subduction-driven carbon recycling paths and reduction in uncertainty of deep carbon outflux. From a global plate tectonics point of view, we particularly emphasize that continental reworking is an important mechanism for remobilizing geologically sequestered carbon in continental crust and sub-continental lithospheric mantle. In light of recent advances, future research is suggested to focus on a better understanding of the reservoirs, fluxes, mechanisms, and climatic effects of deep carbon recycling following an integrated methodology of observation, experiment, and numerical modeling, with the aim of decoding the self-regulating Earth system and its habitability from the deep carbon recycling perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maoliang Zhang
- School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Sheng Xu
- School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yuji Sano
- Marine Core Research Institute, Kochi University, Kochi 783-8502, Japan
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
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3
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Zhang S, Wang H, Wang X, Zheng W, Hao J, Pogge von Strandmann PAE, Ye Y, Shi M, Liu Y, Lyu Y. Subaerial volcanism broke mid-Proterozoic environmental stasis. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk5991. [PMID: 38552019 PMCID: PMC10980267 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk5991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
The mid-Proterozoic, spanning 1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago, is recognized as a phase of marine anoxia, low marine primary productivity (MPP), and constrained eukaryotic biodiversity. However, emerging evidence suggesting intermittent environmental disturbances and concurrent eukaryotic evolution challenges the notion of a stagnant Earth during this era. We present a study detailing volcanic activity and its consequential impact on terrestrial weathering and MPP, elucidated through the examination of 1.4-billion-year-old tropical offshore sediments. Our investigation, leveraging precise mercury (Hg) and lithium (Li) isotopic analyses, reveals the introduction of fresh rock substrates by local volcanism. This geological event initiated a transformative process, shifting the initial regolith-dominated condition in tropical lowland to a regime of enhanced chemical weathering and denudation efficiency. Notably, the heightened influx of nutrient-rich volcanic derivatives, especially phosphorus, spurred MPP rates and heightened organic carbon burial. These factors emerge as potential drivers in breaking the long-term static state of the mid-Proterozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuichang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Huajian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xiaomei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Wang Zheng
- School of Earth System Science, Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Jihua Hao
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
- LOGIC, Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University College London and Birkbeck, University of London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- MIGHTY, Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55122 Mainz, Germany
| | - Yuntao Ye
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing 100083, China
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Miao Shi
- School of Earth System Science, Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yuke Liu
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yitong Lyu
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing 100083, China
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4
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Xia Z, Li S, Hu Z, Bialik O, Chen T, Weldeghebriel MF, Fan Q, Fan J, Wang X, An S, Zhang F, Xu H, Chen J, Ji Z, Shen S, Lowenstein TK, Li W. The evolution of Earth's surficial Mg cycle over the past 2 billion years. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj5474. [PMID: 38427740 PMCID: PMC10906924 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj5474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
The surficial cycling of Mg is coupled with the global carbon cycle, a predominant control of Earth's climate. However, how Earth's surficial Mg cycle evolved with time has been elusive. Magnesium isotope signatures of seawater (δ26Mgsw) track the surficial Mg cycle, which could provide crucial information on the carbon cycle in Earth's history. Here, we present a reconstruction of δ26Mgsw evolution over the past 2 billion years using marine halite fluid inclusions and sedimentary dolostones. The data show that δ26Mgsw decreased, with fluctuations, by about 1.4‰ from the Paleoproterozoic to the present time. Mass balance calculations based on this δ26Mgsw record reveal a long-term decline in net dolostone burial (NDB) over the past 2 billion years, due to the decrease in dolomitization in the oceans and the increase in dolostone weathering on the continents. This underlines a previously underappreciated connection between the weathering-burial cycle of dolostone and the Earth's climate on geologic timescales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiguang Xia
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation & Institute of Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
- International Center for Sedimentary Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry Research, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
| | - Shilei Li
- Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Surficial Geochemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Earth Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zhongya Hu
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, School of Ocean and Earth Science, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Or Bialik
- Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, University of Muenster, Corrensstr. 24, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Tianyu Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Mebrahtu F. Weldeghebriel
- Department of Earth Sciences, Binghamton University, NY 13902, USA
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Qishun Fan
- Key Laboratory of Comprehensive and Highly Efficient Utilization of Salt Lake Resources, Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Geology and Environment of Salt Lakes, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China
| | - Junxuan Fan
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiangdong Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shichao An
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Feifei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haoran Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiayang Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhihan Ji
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shuzhong Shen
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | | | - Weiqiang Li
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
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5
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Wang R, Wu SC, Weinberg RF, Collins WJ, Cawood PA. Zircons reveal the history of fluctuations in oxidation state of crustal magmatism and supercontinent cycle. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2024; 69:97-102. [PMID: 37953116 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
We apply a zircon redox index to a global compilation of detrital zircons to track the variation of oxidation state, expressed as ΔFMQ, through Earth's history. Those from I-type rocks, which comprise mantle and crustal igneous protoliths, including tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorites (TTGs), generally have a high oxidation state (ΔFMQ > 0). In contrast, zircons from igneous rocks derived from supracrustal source rocks (S-type) are commonly reduced (ΔFMQ < 0). With the probability density function derived from the Gaussian-Kernel-Density-Estimation, we use the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to distinguish S-type from I-type zircons through Earth's history using zircon redox. Voluminous S-type magma production shows a ca. 600 Ma cyclicity that is closely related to the supercontinent cycle. We link a cyclic drop in redox values after 2.6 Ga to periodic S-type magma generation associated with burial and melting of metasedimentary rocks during supercontinent assembly and amalgamation. The ΔFMQ of the detrital zircons rise at ∼3.5 Ga followed by a consistent average ΔFMQ > 0 over the last 3 Ga. Given that the redox state of magmas is independent of crustal thickness and silica variation, and elevated values are likely more closely related to tectonic setting, we suggest that the consistent average ΔFMQ > 0 from ca. 3.5 Ga onwards relates to recycling of oceanic lithosphere back into the mantle in what eventually became established as subduction zones. The more reduced magmas associated with sedimentary sources, became established at 2.6 Ga, presumably in response to continental rocks rising above sea-level, and follow peaks of productivity associated with the supercontinent cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Institute of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Shao-Chen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Institute of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Roberto F Weinberg
- School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3800, Australia
| | - William J Collins
- The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth WA 6102, Australia
| | - Peter A Cawood
- School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3800, Australia
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6
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Puetz SJ, Spencer CJ, Condie KC, Roberts NMW. Enhanced U-Pb detrital zircon, Lu-Hf zircon, δ 18O zircon, and Sm-Nd whole rock global databases. Sci Data 2024; 11:56. [PMID: 38195635 PMCID: PMC10776700 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02902-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
High-quality global isotopic databases provide Earth scientists with robust means for developing and testing a variety of geological hypotheses. Database design establishes the range of questions that can be addressed, and validation techniques can enhance data quality. Here, six validated global isotopic databases provide extensive records of analyses from U-Pb in detrital zircon, Lu-Hf in zircon, Sm-Nd from whole rocks, and δ18O in zircon. The U-Pb detrital zircon records are segregated into three independently sampled databases. Independent samples are critical for testing the replicability of results, a key requisite for gaining confidence in the validity of a hypothesis. An advantage of our updated databases is that a hypothesis developed from one of the global detrital zircon databases can be immediately tested with the other two independent detrital zircon databases to assess the replicability of results. The independent εHf(t) and εNd(t) values provide similar means of testing for replicable results. This contribution discusses database design, data limitations, and validation techniques used to ensure the data are optimal for subsequent geological investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Puetz
- Unaffiliated, 475 Atkinson Drive, Suite 704, Honolulu, HI, 96814, USA.
| | - Christopher J Spencer
- Queen's University, Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Kent C Condie
- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, 87801, USA
| | - Nick M W Roberts
- British Geological Survey, Geochronology and Tracers Facility, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK
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7
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Zhang ZJ, Chen GX, Kusky T, Yang J, Cheng QM. Lithospheric thickness records tectonic evolution by controlling metamorphic conditions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi2134. [PMID: 38100583 PMCID: PMC10848733 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi2134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The lithosphere, as the outermost solid layer of our planet, preserves a progressively more fragmentary record of geological events and processes from Earth's history the further back in time one looks. Thus, the evolution of lithospheric thickness and its cascading impacts in Earth's tectonic system are presently unknown. Here, we track the lithospheric thickness history using machine learning based on global lithogeochemical data of basalt. Our results demonstrate that four marked lithospheric thinning events occurred during the Paleoarchean, early Paleoproterozoic, Neoproterozoic, and Phanerozoic with intermediate thickening scenarios. These events respectively correspond to supercontinent/supercraton breakup and assembly periods. Causality investigation further indicates that crustal metamorphic and deformation styles are the feedback of lithospheric thickness. Cross-correlation between lithospheric thickness and metamorphic thermal gradients records the transition from intraoceanic subduction systems to continental margin and intraoceanic in the Paleoarchean and Mesoarchean and a progressive emergence of large thick continents that allow supercontinent growth, which promoted assembly of the first supercontinent during the Neoarchean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Jie Zhang
- School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Guo-Xiong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Timothy Kusky
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Jie Yang
- State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Qiu-Ming Cheng
- State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- School of Earth Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 51900, China
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8
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Jin Z, Wang X, Wang H, Ye Y, Zhang S. Organic carbon cycling and black shale deposition: an Earth System Science perspective. Natl Sci Rev 2023; 10:nwad243. [PMID: 37900193 PMCID: PMC10612131 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Earth has a prolonged history characterized by substantial cycling of matter and energy between multiple spheres. The production of organic carbon can be traced back to as early as ∼4.0 Ga, but the frequency and scale of organic-rich shales have varied markedly over geological time. In this paper, we discuss the organic carbon cycle and the development of black shale from the perspective of Earth System Science. We propose that black shale depositions are the results of interactions among lithospheric evolution, orbital forcing, weathering, photosynthesis and degradation. Black shales can record Earth's oxygenation process, provide petroleum and metallic mineral resources and reveal information about the driver, direction and magnitude of climate change. Future research on black shales should be expanded to encompass a more extensive and more multidimensional perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijun Jin
- Institute of Energy, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
| | - Xiaomei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Central Laboratory of Geological Sciences, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing100083, China
| | - Huajian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Central Laboratory of Geological Sciences, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing100083, China
| | - Yuntao Ye
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Central Laboratory of Geological Sciences, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing100083, China
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
| | - Shuichang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Central Laboratory of Geological Sciences, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing100083, China
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9
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Walton CR, Hao J, Huang F, Jenner FE, Williams H, Zerkle AL, Lipp A, Hazen RM, Peters SE, Shorttle O. Evolution of the crustal phosphorus reservoir. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade6923. [PMID: 37146138 PMCID: PMC10162663 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade6923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The release of phosphorus (P) from crustal rocks during weathering plays a key role in determining the size of Earth's biosphere, yet the concentration of P in crustal rocks over time remains controversial. Here, we combine spatial, temporal, and chemical measurements of preserved rocks to reconstruct the lithological and chemical evolution of Earth's continental crust. We identify a threefold increase in average crustal P concentrations across the Neoproterozoic-Phanerozoic boundary (600 to 400 million years), showing that preferential biomass burial on shelves acted to progressively concentrate P within continental crust. Rapid compositional change was made possible by massive removal of ancient P-poor rock and deposition of young P-rich sediment during an episode of enhanced global erosion. Subsequent weathering of newly P-rich crust led to increased riverine P fluxes to the ocean. Our results suggest that global erosion coupled to sedimentary P-enrichment forged a markedly nutrient-rich crust at the dawn of the Phanerozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig R Walton
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Jihua Hao
- Deep Space Exploration Lab/CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Rd., Hefei 230026, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Rd., Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Fang Huang
- CSIRO Mineral Resources, Kensington WA 6151, Australia
| | - Frances E Jenner
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Helen Williams
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Aubrey L Zerkle
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98154, USA
| | - Alex Lipp
- Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robert M Hazen
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5251 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - Shanan E Peters
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Oliver Shorttle
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
- Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OHA, UK
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10
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Kang J, Gill B, Reid R, Zhang F, Xiao S. Nitrate limitation in early Neoproterozoic oceans delayed the ecological rise of eukaryotes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade9647. [PMID: 36947611 PMCID: PMC10032604 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade9647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The early Neoproterozoic Era witnessed the initial ecological rise of eukaryotes at ca. 800 Ma. To assess whether nitrate availability played an important role in this evolutionary event, we measured nitrogen isotope compositions (δ15N) of marine carbonates from the early Tonian (ca. 1000 Ma to ca. 800 Ma) Huaibei Group in North China. The data reported here fill a critical gap in the δ15N record and indicate nitrate limitation in early Neoproterozoic oceans. A compilation of Proterozoic sedimentary δ15N data reveals a stepwise increase in δ15N values at ~800 Ma. Box model simulations indicate that this stepwise increase likely represents a ~50% increase in marine nitrate availability. Limited nitrate availability in early Neoproterozoic oceans may have delayed the ecological rise of eukaryotes until ~800 Ma when increased nitrate supply, together with other environmental and ecological factors, may have contributed to the transition from prokaryote-dominant to eukaryote-dominant marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyao Kang
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Global Change Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Benjamin Gill
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Global Change Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Rachel Reid
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Global Change Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Feifei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Shuhai Xiao
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Global Change Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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11
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A resource for automated search and collation of geochemical datasets from journal supplements. Sci Data 2022; 9:724. [PMID: 36433993 PMCID: PMC9700723 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01730-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This article presents a resource for automated search, extraction and collation of geochemical and geochronological data from the Figshare repository using web scraping code. To answer fundamental questions about the Earth's evolution, such as spatial and temporal evolution and interrelationships between the planet's solid and surficial reservoirs, researchers must utilize global geochemical datasets. Due to the volume of data being published, these datasets become quickly outdated. We present a resource that allows researchers to rapidly curate and update their own databases from existing published data. We use open-source Python code to web scrape the Figshare repository for journal supplementary files using the application programming interface, allowing for the collection and download of hundreds of supplementary files and metadata in minutes. Use of this web scraping tool is demonstrated here by collation of a zircon geochronology and chemistry database of >150,000 analyses. The database is consistent in reproducing trends in other published zircon compilations. Providing a resource for automated collection of Figshare data files will encourage data sharing and reuse.
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12
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Fu H, Zhang S, Condon DJ, Xian H. Secular change of true polar wander over the past billion years. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo2753. [PMID: 36240274 PMCID: PMC9565807 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo2753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The rate of movement of Earth's solid shell relative to its spin axis, or true polar wander, depends on variations in mantle convection and viscosity. We report paleomagnetic and geochronologic data from South China that constrain the rate of rapid true polar wander (>5° per million years) between 832 million years and 821 million years ago. Analysis of the paleomagnetic database demonstrates secular change of true polar wander related to mantle cooling and thermal structure across supercontinent cycles. True polar wander rates are relatively muted with a partially insulated mantle during supercontinent assembly and accelerate as mantle thermal mixing reestablishes with supercontinent breakup. Decreasing true polar wander rate through the Neoproterozoic was succeeded by overall smaller variations in the Phanerozoic. We propose that Neoproterozoic extensive plate tectonic activities enhanced mantle cooling, giving rise to a reduction in mantle convective forcing, an increase in mantle viscosity, and a decrease in true polar wander rates into the Phanerozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hairuo Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Shihong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Daniel J. Condon
- NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth NG12 5GG, UK
| | - Hanbiao Xian
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
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13
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Earth's anomalous middle-age magmatism driven by plate slowdown. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10460. [PMID: 35729314 PMCID: PMC9213423 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13885-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The mid-Proterozoic or "boring billion" exhibited extremely stable environmental conditions, with little change in atmospheric oxygen levels, and mildly oxygenated shallow oceans. A limited number of passive margins with extremely long lifespans are observed from this time, suggesting that subdued tectonic activity—a plate slowdown—was the underlying reason for the environmental stability. However, the Proterozoic also has a unique magmatic and metamorphic record; massif-type anorthosites and anorogenic Rapakivi granites are largely confined to this period and the temperature/pressure (thermobaric ratio) of granulite facies metamorphism peaked at over 1500 °C/GPa during the Mesoproterozoic. Here, we develop a method of calculating plate velocities from the passive margin record, benchmarked against Phanerozoic tectonic velocities. We then extend this approach to geological observations from the Proterozoic, and provide the first quantitative constraints on Proterozoic plate velocities that substantiate the postulated slowdown. Using mantle evolution models, we calculate the consequences of this slowdown for mantle temperatures, magmatic regimes and metamorphic conditions in the crust. We show that higher mantle temperatures in the Proterozoic would have resulted in a larger proportion of intrusive magmatism, with mantle-derived melts emplaced at the Moho or into the lower crust, enabling the production of anorthosites and Rapakivi granites, and giving rise to extreme thermobaric ratios of crustal metamorphism when plate velocities were slowest.
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14
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Luffi P, Ducea MN. Chemical Mohometry: Assessing Crustal Thickness of Ancient Orogens Using Geochemical and Isotopic Data. REVIEWS OF GEOPHYSICS (WASHINGTON, D.C. : 1985) 2022; 60:e2021RG000753. [PMID: 36590030 PMCID: PMC9788079 DOI: 10.1029/2021rg000753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Convergent plate boundaries are key sites for continental crustal formation and recycling. Quantifying the evolution of crustal thickness and paleoelevation along ancient convergent margins represents a major goal in orogenic system analyses. Chemical and in some cases isotopic compositions of igneous rocks formed in modern supra-subduction arcs and collisional belts are sensitive to Moho depths at the location of magmatism, implying that igneous suites from fossil orogens carry information about crustal thickness from the time they formed. Several whole-rock chemical parameters correlate with crustal thickness, some of which were calibrated to serve as "mohometers," that is, quantitative proxies of paleo-Moho depths. Based on mineral-melt partition coefficients, this concept has been extended to detrital zircons, such that combined chemical and geochronological information extracted from these minerals allows us to reconstruct the crustal thickness evolution using the detrital archive. We discuss here the mohometric potential of a variety of chemical and isotopic parameters and show that their combined usage improves paleocrustal thickness estimates. Using a MATLAB® app developed for the underlying computations, we present examples from the modern and the deeper time geologic record to illustrate the promises and pitfalls of the technique. Since arcs are in isostatic equilibrium, mohometers are useful in reconstructing orogenic paleoelevation as well. Our analysis suggests that many global-scale correlations between magma composition and crustal thickness used in mohometry originate in the sub-arc mantle; additional effects resulting from intracrustal igneous differentiation depend on the compatible or incompatible behavior of the involved parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Luffi
- Sabba Stefanescu Institute of GeodynamicsBucharestRomania
- Geological Institute of RomaniaBucharestRomania
| | - M. N. Ducea
- Faculty of Geology and GeophysicsUniversity of BucharestBucharestRomania
- Department of GeosciencesUniversity of ArizonaTucsonAZUSA
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15
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16
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Eguchi J, Diamond CW, Lyons TW. Proterozoic supercontinent break-up as a driver for oxygenation events and subsequent carbon isotope excursions. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac036. [PMID: 36713325 PMCID: PMC9802223 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Oxygen and carbon are 2 elements critical for life on Earth. Earth's most dramatic oxygenation events and carbon isotope excursions (CIE) occurred during the Proterozoic, including the Paleoproterozoic Great Oxidation Event and the associated Lomagundi CIE, the Neoproterozoic Oxygenation event, and the Shuram negative CIE during the late Neoproterozoic. A specific pattern of a long-lived positive CIE followed by a negative CIE is observed in association with oxygenation events during the Paleo- and Neo-proterozoic. We present results from a carbon cycle model designed to couple the surface and interior cycling of carbon that reproduce this pattern. The model assumes organic carbon resides in the mantle longer than carbonate, leading to systematic temporal variations in the δ13C of volcanic CO2 emissions. When the model is perturbed by periods of enhanced continental weathering, increased amounts of carbonate and organic carbon are buried. Increased deposition of organic carbon allows O2 accumulation, while positive CIEs are driven by rapid release of subducted carbonate-derived CO2 at arcs. The subsequent negative CIEs are driven by the delayed release of organic C-derived CO2 at ocean islands. Our model reproduces the sequences observed in the Paleo- and Neo-proterozoic, that is oxygenation accompanied by a positive CIE followed by a negative CIE. Periods of enhanced weathering correspond temporally to supercontinent break-up, suggesting an important connection between global tectonics and the evolution of oxygen and carbon on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Charles W Diamond
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Timothy W Lyons
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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17
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Moore EK, Golden JJ, Morrison SM, Hao J, Spielman SJ. The expanding network of mineral chemistry throughout earth history reveals global shifts in crustal chemistry during the Proterozoic. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4956. [PMID: 35322071 PMCID: PMC8943050 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08650-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Earth surface redox conditions are intimately linked to the co-evolution of the geosphere and biosphere. Minerals provide a record of Earth’s evolving surface and interior chemistry in geologic time due to many different processes (e.g. tectonic, volcanic, sedimentary, oxidative, etc.). Here, we show how the bipartite network of minerals and their shared constituent elements expanded and evolved over geologic time. To further investigate network expansion over time, we derive and apply a novel metric (weighted mineral element electronegativity coefficient of variation; wMEECV) to quantify intra-mineral electronegativity variation with respect to redox. We find that element electronegativity and hard soft acid base (HSAB) properties are central factors in mineral redox chemistry under a wide range of conditions. Global shifts in mineral element electronegativity and HSAB associations represented by wMEECV changes at 1.8 and 0.6 billion years ago align with decreased continental elevation followed by the transition from the intermediate ocean and glaciation eras to post-glaciation, increased atmospheric oxygen in the Phanerozoic, and enhanced continental weathering. Consequently, network analysis of mineral element electronegativity and HSAB properties reveal that orogenic activity, evolving redox state of the mantle, planetary oxygenation, and climatic transitions directly impacted the evolving chemical complexity of Earth’s crust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli K Moore
- Department of Environmental Science, School of Earth and the Environment, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA.
| | - Josh J Golden
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Shaunna M Morrison
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jihua Hao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, USTC, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China.,Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Stephanie J Spielman
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA
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18
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Huang T, Wang R, Shen B. “中年地球”的磷循环与生物泵:再谈“沉寂的十亿年”. CHINESE SCIENCE BULLETIN-CHINESE 2022. [DOI: 10.1360/tb-2021-1168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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19
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Magmatic thickening of crust in non-plate tectonic settings initiated the subaerial rise of Earth's first continents 3.3 to 3.2 billion years ago. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2105746118. [PMID: 34750257 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105746118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
When and how Earth's earliest continents-the cratons-first emerged above the oceans (i.e., emersion) remain uncertain. Here, we analyze a craton-wide record of Paleo-to-Mesoarchean granitoid magmatism and terrestrial to shallow-marine sedimentation preserved in the Singhbhum Craton (India) and combine the results with isostatic modeling to examine the timing and mechanism of one of the earliest episodes of large-scale continental emersion on Earth. Detrital zircon U-Pb(-Hf) data constrain the timing of terrestrial to shallow-marine sedimentation on the Singhbhum Craton, which resolves the timing of craton-wide emersion. Time-integrated petrogenetic modeling of the granitoids quantifies the progressive changes in the cratonic crustal thickness and composition and the pressure-temperature conditions of granitoid magmatism, which elucidates the underlying mechanism and tectonic setting of emersion. The results show that the entire Singhbhum Craton became subaerial ∼3.3 to 3.2 billion years ago (Ga) due to progressive crustal maturation and thickening driven by voluminous granitoid magmatism within a plateau-like setting. A similar sedimentary-magmatic evolution also accompanied the early (>3 Ga) emersion of other cratons (e.g., Kaapvaal Craton). Therefore, we propose that the emersion of Earth's earliest continents began during the late Paleoarchean to early Mesoarchean and was driven by the isostatic rise of their magmatically thickened (∼50 km thick), buoyant, silica-rich crust. The inferred plateau-like tectonic settings suggest that subduction collision-driven compressional orogenesis was not essential in driving continental emersion, at least before the Neoarchean. We further surmise that this early emersion of cratons could be responsible for the transient and localized episodes of atmospheric-oceanic oxygenation (O2-whiffs) and glaciation on Archean Earth.
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20
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Lyons TW, Diamond CW, Planavsky NJ, Reinhard CT, Li C. Oxygenation, Life, and the Planetary System during Earth's Middle History: An Overview. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:906-923. [PMID: 34314605 PMCID: PMC8403206 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The long history of life on Earth has unfolded as a cause-and-effect relationship with the evolving amount of oxygen (O2) in the oceans and atmosphere. Oxygen deficiency characterized our planet's first 2 billion years, yet evidence for biological O2 production and local enrichments in the surface ocean appear long before the first accumulations of O2 in the atmosphere roughly 2.4 to 2.3 billion years ago. Much has been written about this fundamental transition and the related balance between biological O2 production and sinks coupled to deep Earth processes that could buffer against the accumulation of biogenic O2. However, the relationship between complex life (eukaryotes, including animals) and later oxygenation is less clear. Some data suggest O2 was higher but still mostly low for another billion and a half years before increasing again around 800 million years ago, potentially setting a challenging course for complex life during its initial development and ecological expansion. The apparent rise in O2 around 800 million years ago is coincident with major developments in complex life. Multiple geochemical and paleontological records point to a major biogeochemical transition at that time, but whether rising and still dynamic biospheric oxygen triggered or merely followed from innovations in eukaryotic ecology, including the emergence of animals, is still debated. This paper focuses on the geochemical records of Earth's middle history, roughly 1.8 to 0.5 billion years ago, as a backdrop for exploring possible cause-and-effect relationships with biological evolution and the primary controls that may have set its pace, including solid Earth/tectonic processes, nutrient limitation, and their possible linkages. A richer mechanistic understanding of the interplay between coevolving life and Earth surface environments can provide a template for understanding and remotely searching for sustained habitability and even life on distant exoplanets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy W. Lyons
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
- Address correspondence to: Timothy W. Lyons, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Charles W. Diamond
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Noah J. Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Christopher T. Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Chao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
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21
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Yao J, Cawood PA, Zhao G, Han Y, Xia X, Liu Q, Wang P. Mariana-type ophiolites constrain the establishment of modern plate tectonic regime during Gondwana assembly. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4189. [PMID: 34234127 PMCID: PMC8263587 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24422-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Initiation of Mariana-type oceanic subduction zones requires rheologically strong oceanic lithosphere, which developed through secular cooling of Earth's mantle. Here, we report a 518 Ma Mariana-type subduction initiation ophiolite from northern Tibet, which, along with compilation of similar ophiolites through Earth history, argues for the establishment of the modern plate tectonic regime by the early Cambrian. The ophiolite was formed during the subduction initiation of the Proto-Tethys Ocean that coincided with slab roll-back along the southern and western Gondwana margins at ca. 530-520 Ma. This global tectonic re-organization and the establishment of modern plate tectonic regime was likely controlled by secular cooling of the Earth, and facilitated by enhanced lubrication of subduction zones by sediments derived from widespread surface erosion of the extensive mountain ranges formed during Gondwana assembly. This time also corresponds to extreme events recorded in climate and surface proxies that herald formation of the contemporary Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlong Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Northern Taibai Street 229, Xi'an, 710069, China.
| | - Peter A Cawood
- School of Earth, Atmosphere & Environment, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Guochun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Northern Taibai Street 229, Xi'an, 710069, China.
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.
| | - Yigui Han
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Northern Taibai Street 229, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Xiaoping Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
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22
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Bozdag GO, Libby E, Pineau R, Reinhard CT, Ratcliff WC. Oxygen suppression of macroscopic multicellularity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2838. [PMID: 33990594 PMCID: PMC8121917 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23104-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Atmospheric oxygen is thought to have played a vital role in the evolution of large, complex multicellular organisms. Challenging the prevailing theory, we show that the transition from an anaerobic to an aerobic world can strongly suppress the evolution of macroscopic multicellularity. Here we select for increased size in multicellular 'snowflake' yeast across a range of metabolically-available O2 levels. While yeast under anaerobic and high-O2 conditions evolved to be considerably larger, intermediate O2 constrained the evolution of large size. Through sequencing and synthetic strain construction, we confirm that this is due to O2-mediated divergent selection acting on organism size. We show via mathematical modeling that our results stem from nearly universal evolutionary and biophysical trade-offs, and thus should apply broadly. These results highlight the fact that oxygen is a double-edged sword: while it provides significant metabolic advantages, selection for efficient use of this resource may paradoxically suppress the evolution of macroscopic multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Ozan Bozdag
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Eric Libby
- Integrated Science Lab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Rozenn Pineau
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia, USA
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Alternative Earths Team, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - William C Ratcliff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Reliving the Past Team, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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