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Wei GY, Zhao M, Sperling EA, Gaines RR, Kalderon-Asael B, Shen J, Li C, Zhang F, Li G, Zhou C, Cai C, Chen D, Xiao KQ, Jiang L, Ling HF, Planavsky NJ, Tarhan LG. Lithium isotopic constraints on the evolution of continental clay mineral factory and marine oxygenation in the earliest Paleozoic Era. Sci Adv 2024; 10:eadk2152. [PMID: 38552018 PMCID: PMC10980266 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk2152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of oxygen cycles on Earth's surface has been regulated by the balance between molecular oxygen production and consumption. The Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic transition likely marks the second rise in atmospheric and oceanic oxygen levels, widely attributed to enhanced burial of organic carbon. However, it remains disputed how marine organic carbon production and burial respond to global environmental changes and whether these feedbacks trigger global oxygenation during this interval. Here, we report a large lithium isotopic and elemental dataset from marine mudstones spanning the upper Neoproterozoic to middle Cambrian [~660 million years ago (Ma) to 500 Ma]. These data indicate a dramatic increase in continental clay formation after ~525 Ma, likely linked to secular changes in global climate and compositions of the continental crust. Using a global biogeochemical model, we suggest that intensified continental weathering and clay delivery to the oceans could have notably increased the burial efficiency of organic carbon and facilitated greater oxygen accumulation in the earliest Paleozoic oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Yi Wei
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
| | - Mingyu Zhao
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Erik A. Sperling
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Boriana Kalderon-Asael
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
| | - Jun Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Chao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation and Institute of Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
- Key Laboratory of Deep-time Geography and Environment Reconstruction and Applications of Ministry of Natural Resources, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
- International Center for Sedimentary Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry Research, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
| | - Feifei Zhang
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Gaojun Li
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Chuanming Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Chunfang Cai
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Daizhao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ke-Qing Xiao
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqing Rd. 18, 10085, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lei Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hong-Fei Ling
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Noah J. Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
| | - Lidya G. Tarhan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA
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2
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Beerling DJ, Epihov DZ, Kantola IB, Masters MD, Reershemius T, Planavsky NJ, Reinhard CT, Jordan JS, Thorne SJ, Weber J, Val Martin M, Freckleton RP, Hartley SE, James RH, Pearce CR, DeLucia EH, Banwart SA. Enhanced weathering in the US Corn Belt delivers carbon removal with agronomic benefits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2319436121. [PMID: 38386712 PMCID: PMC10907306 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2319436121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial enhanced weathering (EW) of silicate rocks, such as crushed basalt, on farmlands is a promising scalable atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy that urgently requires performance assessment with commercial farming practices. We report findings from a large-scale replicated EW field trial across a typical maize-soybean rotation on an experimental farm in the heart of the United Sates Corn Belt over 4 y (2016 to 2020). We show an average combined loss of major cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) from crushed basalt applied each fall over 4 y (50 t ha-1 y-1) gave a conservative time-integrated cumulative CDR potential of 10.5 ± 3.8 t CO2 ha-1. Maize and soybean yields increased significantly (P < 0.05) by 12 to 16% with EW following improved soil fertility, decreased soil acidification, and upregulation of root nutrient transport genes. Yield enhancements with EW were achieved with significantly (P < 0.05) increased key micro- and macronutrient concentrations (including potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc), thus improving or maintaining crop nutritional status. We observed no significant increase in the content of trace metals in grains of maize or soybean or soil exchangeable pools relative to controls. Our findings suggest that widespread adoption of EW across farming sectors has the potential to contribute significantly to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goals while simultaneously improving food and soil security.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Beerling
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitar Z. Epihov
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Ilsa B. Kantola
- Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Michael D. Masters
- Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Tom Reershemius
- Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Noah J. Planavsky
- Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Christopher T. Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | | | - Sarah J. Thorne
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - James Weber
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Val Martin
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Robert P. Freckleton
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Sue E. Hartley
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael H. James
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, SouthamptonSO14 3ZH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Evan H. DeLucia
- Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Steven A. Banwart
- Global Food and Environment Institute, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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3
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Reershemius T, Kelland ME, Jordan JS, Davis IR, D'Ascanio R, Kalderon-Asael B, Asael D, Suhrhoff TJ, Epihov DZ, Beerling DJ, Reinhard CT, Planavsky NJ. Initial Validation of a Soil-Based Mass-Balance Approach for Empirical Monitoring of Enhanced Rock Weathering Rates. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:19497-19507. [PMID: 37961896 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a promising scalable and cost-effective carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy with significant environmental and agronomic co-benefits. A major barrier to large-scale implementation of ERW is a robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework. To successfully quantify the amount of carbon dioxide removed by ERW, MRV must be accurate, precise, and cost-effective. Here, we outline a mass-balance-based method in which analysis of the chemical composition of soil samples is used to track in situ silicate rock weathering. We show that signal-to-noise issues of in situ soil analysis can be mitigated by using isotope-dilution mass spectrometry to reduce analytical error. We implement a proof-of-concept experiment demonstrating the method in controlled mesocosms. In our experiment, a basalt rock feedstock is added to soil columns containing the cereal crop Sorghum bicolor at a rate equivalent to 50 t ha-1. Using our approach, we calculate rock weathering corresponding to an average initial CDR value of 1.44 ± 0.27 tCO2eq ha-1 from our experiments after 235 days, within error of an independent estimate calculated using conventional elemental budgeting of reaction products. Our method provides a robust time-integrated estimate of initial CDR, to feed into models that track and validate large-scale carbon removal through ERW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Reershemius
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Mike E Kelland
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, U.K
| | - Jacob S Jordan
- Porecast Research, Lawrence, Kansas 66049, United States
| | - Isabelle R Davis
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, Southampton SO14 3ZH, U.K
| | - Rocco D'Ascanio
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Boriana Kalderon-Asael
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Dan Asael
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - T Jesper Suhrhoff
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
- Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Dimitar Z Epihov
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, U.K
| | - David J Beerling
- Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, U.K
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
- Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
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4
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Gong Z, Wei GY, Fakhraee M, Alcott LJ, Jiang L, Zhao M, Planavsky NJ. Revisiting marine redox conditions during the Ediacaran Shuram carbon isotope excursion. Geobiology 2023; 21:407-420. [PMID: 36755479 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Neoproterozoic carbonate record contains multiple carbon isotope anomalies, which are the subject of intense debate. The largest of these anomalies, the Shuram excursion (SE), occurred in the mid-Ediacaran (~574-567 Ma). Accurately reconstructing marine redox landscape is a clear path toward making sense of the mechanism that drives this δ13 C anomaly. Here, we report new uranium isotopic data from the shallow-marine carbonates of the Wonoka Formation, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, where the SE is well preserved. Our data indicate that the δ238 U trend during the SE is highly reproducible across globally disparate sections from different depositional settings. Previously, it was proposed that the positive shift of δ238 U values during the SE suggests an extensive, near-modern level of marine oxygenation. However, recent publications suggest that the fractionation of uranium isotopes in ferruginous and anoxic conditions is comparable, opening up the possibility of non-unique interpretations of the carbonate uranium isotopic record. Here, we build on this idea by investigating the SE in conjunction with additional geochemical proxies. Using a revised uranium isotope mass balance model and an inverse stochastic carbon cycle model, we reevaluate models for δ13 C and δ238 U trends during the SE. We suggest that global seawater δ238 U values during the SE could be explained by an expansion of ferruginous conditions and do not require a near-modern level of oxygenation during the mid-Ediacaran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Gong
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Guang-Yi Wei
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mojtaba Fakhraee
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lewis J Alcott
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lei Jiang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mingyu Zhao
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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5
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Anbar AD, Buick R, Gordon GW, Johnson AC, Kendall B, Lyons TW, Ostrander CM, Planavsky NJ, Reinhard CT, Stüeken EE. Technical comment on "Reexamination of 2.5-Ga 'whiff' of oxygen interval points to anoxic ocean before GOE". Sci Adv 2023; 9:eabq3736. [PMID: 37027472 PMCID: PMC10081836 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Many lines of inorganic geochemical evidence suggest transient "whiffs" of environmental oxygenation before the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). Slotznick et al. assert that analyses of paleoredox proxies in the Mount McRae Shale, Western Australia, were misinterpreted and hence that environmental O2 levels were persistently negligible before the GOE. We find these arguments logically flawed and factually incomplete.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel D. Anbar
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University. Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Roger Buick
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gwyneth W. Gordon
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University. Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Brian Kendall
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Timothy W. Lyons
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Chadlin M. Ostrander
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth, MA, USA
| | - Noah J. Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Christopher T. Reinhard
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eva E. Stüeken
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK
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6
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Kanzaki Y, Planavsky NJ, Reinhard CT. New estimates of the storage permanence and ocean co-benefits of enhanced rock weathering. PNAS Nexus 2023; 2:pgad059. [PMID: 37096198 PMCID: PMC10122414 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Avoiding many of the most severe consequences of anthropogenic climate change in the coming century will very likely require the development of "negative emissions technologies"-practices that lead to net carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from Earth's atmosphere. However, feedbacks within the carbon cycle place intrinsic limits on the long-term impact of CDR on atmospheric CO2 that are likely to vary across CDR technologies in ways that are poorly constrained. Here, we use an ensemble of Earth system models to provide new insights into the efficiency of CDR through enhanced rock weathering (ERW) by explicitly quantifying long-term storage of carbon in the ocean during ERW relative to an equivalent modulated emissions scenario. We find that although the backflux of CO2 to the atmosphere in the face of CDR is in all cases significant and time-varying, even for direct removal and underground storage, the leakage of initially captured carbon associated with ERW is well below that currently assumed. In addition, net alkalinity addition to the surface ocean from ERW leads to significant increases in seawater carbonate mineral saturation state relative to an equivalent emissions trajectory, a co-benefit for calcifying marine organisms. These results suggest that potential carbon leakage from the oceans during ERW is a small component of the overall ERW life cycle and that it can be rigorously quantified and incorporated into technoeconomic assessments of ERW at scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiki Kanzaki
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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7
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Planavsky NJ, Asael D, Rooney AD, Robbins LJ, Gill BC, Dehler CM, Cole DB, Porter SM, Love GD, Konhauser KO, Reinhard CT. A sedimentary record of the evolution of the global marine phosphorus cycle. Geobiology 2023; 21:168-174. [PMID: 36471206 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is typically considered to be the ultimate limiting nutrient for Earth's biosphere on geologic timescales. As P is monoisotopic, its sedimentary enrichment can provide some insights into how the marine P cycle has changed through time. A previous compilation of shale P enrichments argued for a significant change in P cycling during the Ediacaran Period (635-541 Ma). Here, using an updated P compilation-with more than twice the number of samples-we bolster the case that there was a significant transition in P cycling moving from the Precambrian into the Phanerozoic. However, our analysis suggests this state change may have occurred earlier than previously suggested. Specifically in the updated database, there is evidence for a transition ~35 million years before the onset of the Sturtian Snowball Earth glaciation in the Visingsö Group, potentially divorcing the climatic upheavals of the Neoproterozoic from changes in the Earth's P cycle. We attribute the transition in Earth's sedimentary P record to the onset of a more modern-like Earth system state characterized by less reducing marine conditions, higher marine P concentrations, and a greater predominance of eukaryotic organisms encompassing both primary producers and consumers. This view is consistent with organic biomarker evidence for a significant eukaryotic contribution to the preserved sedimentary organic matter in this succession and other contemporaneous Tonian marine sedimentary rocks. However, we stress that, even with an expanded dataset, we are likely far from pinpointing exactly when this transition occurred or whether Earth's history is characterized by a single or multiple transitions in the P cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah J Planavsky
- The Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Dan Asael
- The Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Alan D Rooney
- The Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Leslie J Robbins
- The Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Benjamin C Gill
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Institute of Technology, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Carol M Dehler
- Department of Geology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Devon B Cole
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Susannah M Porter
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Gordon D Love
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Kurt O Konhauser
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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8
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Wang J, Tarhan LG, Jacobson AD, Oehlert AM, Planavsky NJ. The evolution of the marine carbonate factory. Nature 2023; 615:265-269. [PMID: 36813968 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05654-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Calcium carbonate formation is the primary pathway by which carbon is returned from the ocean-atmosphere system to the solid Earth1,2. The removal of dissolved inorganic carbon from seawater by precipitation of carbonate minerals-the marine carbonate factory-plays a critical role in shaping marine biogeochemical cycling1,2. A paucity of empirical constraints has led to widely divergent views on how the marine carbonate factory has changed over time3-5. Here we use geochemical insights from stable strontium isotopes to provide a new perspective on the evolution of the marine carbonate factory and carbonate mineral saturation states. Although the production of carbonates in the surface ocean and in shallow seafloor settings have been widely considered the predominant carbonate sinks for most of the history of the Earth6, we propose that alternative processes-such as porewater production of authigenic carbonates-may have represented a major carbonate sink throughout the Precambrian. Our results also suggest that the rise of the skeletal carbonate factory decreased seawater carbonate saturation states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiuyuan Wang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Lidya G Tarhan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Andrew D Jacobson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Amanda M Oehlert
- Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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9
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Slagter S, Hao W, Planavsky NJ, Konhauser KO, Tarhan LG. Author Correction: Biofilms as agents of Ediacara-style fossilization. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2307. [PMID: 36759687 PMCID: PMC9911769 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29279-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Silvina Slagter
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
| | - Weiduo Hao
- grid.17089.370000 0001 2190 316XDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3 Canada
| | - Noah J. Planavsky
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
| | - Kurt O. Konhauser
- grid.17089.370000 0001 2190 316XDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3 Canada
| | - Lidya G. Tarhan
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
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10
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Yang X, Mao J, Li R, Jiang Z, Yu M, Xu L, Reershemius T, Planavsky NJ. The deposition and significance of an Ediacaran non-glacial iron formation. Geobiology 2023; 21:44-65. [PMID: 36200974 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Most Neoproterozoic iron formations (NIF) are closely associated with global or near-global "Snowball Earth" glaciations. Increasingly, however, studies indicate that some NIFs show no robust evidence of glacial association. Many aspects of non-glacial NIF genesis, including the paleo-environmental setting, Fe(II) source, and oxidation mechanisms, are poorly understood. Here, we present a detailed case study of the Jiapigou NIF, a major non-glacial NIF within a Neoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary sequence in North Qilian, northwestern China. New U-Pb geochronological data place the depositional age of the Jiapigou NIF at ~600 Ma. Petrographic and geochemical evidence supports its identification as a primary chemical sediment with significant detrital input. Major and trace element concentrations, REE + Y systematics, and εNd (t) values indicate that iron was sourced from mixed seawater and hydrothermal fluids. Iron isotopic values (δ56 Fe = -0.04‰-1.43‰) are indicative of partial oxidation of an Fe(II) reservoir. We infer that the Jiapigou NIF was deposited in a redox stratified water column, where hydrothermally sourced Fe(II)-rich fluids underwent oxidation under suboxic conditions. Lastly, the Jiapigou NIF has strong phosphorous enrichments, which in other iron formations are typically interpreted as signals for high marine phosphate concentrations. This suggests that oceanic phosphorus concentrations could have been enriched throughout the Neoproterozoic, as opposed to simply during glacial intervals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuqing Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Mineral Resources and Geological Engineering, School of Earth Science and Resourses, Chang'an University, Xi'an, China
- Xi'an Key Laboratory for Mineralization and Efficient Utilization of Critical Metals, Xi'an, China
| | - Jingwen Mao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Mineral Resources and Geological Engineering, School of Earth Science and Resourses, Chang'an University, Xi'an, China
- MNR Key Laboratory for Exploration Theory & Technology of Critical Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rongxi Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Mineral Resources and Geological Engineering, School of Earth Science and Resourses, Chang'an University, Xi'an, China
- Xi'an Key Laboratory for Mineralization and Efficient Utilization of Critical Metals, Xi'an, China
| | - Zongsheng Jiang
- MNR Key Laboratory of Metallogeny and Mineral Assessment, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Miao Yu
- School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Lingang Xu
- MNR Key Laboratory for Exploration Theory & Technology of Critical Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tom Reershemius
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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11
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Giuliani A, Drysdale RN, Woodhead JD, Planavsky NJ, Phillips D, Hergt J, Griffin WL, Oesch S, Dalton H, Davies GR. Perturbation of the deep-Earth carbon cycle in response to the Cambrian Explosion. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabj1325. [PMID: 35245120 PMCID: PMC8896790 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj1325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Earth's carbon cycle is strongly influenced by subduction of sedimentary material into the mantle. The composition of the sedimentary subduction flux has changed considerably over Earth's history, but the impact of these changes on the mantle carbon cycle is unclear. Here, we show that the carbon isotopes of kimberlite magmas record a fundamental change in their deep-mantle source compositions during the Phanerozoic Eon. The 13C/12C of kimberlites before ~250 Ma preserves typical mantle values, whereas younger kimberlites exhibit lower and more variable ratios-a switch coincident with a recognized surge in kimberlite magmatism. We attribute these changes to increased deep subduction of organic carbon with low 13C/12C following the Cambrian Explosion when organic carbon deposition in marine sediments increased significantly. These observations demonstrate that biogeochemical processes at Earth's surface have a profound influence on the deep mantle, revealing an integral link between the deep and shallow carbon cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Giuliani
- Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 25, Zurich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Russell N. Drysdale
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 Victoria, Australia
| | - Jon D. Woodhead
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 Victoria, Australia
| | - Noah J. Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - David Phillips
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 Victoria, Australia
| | - Janet Hergt
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 Victoria, Australia
| | - William L. Griffin
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems (CCFS) and GEMOC, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, 2109 New South Wales, Australia
| | - Senan Oesch
- Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 25, Zurich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Hayden Dalton
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 Victoria, Australia
| | - Gareth R. Davies
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
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12
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Hood AVS, Penman DE, Lechte MA, Wallace MW, Giddings JA, Planavsky NJ. Neoproterozoic syn-glacial carbonate precipitation and implications for a snowball Earth. Geobiology 2022; 20:175-193. [PMID: 34528380 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Neoproterozoic 'snowball Earth' hypothesis suggests that a runaway ice-albedo feedback led to two intense glaciations around 717-635 million years ago, and this global ice cover would have drastically impacted biogeochemical cycles. Testing the predictions of this hypothesis against the rock record is key to understanding Earth's surface evolution in the Neoproterozoic. A central tenet of the snowball Earth hypothesis is that extremely high atmospheric CO2 levels-supplied by volcanic degassing over millions of years-would be required to overcome a strong ice-albedo feedback and trigger deglaciation. This requires severely diminished continental weathering (and associated CO2 drawdown) during glaciation, and implies that carbonate minerals would not precipitate from syn-glacial seawater due to a lack of alkalinity influxes into ice-covered oceans. In this scenario, syn-glacial seawater chemistry should instead be dominated by chemical exchange with the oceanic crust and volcanic systems, developing low pH and low Mg/Ca ratios. However, sedimentary rocks deposited during the Sturtian glaciation from the Adelaide Fold Belt-and contemporaneous successions globally-show evidence for syn-sedimentary dolomite precipitation in glaciomarine environments. The dolomitic composition of these syn-glacial sediments and post-glacial 'cap carbonates' implies that carbonate precipitation and Mg cycling must have remained active during the ~50 million-year Sturtian glaciation. These syn-glacial carbonates highlight a gap in our understanding of continental weathering-and therefore, the carbon cycle-during snowball Earth. In light of these observations, a Precambrian global biogeochemical model (PreCOSCIOUS) was modified to explore scenarios of syn-glacial chemical weathering, ocean chemistry and Sturtian carbonate mineralogy. Modelling results suggest that a small degree of chemical weathering during glaciation would have been capable of maintaining high seawater Mg/Ca ratios and carbonate precipitation throughout the Sturtian glaciation. This is consistent with a severe ice age during the Sturtian, but challenges predictions of biogeochemical cycling during the endmember 'hard snowball' models. A small degree of continental weathering might also help explain the extreme duration of the Sturtian glaciation, which appears to have been the longest ice age in Earth history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh V S Hood
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia
| | - Donald E Penman
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Maxwell A Lechte
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Malcolm W Wallace
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia
| | - Jonathan A Giddings
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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13
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Abstract
The large-scale dynamics of ocean oxygenation have changed dramatically throughout Earth's history, in step with major changes in the abundance of O2 in the atmosphere and changes to marine nutrient availability. A comprehensive mechanistic understanding of this history requires insights from oceanography, marine geology, geochemistry, geomicrobiology, evolutionary ecology, and Earth system modeling. Here, we attempt to synthesize the major features of evolving ocean oxygenation on Earth through more than 3 billion years of planetary history. We review the fundamental first-order controls on ocean oxygen distribution and summarize the current understanding of the history of ocean oxygenation on Earth from empirical and theoretical perspectives-integrating geochemical reconstructions of oceanic and atmospheric chemistry, genomic constraints on evolving microbial metabolism, and mechanistic biogeochemical models. These changes are used to illustrate primary regimes of large-scale ocean oxygenation and to highlight feedbacks that can act to stabilize and destabilize the ocean-atmosphere system in anoxic, low-oxygen, and high-oxygen states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA;
- Alternative Earths Team, Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Riverside, California 92521, USA
- Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Alternative Earths Team, Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Riverside, California 92521, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
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14
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Farrell ÚC, Samawi R, Anjanappa S, Klykov R, Adeboye OO, Agic H, Ahm AC, Boag TH, Bowyer F, Brocks JJ, Brunoir TN, Canfield DE, Chen X, Cheng M, Clarkson MO, Cole DB, Cordie DR, Crockford PW, Cui H, Dahl TW, Mouro LD, Dewing K, Dornbos SQ, Drabon N, Dumoulin JA, Emmings JF, Endriga CR, Fraser TA, Gaines RR, Gaschnig RM, Gibson TM, Gilleaudeau GJ, Gill BC, Goldberg K, Guilbaud R, Halverson GP, Hammarlund EU, Hantsoo KG, Henderson MA, Hodgskiss MS, Horner TJ, Husson JM, Johnson B, Kabanov P, Brenhin Keller C, Kimmig J, Kipp MA, Knoll AH, Kreitsmann T, Kunzmann M, Kurzweil F, LeRoy MA, Li C, Lipp AG, Loydell DK, Lu X, Macdonald FA, Magnall JM, Mänd K, Mehra A, Melchin MJ, Miller AJ, Mills NT, Mwinde CN, O'Connell B, Och LM, Ossa Ossa F, Pagès A, Paiste K, Partin CA, Peters SE, Petrov P, Playter TL, Plaza‐Torres S, Porter SM, Poulton SW, Pruss SB, Richoz S, Ritzer SR, Rooney AD, Sahoo SK, Schoepfer SD, Sclafani JA, Shen Y, Shorttle O, Slotznick SP, Smith EF, Spinks S, Stockey RG, Strauss JV, Stüeken EE, Tecklenburg S, Thomson D, Tosca NJ, Uhlein GJ, Vizcaíno MN, Wang H, White T, Wilby PR, Woltz CR, Wood RA, Xiang L, Yurchenko IA, Zhang T, Planavsky NJ, Lau KV, Johnston DT, Sperling EA. The Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project. Geobiology 2021; 19:545-556. [PMID: 34219351 PMCID: PMC9291056 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
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15
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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16
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Kalderon-Asael B, Katchinoff JAR, Planavsky NJ, Hood AVS, Dellinger M, Bellefroid EJ, Jones DS, Hofmann A, Ossa FO, Macdonald FA, Wang C, Isson TT, Murphy JG, Higgins JA, West AJ, Wallace MW, Asael D, Pogge von Strandmann PAE. A lithium-isotope perspective on the evolution of carbon and silicon cycles. Nature 2021; 595:394-398. [PMID: 34262211 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03612-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of the global carbon and silicon cycles is thought to have contributed to the long-term stability of Earth's climate1-3. Many questions remain, however, regarding the feedback mechanisms at play, and there are limited quantitative constraints on the sources and sinks of these elements in Earth's surface environments4-12. Here we argue that the lithium-isotope record can be used to track the processes controlling the long-term carbon and silicon cycles. By analysing more than 600 shallow-water marine carbonate samples from more than 100 stratigraphic units, we construct a new carbonate-based lithium-isotope record spanning the past 3 billion years. The data suggest an increase in the carbonate lithium-isotope values over time, which we propose was driven by long-term changes in the lithium-isotopic conditions of sea water, rather than by changes in the sedimentary alterations of older samples. Using a mass-balance modelling approach, we propose that the observed trend in lithium-isotope values reflects a transition from Precambrian carbon and silicon cycles to those characteristic of the modern. We speculate that this transition was linked to a gradual shift to a biologically controlled marine silicon cycle and the evolutionary radiation of land plants13,14.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Noah J Planavsky
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Ashleigh V S Hood
- The University of Melbourne, School of Earth Sciences, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | - David S Jones
- Amherst College Geology Department, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Axel Hofmann
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Frantz Ossa Ossa
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Geosciences, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Francis A Macdonald
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Chunjiang Wang
- China University of Petroleum, College of Geosciences, Beijing, China
| | - Terry T Isson
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Te Aka Mātuatua, University of Waikato, Tauranga, New Zealand
| | - Jack G Murphy
- Department of Geoscience, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - John A Higgins
- Department of Geoscience, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - A Joshua West
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Malcolm W Wallace
- The University of Melbourne, School of Earth Sciences, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dan Asael
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Philip A E Pogge von Strandmann
- London Geochemistry and Isotope Centre (LOGIC), Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University College London and Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK. .,Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
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17
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Sperling EA, Melchin MJ, Fraser T, Stockey RG, Farrell UC, Bhajan L, Brunoir TN, Cole DB, Gill BC, Lenz A, Loydell DK, Malinowski J, Miller AJ, Plaza-Torres S, Bock B, Rooney AD, Tecklenburg SA, Vogel JM, Planavsky NJ, Strauss JV. A long-term record of early to mid-Paleozoic marine redox change. Sci Adv 2021; 7:7/28/eabf4382. [PMID: 34233874 PMCID: PMC8262801 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf4382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The extent to which Paleozoic oceans differed from Neoproterozoic oceans and the causal relationship between biological evolution and changing environmental conditions are heavily debated. Here, we report a nearly continuous record of seafloor redox change from the deep-water upper Cambrian to Middle Devonian Road River Group of Yukon, Canada. Bottom waters were largely anoxic in the Richardson trough during the entirety of Road River Group deposition, while independent evidence from iron speciation and Mo/U ratios show that the biogeochemical nature of anoxia changed through time. Both in Yukon and globally, Ordovician through Early Devonian anoxic waters were broadly ferruginous (nonsulfidic), with a transition toward more euxinic (sulfidic) conditions in the mid-Early Devonian (Pragian), coincident with the early diversification of vascular plants and disappearance of graptolites. This ~80-million-year interval of the Paleozoic characterized by widespread ferruginous bottom waters represents a persistence of Neoproterozoic-like marine redox conditions well into the Phanerozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik A Sperling
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Michael J Melchin
- Department of Earth Sciences, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | - Richard G Stockey
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Una C Farrell
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Geology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Liam Bhajan
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Tessa N Brunoir
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Devon B Cole
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Benjamin C Gill
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic University and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Alfred Lenz
- Department of Earth Sciences, Western University Canada, London, ON, Canada
| | - David K Loydell
- School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | | | - Austin J Miller
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Beatrice Bock
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Alan D Rooney
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Jacqueline M Vogel
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Justin V Strauss
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
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18
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Hao W, Mänd K, Li Y, Alessi DS, Somelar P, Moussavou M, Romashkin AE, Lepland A, Kirsimäe K, Planavsky NJ, Konhauser KO. The kaolinite shuttle links the Great Oxidation and Lomagundi events. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2944. [PMID: 34011941 PMCID: PMC8134571 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23304-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The ~2.22-2.06 Ga Lomagundi Event was the longest positive carbon isotope excursion in Earth's history and is commonly interpreted to reflect perturbations in continental weathering and the phosphorous cycle. Previous models have focused on mechanisms of increasing phosphorous solubilization during weathering without focusing on transport to the oceans and its dispersion in seawater. Building from new experimental results, here we report kaolinite readily absorbs phosphorous under acidic freshwater conditions, but quantitatively releases phosphorous under seawater conditions where it becomes bioavailable to phytoplankton. The strong likelihood of high weathering intensities and associated high kaolinite content in post-Great-Oxidation-Event paleosols suggests there would have been enhanced phosphorus shuttling from the continents into marine environments. A kaolinite phosphorous shuttle introduces the potential for nonlinearity in the fluxes of phosphorous to the oceans with increases in chemical weathering intensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiduo Hao
- grid.17089.37Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Kaarel Mänd
- grid.17089.37Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada ,grid.10939.320000 0001 0943 7661Department of Geology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Yuhao Li
- grid.17089.37Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Daniel S. Alessi
- grid.17089.37Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Peeter Somelar
- grid.10939.320000 0001 0943 7661Department of Geology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mathieu Moussavou
- Department of Geology, University of Science and Technology of Masuku, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Alexander E. Romashkin
- grid.465343.30000 0004 0397 7466Institute of Geology, Karelian Science Centre, Petrozavodsk, Russia
| | - Aivo Lepland
- grid.10939.320000 0001 0943 7661Department of Geology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia ,grid.10919.300000000122595234CAGE—Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway ,grid.438521.90000 0001 1034 0453Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Kalle Kirsimäe
- grid.10939.320000 0001 0943 7661Department of Geology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Noah J. Planavsky
- grid.47100.320000000419368710The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA
| | - Kurt O. Konhauser
- grid.17089.37Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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19
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Planavsky NJ, Robbins LJ, Kamber BS, Schoenberg R. Weathering, alteration and reconstructing Earth's oxygenation. Interface Focus 2020; 10:20190140. [PMID: 32642054 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2019.0140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Deciphering the role-if any-that free oxygen levels played in controlling the timing and tempo of the radiation of complex life is one of the most fundamental questions in Earth and life sciences. Accurately reconstructing Earth's redox history is an essential part of tackling this question. Over the past few decades, there has been a proliferation of research employing geochemical redox proxies in an effort to tell the story of Earth's oxygenation. However, many of these studies, even those considering the same geochemical proxy systems, have led to conflicting interpretations of the timing and intensity of oxygenation events. There are two potential explanations for conflicting redox reconstructions: (i) that free oxygen levels were incredibly dynamic in both time and space or (ii) that collectively, as a community-including the authors of this article-we have frequently studied rocks affected by secondary weathering and alteration (particularly secondary oxidation) while neglecting to address the impact of this alteration on the generated data. There are now multiple case studies that have documented previously overlooked secondary alteration, resolving some of the conflicting constrains regarding redox evolution. Here, an analysis of a large shale geochemistry database reveals significant differences in cerium (Ce) anomalies, a common palaeoredox proxy, between outcrop and drill core samples. This inconsistency provides support for the idea that geochemical data from altered samples are frequently published in the peer-reviewed literature. As individuals and a geochemical community, most of us have been slow to appreciate how pervasive the problem is but there are examples of other communities that have faced and met the challenges raised by such quality control crises. Further evidence of the high potential for alteration of deep-time geochemical samples, and recognition of the manner in which this may lead to spurious results and palaeoenvironmental interpretations, indicate that sample archiving, in publicly accessible collections needs to become a prerequisite for publication of new palaeoredox data. Finally, the geochemical community need to think about ways to implement additional quality control measures to increase the fidelity of palaeoredox proxy work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Leslie J Robbins
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Balz S Kamber
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ronny Schoenberg
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard-Karls University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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20
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Planavsky NJ, Reinhard CT, Isson TT, Ozaki K, Crockford PW. Large Mass-Independent Oxygen Isotope Fractionations in Mid-Proterozoic Sediments: Evidence for a Low-Oxygen Atmosphere? Astrobiology 2020; 20:628-636. [PMID: 32228301 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Earth's ocean-atmosphere system has undergone a dramatic but protracted increase in oxygen (O2) abundance. This environmental transition ultimately paved the way for the rise of multicellular life and provides a blueprint for how a biosphere can transform a planetary surface. However, estimates of atmospheric oxygen levels for large intervals of Earth's history still vary by orders of magnitude-foremost for Earth's middle history. Historically, estimates of mid-Proterozoic (1.9-0.8 Ga) atmospheric oxygen levels are inferred based on the kinetics of reactions occurring in soils or in the oceans, rather than being directly tracked by atmospheric signatures. Rare oxygen isotope systematics-based on quantifying the rare oxygen isotope 17O in addition to the conventionally determined 16O and 18O-provide a means to track atmospheric isotopic signatures and thus potentially provide more direct estimates of atmospheric oxygen levels through time. Oxygen isotope signatures that deviate strongly from the expected mass-dependent relationship between 16O, 17O, and 18O develop during ozone formation, and these "mass-independent" signals can be transferred to the rock record during oxidation reactions in surface environments that involve atmospheric O2. The magnitude of these signals is dependent upon pO2, pCO2, and the overall extent of biospheric productivity. Here, we use a stochastic approach to invert the mid-Proterozoic Δ17O record for a new estimate of atmospheric pO2, leveraging explicit coupling of pO2 and biospheric productivity in a biogeochemical Earth system model to refine the range of atmospheric pO2 values that is consistent with a given observed Δ17O. Using this approach, we find new evidence that atmospheric oxygen levels were less than ∼1% of the present atmospheric level (PAL) for at least some intervals of the Proterozoic Eon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Terry T Isson
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Tauranga, New Zealand
| | - Kazumi Ozaki
- Department of Environmental Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Chiba, Japan
| | - Peter W Crockford
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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21
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Cole DB, Mills DB, Erwin DH, Sperling EA, Porter SM, Reinhard CT, Planavsky NJ. On the co-evolution of surface oxygen levels and animals. Geobiology 2020; 18:260-281. [PMID: 32175670 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 01/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Few topics in geobiology have been as extensively debated as the role of Earth's oxygenation in controlling when and why animals emerged and diversified. All currently described animals require oxygen for at least a portion of their life cycle. Therefore, the transition to an oxygenated planet was a prerequisite for the emergence of animals. Yet, our understanding of Earth's oxygenation and the environmental requirements of animal habitability and ecological success is currently limited; estimates for the timing of the appearance of environments sufficiently oxygenated to support ecologically stable populations of animals span a wide range, from billions of years to only a few million years before animals appear in the fossil record. In this light, the extent to which oxygen played an important role in controlling when animals appeared remains a topic of debate. When animals originated and when they diversified are separate questions, meaning either one or both of these phenomena could have been decoupled from oxygenation. Here, we present views from across this interpretive spectrum-in a point-counterpoint format-regarding crucial aspects of the potential links between animals and surface oxygen levels. We highlight areas where the standard discourse on this topic requires a change of course and note that several traditional arguments in this "life versus environment" debate are poorly founded. We also identify a clear need for basic research across a range of fields to disentangle the relationships between oxygen availability and emergence and diversification of animal life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devon B Cole
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Science, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Daniel B Mills
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Douglas H Erwin
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, District of Columbia
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico
| | - Erik A Sperling
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Susannah M Porter
- Department of Earth Science, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Science, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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22
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Planavsky NJ, Konhauser KO. Point-counterpoint articles in geobiology. Geobiology 2020; 18:259. [PMID: 32323492 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
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23
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Stockey RG, Cole DB, Planavsky NJ, Loydell DK, Frýda J, Sperling EA. Persistent global marine euxinia in the early Silurian. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1804. [PMID: 32286253 PMCID: PMC7156380 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15400-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The second pulse of the Late Ordovician mass extinction occurred around the Hirnantian-Rhuddanian boundary (~444 Ma) and has been correlated with expanded marine anoxia lasting into the earliest Silurian. Characterization of the Hirnantian ocean anoxic event has focused on the onset of anoxia, with global reconstructions based on carbonate δ238U modeling. However, there have been limited attempts to quantify uncertainty in metal isotope mass balance approaches. Here, we probabilistically evaluate coupled metal isotopes and sedimentary archives to increase constraint. We present iron speciation, metal concentration, δ98Mo and δ238U measurements of Rhuddanian black shales from the Murzuq Basin, Libya. We evaluate these data (and published carbonate δ238U data) with a coupled stochastic mass balance model. Combined statistical analysis of metal isotopes and sedimentary sinks provides uncertainty-bounded constraints on the intensity of Hirnantian-Rhuddanian euxinia. This work extends the duration of anoxia to >3 Myrs – notably longer than well-studied Mesozoic ocean anoxic events. The Late Ordovician mass extinction has been attributed to extended marine anoxia. Here, the authors use a metal isotope mass balance model and find the marine anoxic event lasted over 3 million years, notably longer than the anoxic event associated with the Permian-Triassic extinction and Cretaceous ocean anoxic events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard G Stockey
- Stanford University, Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Devon B Cole
- School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - David K Loydell
- School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3QL, UK
| | - Jiří Frýda
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Erik A Sperling
- Stanford University, Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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24
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Reinhard CT, Planavsky NJ, Ward BA, Love GD, Le Hir G, Ridgwell A. The impact of marine nutrient abundance on early eukaryotic ecosystems. Geobiology 2020; 18:139-151. [PMID: 32065509 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The rise of eukaryotes to ecological prominence represents one of the most dramatic shifts in the history of Earth's biosphere. However, there is an enigmatic temporal lag between the emergence of eukaryotic organisms in the fossil record and their much later ecological expansion. In parallel, there is evidence for a secular increase in the availability of the key macronutrient phosphorus (P) in Earth's oceans. Here, we use an Earth system model equipped with a size-structured marine ecosystem to explore relationships between plankton size, trophic complexity, and the availability of marine nutrients. We find a strong dependence of planktonic ecosystem structure on ocean nutrient abundance, with a larger ocean nutrient inventory leading to greater overall biomass, broader size spectra, and increasing abundance of large Zooplankton. If existing estimates of Proterozoic marine nutrient levels are correct, our results suggest that increases in the ecological impact of eukaryotic algae and trophic complexity in eukaryotic ecosystems were directly linked to restructuring of the global P cycle associated with the protracted rise of surface oxygen levels. Our results thus suggest an indirect but potentially important mechanism by which ocean oxygenation may have acted to shape marine ecological function during late Proterozoic time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Alternative Earths Team, Riverside, California
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Alternative Earths Team, Riverside, California
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Ben A Ward
- Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Gordon D Love
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Alternative Earths Team, Riverside, California
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California
| | | | - Andy Ridgwell
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Alternative Earths Team, Riverside, California
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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25
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Colwyn DA, Sheldon ND, Maynard JB, Gaines R, Hofmann A, Wang X, Gueguen B, Asael D, Reinhard CT, Planavsky NJ. A paleosol record of the evolution of Cr redox cycling and evidence for an increase in atmospheric oxygen during the Neoproterozoic. Geobiology 2019; 17:579-593. [PMID: 31436043 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric oxygen levels control the oxidative side of key biogeochemical cycles and place limits on the development of high-energy metabolisms. Understanding Earth's oxygenation is thus critical to developing a clearer picture of Earth's long-term evolution. However, there is currently vigorous debate about even basic aspects of the timing and pattern of the rise of oxygen. Chemical weathering in the terrestrial environment occurs in contact with the atmosphere, making paleosols potentially ideal archives to track the history of atmospheric O2 levels. Here we present stable chromium isotope data from multiple paleosols that offer snapshots of Earth surface conditions over the last three billion years. The results indicate a secular shift in the oxidative capacity of Earth's surface in the Neoproterozoic and suggest low atmospheric oxygen levels (<1% PAL pO2 ) through the majority of Earth's history. The paleosol record also shows that localized Cr oxidation may have begun as early as the Archean, but efficient, modern-like transport of hexavalent Cr under an O2 -rich atmosphere did not become common until the Neoproterozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nathan D Sheldon
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - J Barry Maynard
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Robert Gaines
- Geology Department, Pomona College, Claremont, CA, USA
| | - Axel Hofmann
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Xiangli Wang
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, AL, USA
| | - Bleuenn Gueguen
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, CNRS UMS 3113, Université de Brest, Plouzané, France
| | - Dan Asael
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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26
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Shen J, Chen J, Algeo TJ, Yuan S, Feng Q, Yu J, Zhou L, O'Connell B, Planavsky NJ. Evidence for a prolonged Permian-Triassic extinction interval from global marine mercury records. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1563. [PMID: 30952859 PMCID: PMC6450928 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09620-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The latest Permian mass extinction, the most devastating biocrisis of the Phanerozoic, has been widely attributed to eruptions of the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province, although evidence of a direct link has been scant to date. Here, we measure mercury (Hg), assumed to reflect shifts in volcanic activity, across the Permian-Triassic boundary in ten marine sections across the Northern Hemisphere. Hg concentration peaks close to the Permian-Triassic boundary suggest coupling of biotic extinction and increased volcanic activity. Additionally, Hg isotopic data for a subset of these sections provide evidence for largely atmospheric rather than terrestrial Hg sources, further linking Hg enrichment to increased volcanic activity. Hg peaks in shallow-water sections were nearly synchronous with the end-Permian extinction horizon, while those in deep-water sections occurred tens of thousands of years before the main extinction, possibly supporting a globally diachronous biotic turnover and protracted mass extinction event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China. .,Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520-8109, USA.
| | - Jiubin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China.,Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, 300072, Nankai, Tianjin, China
| | - Thomas J Algeo
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0013, USA
| | - Shengliu Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Qinglai Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jianxin Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Lian Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Brennan O'Connell
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520-8109, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520-8109, USA
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27
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Bellefroid EJ, Hood AVS, Hoffman PF, Thomas MD, Reinhard CT, Planavsky NJ. Constraints on Paleoproterozoic atmospheric oxygen levels. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:8104-8109. [PMID: 30038009 PMCID: PMC6094116 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1806216115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The oxygenation of Earth's surface environment dramatically altered key biological and geochemical cycles and ultimately ushered in the rise of an ecologically diverse biosphere. However, atmospheric oxygen partial pressures (pO2) estimates for large swaths of the Precambrian remain intensely debated. Here we evaluate and explore the use of carbonate cerium (Ce) anomalies (Ce/Ce*) as a quantitative atmospheric pO2 proxy and provide estimates of Proterozoic pO2 using marine carbonates from a unique Precambrian carbonate succession-the Paleoproterozoic Pethei Group. In contrast to most previous work, we measure Ce/Ce* on marine carbonate precipitates that formed in situ across a depth gradient, building on previous detailed sedimentology and stratigraphy to constrain the paleo-depth of each sample. Measuring Ce/Ce* across a full platform to basin depth gradient, we found only minor depleted Ce anomalies restricted to the platform and upper slope facies. We combine these results with a Ce oxidation model to provide a quantitative constraint on atmospheric pO2 1.87 billion years ago (Ga). Our results suggest Paleoproterozoic atmospheric oxygen concentrations were low, near 0.1% of the present atmospheric level. This work provides another crucial line of empirical evidence that atmospheric oxygen levels returned to low concentrations following the Lomagundi Event, and remained low enough for large portions of the Proterozoic to have impacted the ecology of the earliest complex organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Bellefroid
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511;
| | - Ashleigh V S Hood
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Paul F Hoffman
- School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 3E6 Canada;
| | - Matthew D Thomas
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332
- NASA Astrobiology Institute Alternative Earths Team, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
- NASA Astrobiology Institute Alternative Earths Team, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521
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28
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Mloszewska AM, Cole DB, Planavsky NJ, Kappler A, Whitford DS, Owttrim GW, Konhauser KO. UV radiation limited the expansion of cyanobacteria in early marine photic environments. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3088. [PMID: 30082788 PMCID: PMC6079077 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05520-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Prior to atmospheric oxygenation, ecosystems were exposed to higher UV radiation fluxes relative to modern surface environments. Iron–silica mineral coatings have been evoked as effective UV radiation shields in early terrestrial settings. Here we test whether similar protection applied to planktonic cyanobacteria within the Archean water column. Based on experiments done under Archean seawater conditions, we report that Fe(III)–Si-rich precipitates absorb up to 70% of incoming UV-C radiation, with a reduction of <20% in photosynthetically active radiation flux. However, we demonstrate that even short periods of UV-C irradiation in the presence of Fe(III)–Si precipitates resulted in high mortality rates, and suggest that these effects would have persisted throughout much of the photic zone. Our findings imply that despite the shielding properties of Fe(III)–Si-rich precipitates in the early water column, UV radiation would continue to limit cyanobacterial expansion and likely had a greater effect on Archean ecosystem structure before the formation of an ozone layer. The means by which planktonic cyanobacteria were able to persist through the Archean despite high fluxes of UV radiation are unclear. Here, the authors show that Fe(III)-Si rich precipitates in the Archean photic zone could have provided early planktonic cyanobacteria an effective shield against UV-C radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra M Mloszewska
- Earth Sciences Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3B1, ON, Canada. .,Applied Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72074, Germany. .,Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2E3, AB, Canada.
| | - Devon B Cole
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, 06511, CT, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, 06511, CT, USA
| | - Andreas Kappler
- Applied Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72074, Germany
| | - Denise S Whitford
- Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2E9, AB, Canada
| | - George W Owttrim
- Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2E9, AB, Canada
| | - Kurt O Konhauser
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2E3, AB, Canada.
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29
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Li ZQ, Zhang LC, Xue CJ, Zheng MT, Zhu MT, Robbins LJ, Slack JF, Planavsky NJ, Konhauser KO. Earth's youngest banded iron formation implies ferruginous conditions in the Early Cambrian ocean. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9970. [PMID: 29967405 PMCID: PMC6028650 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28187-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been proposed that anoxic and iron-rich (ferruginous) marine conditions were common through most of Earth history. This view represents a major shift in our understanding of the evolution of marine chemistry. However, thus far, evidence for ferruginous conditions comes predominantly from Fe-speciation data. Given debate over these records, new evidence for Fe-rich marine conditions is a requisite if we are to shift our view regarding evolution of the marine redox landscape. Here we present strong evidence for ferruginous conditions by describing a suite of Fe-rich chemical sedimentary rocks—banded iron formation (BIF)—-deposited during the Early Cambrian in western China. Specifically, we provide new U-Pb geochronological data that confirm a depositional age of ca. 527 Ma for this unit, as well as rare earth element (REE) data are consistent with anoxic deposition. Similar to many Algoma-type Precambrian iron formations, these Early Cambrian sediments precipitated in a back-arc rift basin setting, where hydrothermally sourced iron drove the deposition of a BIF-like protolith, the youngest ever reported of regional extent without direct links to volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. Their presence indicates that marine environments were still characterized by chemical- and redox-stratification, thus supporting the view that—despite a dearth of modern marine analogues—ferruginous conditions continued to locally be a feature of early Phanerozoic seawater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Quan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China.,Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China.,Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - Lian-Chang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China.
| | - Chun-Ji Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Meng-Tian Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Ming-Tian Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Leslie J Robbins
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - John F Slack
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Center, MS 954, Reston, Virginia, 20192, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, USA
| | - Kurt O Konhauser
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E3, Canada
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30
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Isson TT, Love GD, Dupont CL, Reinhard CT, Zumberge AJ, Asael D, Gueguen B, McCrow J, Gill BC, Owens J, Rainbird RH, Rooney AD, Zhao MY, Stueeken EE, Konhauser KO, John SG, Lyons TW, Planavsky NJ. Tracking the rise of eukaryotes to ecological dominance with zinc isotopes. Geobiology 2018; 16:341-352. [PMID: 29869832 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The biogeochemical cycling of zinc (Zn) is intimately coupled with organic carbon in the ocean. Based on an extensive new sedimentary Zn isotope record across Earth's history, we provide evidence for a fundamental shift in the marine Zn cycle ~800 million years ago. We discuss a wide range of potential drivers for this transition and propose that, within available constraints, a restructuring of marine ecosystems is the most parsimonious explanation for this shift. Using a global isotope mass balance approach, we show that a change in the organic Zn/C ratio is required to account for observed Zn isotope trends through time. Given the higher affinity of eukaryotes for Zn relative to prokaryotes, we suggest that a shift toward a more eukaryote-rich ecosystem could have provided a means of more efficiently sequestering organic-derived Zn. Despite the much earlier appearance of eukaryotes in the microfossil record (~1700 to 1600 million years ago), our data suggest a delayed rise to ecological prominence during the Neoproterozoic, consistent with the currently accepted organic biomarker records.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terry T Isson
- Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Gordon D Love
- Earth Science, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
| | - Christopher L Dupont
- Microbial and Environmental Genomics, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, California
| | | | - Alex J Zumberge
- Earth Science, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
| | - Dan Asael
- Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Bleuenn Gueguen
- Earth Science, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France
| | - John McCrow
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland
| | - Ben C Gill
- Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | | | | | - Alan D Rooney
- Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Ming-Yu Zhao
- Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Eva E Stueeken
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK
| | - Kurt O Konhauser
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Seth G John
- Earth Science, University of Southern Carolina, Los Angeles, California
| | - Timothy W Lyons
- Earth Science, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
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31
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Diamond CW, Planavsky NJ, Wang C, Lyons TW. What the ~1.4 Ga Xiamaling Formation can and cannot tell us about the mid-Proterozoic ocean. Geobiology 2018; 16:219-236. [PMID: 29577549 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Despite a surge of recent work, the evolution of mid-Proterozoic oceanic-atmospheric redox remains heavily debated. Constraining the dynamics of Proterozoic redox evolution is essential to determine the role, if any, that anoxia played in protracting the development of eukaryotic diversity. We present a multiproxy suite of high-resolution geochemical measurements from a drill core capturing the ~1.4 Ga Xiamaling Formation, North China Craton. Specifically, we analyzed major and trace element concentrations, sulfur and molybdenum isotopes, and iron speciation not only to better understand the local redox conditions but also to establish how relevant our data are to understanding the contemporaneous global ocean. Our results suggest that throughout deposition of the Xiamaling Formation, the basin experienced varying degrees of isolation from the global ocean. During deposition of the lower organic-rich shales (130-85 m depth), the basin was extremely restricted, and the reservoirs of sulfate and trace metals were drawn down almost completely. Above a depth of 85 m, shales were deposited in dominantly euxinic waters that more closely resembled a marine system and thus potentially bear signatures of coeval seawater. In the most highly enriched sample from this upper interval, the concentration of molybdenum is 51 ppm with a δ98 Mo value of +1.7‰. Concentrations of Mo and other redox-sensitive elements in our samples are consistent with a deep ocean that was largely anoxic on a global scale. Our maximum δ98 Mo value, in contrast, is high compared to published mid-Proterozoic data. This high value raises the possibility that the Earth's surface environments were transiently more oxygenated at ~1.4 Ga compared to preceding or postdating times. More broadly, this study demonstrates the importance of integrating all available data when attempting to reconstruct surface O2 dynamics based on rocks of any age.
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Affiliation(s)
- C W Diamond
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - N J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - C Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, China
| | - T W Lyons
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
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Tarhan LG, Planavsky NJ, Wang X, Bellefroid EJ, Droser ML, Gehling JG. The late-stage "ferruginization" of the Ediacara Member (Rawnsley Quartzite, South Australia): Insights from uranium isotopes. Geobiology 2018; 16:35-48. [PMID: 29105940 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The paleoenvironmental setting in which the Ediacara Biota lived, died, and was preserved in the eponymous Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite of South Australia is an issue of long-standing interest and recent debate. Over the past few decades, interpretations have ranged from deep marine to shallow marine to terrestrial. One of the key features invoked by adherents of the terrestrial paleoenvironment hypothesis is the presence of iron oxide coatings, inferred to represent the upper horizons of paleosols, along fossiliferous sandstone beds of the Ediacara Member. We find that these surficial oxides are characterized by (234 U/238 U) values which are not in secular equilibrium, indicating extensive fluid-rich alteration of these surfaces within the past approximately 2 million years. Specifically, the oxide coatings are characterized by (234 U/238 U) values >1, indicating interaction with high-(234 U/238 U) fluids derived from alpha-recoil discharge. These oxides are also characterized by light "stable" δ238/235 U values, consistent with a groundwater U source. These U isotope data thus corroborate sedimentological observations that ferric oxides along fossiliferous surfaces of the Ediacara Member consist of surficial, non-bedform-parallel staining, and sharply irregular patches, strongly reflecting post-depositional, late-stage processes. Therefore, both sedimentological and geochemical evidence indicate that Ediacara iron oxides do not reflect synsedimentary ferruginization and that the presence of iron oxides cannot be used to either invoke a terrestrial paleoenvironmental setting for or reconstruct the taphonomic pathways responsible for preservation of the Ediacara Biota. These findings demonstrate that careful assessment of paleoenvironmental parameters is essential to the reconstruction of the habitat of the Ediacara Biota and the factors that led to the fossilization of these early complex ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- L G Tarhan
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - N J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - X Wang
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - E J Bellefroid
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - M L Droser
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - J G Gehling
- South Australian Museum and University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Saad EM, Wang X, Planavsky NJ, Reinhard CT, Tang Y. Redox-independent chromium isotope fractionation induced by ligand-promoted dissolution. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1590. [PMID: 29150598 PMCID: PMC5693864 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01694-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The chromium (Cr) isotope system has emerged as a potential proxy for tracing the Earth’s atmospheric evolution based on a redox-dependent framework for Cr mobilization and isotope fractionation. Although studies have demonstrated that redox-independent pathways can also mobilize Cr, no quantitative constraints exist on the associated isotope fractionations. Here we survey the effects of common environmental ligands on the dissolution of Cr(III)-(oxy)hydroxide solids and associated Cr isotope fractionation. For a variety of organic acids and siderophores, δ53Cr values of dissolved Cr(III) are −0.27 to 1.23‰, within the range of previously observed Cr isotope signatures in rock records linked to Cr redox cycling. Thus, ligand-promoted dissolution of Cr-containing solids, a redox-independent process, must be taken into account when using sedimentary Cr isotope signatures to diagnose atmospheric oxygen levels. This work provides a step towards establishing a more robust framework for using Cr isotopes to track the evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere. The chromium (Cr) isotope system has emerged as a potential proxy for tracing Earth’s atmospheric evolution based on a redox-dependent framework. Here the authors show that ligand-complexation, a redox-independent process, must be considered when using Cr isotope signatures to diagnose atmospheric oxygen levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Saad
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Xiangli Wang
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Yuanzhi Tang
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
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Stüeken EE, Buick R, Anderson RE, Baross JA, Planavsky NJ, Lyons TW. Environmental niches and metabolic diversity in Neoarchean lakes. Geobiology 2017; 15:767-783. [PMID: 28856796 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The diversification of macro-organisms over the last 500 million years often coincided with the development of new environmental niches. Microbial diversification over the last 4 billion years likely followed similar patterns. However, linkages between environmental settings and microbial ecology have so far not been described from the ancient rock record. In this study, we investigated carbon, nitrogen, and molybdenum isotopes, and iron speciation in five non-marine stratigraphic units of the Neoarchean Fortescue Group, Western Australia, that are similar in age (2.78-2.72 Ga) but differ in their hydro-geologic setting. Our data suggest that the felsic-dominated and hydrologically open lakes of the Bellary and Hardey formations were probably dominated by methanogenesis (δ13 Corg = -38.7 ± 4.2‰) and biologic N2 fixation (δ15 Nbulk =-0.6 ± 1.0‰), whereas the Mt. Roe, Tumbiana and Kylena Formations, with more mafic siliciclastic sediments, preserve evidence of methanotrophy (δ13 Corg as low as -57.4‰, δ13 Ccarb as low as -9.2‰) and NH3 loss under alkaline conditions. Evidence of oxygenic photosynthesis is recorded only in the closed evaporitic Tumbiana lakes marked by abundant stromatolites, limited evidence of Fe and S cycling, fractionated Mo isotopes (δ98/95 Mo = +0.4 ± 0.4‰), and the widest range in δ13 Corg (-57‰ to -15‰), suggesting oxidative processes and multiple carbon fixation pathways. Methanotrophy in the three mafic settings was probably coupled to a combination of oxidants, including O2 and SO42- . Overall, our results may indicate that early microbial evolution on the Precambrian Earth was in part influenced by geological parameters. We speculate that expanding habitats, such as those linked to continental growth, may have been an important factor in the evolution of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- E E Stüeken
- School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - R Buick
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - R E Anderson
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Biology, Carleton College, Northfield, MN, USA
| | - J A Baross
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - N J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - T W Lyons
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
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Hanberg JS, Rao V, Ter Maaten JM, Laur O, Brisco MA, Perry Wilson F, Grodin JL, Assefa M, Samuel Broughton J, Planavsky NJ, Ahmad T, Bellumkonda L, Tang WHW, Parikh CR, Testani JM. Hypochloremia and Diuretic Resistance in Heart Failure: Mechanistic Insights. Circ Heart Fail 2017; 9:CIRCHEARTFAILURE.116.003180. [PMID: 27507113 DOI: 10.1161/circheartfailure.116.003180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent epidemiological studies have implicated chloride, rather than sodium, as the driver of poor survival previously attributed to hyponatremia in heart failure. Accumulating basic science evidence has identified chloride as a critical factor in renal salt sensing. Our goal was to probe the physiology bridging this basic and epidemiological literature. METHODS AND RESULTS Two heart failure cohorts were included: (1) observational: patients receiving loop diuretics at the Yale Transitional Care Center (N=162) and (2) interventional pilot: stable outpatients receiving ≥80 mg furosemide equivalents were studied before and after 3 days of 115 mmol/d supplemental lysine chloride (N=10). At the Yale Transitional Care Center, 31.5% of patients had hypochloremia (chloride ≤96 mmol/L). Plasma renin concentration correlated with serum chloride (r=-0.46; P<0.001) with no incremental contribution from serum sodium (P=0.49). Hypochloremic versus nonhypochloremic patients exhibited renal wasting of chloride (P=0.04) and of chloride relative to sodium (P=0.01), despite better renal free water excretion (urine osmolality 343±101 mOsm/kg versus 475±136; P<0.001). Hypochloremia was associated with poor diuretic response (odds ratio, 7.3; 95% confidence interval, 3.3-16.1; P<0.001). In the interventional pilot, lysine chloride supplementation was associated with an increase in serum chloride levels of 2.2±2.3 mmol/L, and the majority of participants experienced findings such as hemoconcentration, weight loss, reduction in amino terminal, pro B-type natriuretic peptide, increased plasma renin activity, and increased blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio. CONCLUSIONS Hypochloremia is associated with neurohormonal activation and diuretic resistance with chloride depletion as a candidate mechanism. Sodium-free chloride supplementation was associated with increases in serum chloride and changes in several cardiorenal parameters. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02031354.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Hanberg
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Veena Rao
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Jozine M Ter Maaten
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Olga Laur
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Meredith A Brisco
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - F Perry Wilson
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Justin L Grodin
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Mahlet Assefa
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - J Samuel Broughton
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Tariq Ahmad
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Lavanya Bellumkonda
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - W H Wilson Tang
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Chirag R Parikh
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.)
| | - Jeffrey M Testani
- From the Program of Applied Translational Research (J.S.H., V.R., J.M.t.M., O.L., F.P.W., M.A., J.S.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.) and Department of Internal Medicine (F.P.W., T.A., L.B., C.R.P., J.M.T.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (J.M.t.M.); Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (M.A.B.); Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, CT (F.P.W.); Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation, the Cleveland Clinic, OH (J.L.G., W.H.W.T.); and Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT (N.J.P.).
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Korenaga J, Planavsky NJ, Evans DAD. Global water cycle and the coevolution of the Earth's interior and surface environment. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2017; 375:20150393. [PMID: 28416728 PMCID: PMC5394256 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2015.0393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The bulk Earth composition contains probably less than 0.3% of water, but this trace amount of water can affect the long-term evolution of the Earth in a number of different ways. The foremost issue is the occurrence of plate tectonics, which governs almost all aspects of the Earth system, and the presence of water could either promote or hinder the operation of plate tectonics, depending on where water resides. The global water cycle, which circulates surface water into the deep mantle and back to the surface again, could thus have played a critical role in the Earth's history. In this contribution, we first review the present-day water cycle and discuss its uncertainty as well as its secular variation. If the continental freeboard has been roughly constant since the Early Proterozoic, model results suggest long-term net water influx from the surface to the mantle, which is estimated to be 3-4.5×1014 g yr-1 on the billion years time scale. We survey geological and geochemical observations relevant to the emergence of continents above the sea level as well as the nature of Precambrian plate tectonics. The global water cycle is suggested to have been dominated by regassing, and its implications for geochemical cycles and atmospheric evolution are also discussed.This article is part of the themed issue 'The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Korenaga
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - David A D Evans
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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37
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Louyakis AS, Mobberley JM, Vitek BE, Visscher PT, Hagan PD, Reid RP, Kozdon R, Orland IJ, Valley JW, Planavsky NJ, Casaburi G, Foster JS. A Study of the Microbial Spatial Heterogeneity of Bahamian Thrombolites Using Molecular, Biochemical, and Stable Isotope Analyses. Astrobiology 2017; 17:413-430. [PMID: 28520472 PMCID: PMC5767104 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Thrombolites are buildups of carbonate that exhibit a clotted internal structure formed through the interactions of microbial mats and their environment. Despite recent advances, we are only beginning to understand the microbial and molecular processes associated with their formation. In this study, a spatial profile of the microbial and metabolic diversity of thrombolite-forming mats of Highborne Cay, The Bahamas, was generated by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and predictive metagenomic analyses. These molecular-based approaches were complemented with microelectrode profiling and in situ stable isotope analysis to examine the dominant taxa and metabolic activities within the thrombolite-forming communities. Analyses revealed three distinctive zones within the thrombolite-forming mats that exhibited stratified populations of bacteria and archaea. Predictive metagenomics also revealed vertical profiles of metabolic capabilities, such as photosynthesis and carboxylic and fatty acid synthesis within the mats that had not been previously observed. The carbonate precipitates within the thrombolite-forming mats exhibited isotopic geochemical signatures suggesting that the precipitation within the Bahamian thrombolites is photosynthetically induced. Together, this study provides the first look at the spatial organization of the microbial populations within Bahamian thrombolites and enables the distribution of microbes to be correlated with their activities within modern thrombolite systems. Key Words: Thrombolites-Microbial diversity-Metagenome-Stable isotopes-Microbialites. Astrobiology 17, 413-430.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artemis S. Louyakis
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Space Life Sciences Lab, Merritt Island, Florida
| | - Jennifer M. Mobberley
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Space Life Sciences Lab, Merritt Island, Florida
| | - Brooke E. Vitek
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Pieter T. Visscher
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut
| | - Paul D. Hagan
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - R. Pamela Reid
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Reinhard Kozdon
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Ian J. Orland
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - John W. Valley
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Noah J. Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Giorgio Casaburi
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Space Life Sciences Lab, Merritt Island, Florida
| | - Jamie S. Foster
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Space Life Sciences Lab, Merritt Island, Florida
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Wang XL, Planavsky NJ, Hull PM, Tripati AE, Zou HJ, Elder L, Henehan M. Chromium isotopic composition of core-top planktonic foraminifera. Geobiology 2017; 15:51-64. [PMID: 27392225 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The chromium isotope system (53 Cr/52 Cr expressed as δ53 Cr relative to NIST SRM 979) is potentially a powerful proxy for the redox state of the ocean-atmosphere system, but a lack of temporally continuous, well-calibrated archives has limited its application to date. Marine carbonates could potentially serve as a common and continuous Cr isotope archive. Here, we present the first evaluation of planktonic foraminiferal calcite as an archive of seawater δ53 Cr. We show that single foraminiferal species from globally distributed core tops yielded variable δ53 Cr, ranging from 0.1‰ to 2.5‰. These values do not match with the existing measurements of seawater δ53 Cr. Further, within a single core-top, species with similar water column distributions (i.e., depth habitats) yielded variable δ53 Cr values. In addition, mixed layer and thermocline species do not consistently exhibit decreasing trends in δ53 Cr as expected based on current understanding of Cr cycling in the ocean. These observations suggest that either seawater δ53 Cr is more heterogeneous than previously thought or that there is significant and species-dependent Cr isotope fractionation during foraminiferal calcification. Given that the δ53 Cr variability is comparable to that observed in geological samples throughout Earth's history, interpreting planktonic foraminiferal δ53 Cr without calibrating modern foraminifera further, and without additional seawater measurements, would lead to erroneous conclusions. Our core-top survey clearly indicates that planktonic foraminifera are not a straightforward δ53 Cr archive and should not be used to study marine redox evolution without additional study. It likewise cautions against the use of δ53 Cr in bulk carbonate or other biogenic archives pending further work on vital effects and the geographic heterogeneity of the Cr isotope composition of seawater.
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Affiliation(s)
- X L Wang
- Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - P M Hull
- Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - A E Tripati
- University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Université de Brest, Plouzané, France
| | - H J Zou
- Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - L Elder
- Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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Sahoo SK, Planavsky NJ, Jiang G, Kendall B, Owens JD, Wang X, Shi X, Anbar AD, Lyons TW. Oceanic oxygenation events in the anoxic Ediacaran ocean. Geobiology 2016; 14:457-68. [PMID: 27027776 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The ocean-atmosphere system is typically envisioned to have gone through a unidirectional oxygenation with significant oxygen increases in the earliest (ca. 635 Ma), middle (ca. 580 Ma), or late (ca. 560 Ma) Ediacaran Period. However, temporally discontinuous geochemical data and the patchy metazoan fossil record have been inadequate to chart the details of Ediacaran ocean oxygenation, raising fundamental debates about the timing of ocean oxygenation, its purported unidirectional rise, and its causal relationship, if any, with the evolution of early animal life. To better understand the Ediacaran ocean redox evolution, we have conducted a multi-proxy paleoredox study of a relatively continuous, deep-water section in South China that was paleogeographically connected with the open ocean. Iron speciation and pyrite morphology indicate locally euxinic (anoxic and sulfidic) environments throughout the Ediacaran in this section. In the same rocks, redox sensitive element enrichments and sulfur isotope data provide evidence for multiple oceanic oxygenation events (OOEs) in a predominantly anoxic global Ediacaran-early Cambrian ocean. This dynamic redox landscape contrasts with a recent view of a redox-static Ediacaran ocean without significant change in oxygen content. The duration of the Ediacaran OOEs may be comparable to those of the oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) in otherwise well-oxygenated Phanerozoic oceans. Anoxic events caused mass extinctions followed by fast recovery in biologically diversified Phanerozoic oceans. In contrast, oxygenation events in otherwise ecologically monotonous anoxic Ediacaran-early Cambrian oceans may have stimulated biotic innovations followed by prolonged evolutionary stasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- S K Sahoo
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - N J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - G Jiang
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - B Kendall
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - J D Owens
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - X Wang
- School of Earth Science and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
| | - X Shi
- School of Earth Science and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
| | - A D Anbar
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - T W Lyons
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
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40
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Suosaari EP, Reid RP, Playford PE, Foster JS, Stolz JF, Casaburi G, Hagan PD, Chirayath V, Macintyre IG, Planavsky NJ, Eberli GP. New multi-scale perspectives on the stromatolites of Shark Bay, Western Australia. Sci Rep 2016; 6:20557. [PMID: 26838605 PMCID: PMC4738353 DOI: 10.1038/srep20557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A recent field-intensive program in Shark Bay, Western Australia provides new multi-scale perspectives on the world’s most extensive modern stromatolite system. Mapping revealed a unique geographic distribution of morphologically distinct stromatolite structures, many of them previously undocumented. These distinctive structures combined with characteristic shelf physiography define eight ‘Stromatolite Provinces’. Morphological and molecular studies of microbial mat composition resulted in a revised growth model where coccoid cyanobacteria predominate in mat communities forming lithified discrete stromatolite buildups. This contradicts traditional views that stromatolites with the best lamination in Hamelin Pool are formed by filamentous cyanobacterial mats. Finally, analysis of internal fabrics of stromatolites revealed pervasive precipitation of microcrystalline carbonate (i.e. micrite) in microbial mats forming framework and cement that may be analogous to the micritic microstructures typical of Precambrian stromatolites. These discoveries represent fundamental advances in our knowledge of the Shark Bay microbial system, laying a foundation for detailed studies of stromatolite morphogenesis that will advance our understanding of benthic ecosystems on the early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- E P Suosaari
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, 33158, USA.,Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
| | - R P Reid
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, 33158, USA
| | - P E Playford
- Geological Survey of Western Australia, Perth, 6004, Western Australia
| | - J S Foster
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Space Life Science Lab, Merritt Island, Florida, 32953, USA
| | - J F Stolz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15282, USA
| | - G Casaburi
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Space Life Science Lab, Merritt Island, Florida, 32953, USA
| | - P D Hagan
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, 33158, USA
| | - V Chirayath
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA
| | - I G Macintyre
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - N J Planavsky
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - G P Eberli
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, 33158, USA
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Planavsky NJ, Reinhard CT, Wang X, Thomson D, McGoldrick P, Rainbird RH, Johnson T, Fischer WW, Lyons TW. Earth history. Low mid-Proterozoic atmospheric oxygen levels and the delayed rise of animals. Science 2014; 346:635-8. [PMID: 25359975 DOI: 10.1126/science.1258410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The oxygenation of Earth's surface fundamentally altered global biogeochemical cycles and ultimately paved the way for the rise of metazoans at the end of the Proterozoic. However, current estimates for atmospheric oxygen (O2) levels during the billion years leading up to this time vary widely. On the basis of chromium (Cr) isotope data from a suite of Proterozoic sediments from China, Australia, and North America, interpreted in the context of data from similar depositional environments from Phanerozoic time, we find evidence for inhibited oxidation of Cr at Earth's surface in the mid-Proterozoic (1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago). These data suggest that atmospheric O2 levels were at most 0.1% of present atmospheric levels. Direct evidence for such low O2 concentrations in the Proterozoic helps explain the late emergence and diversification of metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Xiangli Wang
- Department Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, CT, USA. Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Danielle Thomson
- Department of Earth Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Peter McGoldrick
- Centre for Ore Deposit and Exploration Science, University of Tasmania, TAS, Australia
| | | | - Thomas Johnson
- Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Woodward W Fischer
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Timothy W Lyons
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
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42
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Lyons TW, Reinhard CT, Planavsky NJ. The rise of oxygen in Earth’s early ocean and atmosphere. Nature 2014; 506:307-15. [DOI: 10.1038/nature13068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1516] [Impact Index Per Article: 151.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2013] [Accepted: 01/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Tarhan LG, Planavsky NJ, Laumer CE, Stolz JF, Reid RP. Microbial mat controls on infaunal abundance and diversity in modern marine microbialites. Geobiology 2013; 11:485-497. [PMID: 23889904 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/23/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Microbialites are the most abundant macrofossils of the Precambrian. Decline in microbialite abundance and diversity during the terminal Proterozoic and early Phanerozoic has historically been attributed to the concurrent radiation of complex metazoans. Similarly, the apparent resurgence of microbialites in the wake of Paleozoic and Mesozoic mass extinctions is frequently linked to drastic declines in metazoan diversity and abundance. However, it has become increasing clear that microbialites are relatively common in certain modern shallow, normal marine carbonate environments-foremost the Bahamas. For the first time, we present data, collected from the Exuma Cays, the Bahamas, systematically characterizing the relationship between framework-building cyanobacteria, microbialite fabrics, and microbialite-associated metazoan abundance and diversity. We document the coexistence of diverse microbialite and infaunal metazoan communities and demonstrate that the predominant control upon both microbialite fabric and metazoan community structure is microbial mat type. These findings necessitate that we rethink prevalent interpretations of microbialite-metazoan interactions and imply that microbialites are not passive recipients of metazoan-mediated alteration. Additionally, this work provides support for the theory that certain Precambrian microbialites may have been havens of early complex metazoan life, rather than bereft of metazoans, as has been traditionally envisaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- L G Tarhan
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
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Robbins LJ, Lalonde SV, Saito MA, Planavsky NJ, Mloszewska AM, Pecoits E, Scott C, Dupont CL, Kappler A, Konhauser KO. Authigenic iron oxide proxies for marine zinc over geological time and implications for eukaryotic metallome evolution. Geobiology 2013; 11:295-306. [PMID: 23601652 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2012] [Accepted: 03/08/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Here, we explore enrichments in paleomarine Zn as recorded by authigenic iron oxides including Precambrian iron formations, ironstones, and Phanerozoic hydrothermal exhalites. This compilation of new and literature-based iron formation analyses track dissolved Zn abundances and constrain the magnitude of the marine reservoir over geological time. Overall, the iron formation record is characterized by a fairly static range in Zn/Fe ratios throughout the Precambrian, consistent with the shale record (Scott et al., 2013, Nature Geoscience, 6, 125-128). When hypothetical partitioning scenarios are applied to this record, paleomarine Zn concentrations within about an order of magnitude of modern are indicated. We couple this examination with new chemical speciation models to interpret the iron formation record. We present two scenarios: first, under all but the most sulfidic conditions and with Zn-binding organic ligand concentrations similar to modern oceans, the amount of bioavailable Zn remained relatively unchanged through time. Late proliferation of Zn in eukaryotic metallomes has previously been linked to marine Zn biolimitation, but under this scenario the expansion in eukaryotic Zn metallomes may be better linked to biologically intrinsic evolutionary factors. In this case, zinc's geochemical and biological evolution may be decoupled and viewed as a function of increasing need for genome regulation and diversification of Zn-binding transcription factors. In the second scenario, we consider Archean organic ligand complexation in such excess that it may render Zn bioavailability low. However, this is dependent on Zn-organic ligand complexes not being bioavailable, which remains unclear. In this case, although bioavailability may be low, sphalerite precipitation is prevented, thereby maintaining a constant Zn inventory throughout both ferruginous and euxinic conditions. These results provide new perspectives and constraints on potential couplings between the trajectory of biological and marine geochemical coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Robbins
- Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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Huang J, Chu X, Lyons TW, Planavsky NJ, Wen H. A new look at saponite formation and its implications for early animal records in the Ediacaran of South China. Geobiology 2013; 11:3-14. [PMID: 23176074 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 10/17/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Acanthomorphic acritarch fossils, including some interpreted to be the fossils of the earliest animal embryos, first appear in the lower Doushantuo Formation of the Yangtze Gorges area (YGA). Further, the complete paleontological and geochemical record for the YGA has played a central role in defining the global biological and geochemical backdrop that presaged and witnessed the dawn of diverse animal life. Despite the importance of the YGA in our understanding of Neoproterozoic Earth history, basic aspects about its depositional history remain debated. Foremost among the controversies, extensively studied sections in the YGA were recently tied to deposition in an alkaline lake, casting new but contentious light on the environments of early animal evolution and the broader significance of geochemical records from the YGA. Arguments for a lacustrine setting hinged on the presence of trioctahedral clays (saponite-corrensite). However, this clay type commonly forms in other environments, including the weathering profiles of mafic and ultramafic volcanics. Using a coupled geochemical and sedimentological approach, we argue that the trioctahedral clays in the lower Doushantuo of the YGA are better explained as weathering products from a regional mafic-to-ultramafic hinterland delivered by rivers to a shelf or lagoon in the Yangtze Gorges Basin. These novel provenance relationships for YGA sediments and associated clays are consistent with a marine setting for the early animal records and must factor in our current understanding of the broader geochemical fabric of the Doushantuo Formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
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Planavsky NJ, Bekker A, Hofmann A, Owens JD, Lyons TW. Sulfur record of rising and falling marine oxygen and sulfate levels during the Lomagundi event. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:18300-5. [PMID: 23090989 PMCID: PMC3494920 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1120387109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbonates from approximately 2.3-2.1 billion years ago show markedly positive δ(13)C values commonly reaching and sometimes exceeding +10‰. Traditional interpretation of these positive δ(13)C values favors greatly enhanced organic carbon burial on a global scale, although other researchers have invoked widespread methanogenesis within the sediments. To resolve between these competing models and, more generally, among the mechanisms behind Earth's most dramatic carbon isotope event, we obtained coupled stable isotope data for carbonate carbon and carbonate-associated sulfate (CAS). CAS from the Lomagundi interval shows a narrow range of δ(34)S values and concentrations much like those of Phanerozoic and modern marine carbonate rocks. The δ(34)S values are a close match to those of coeval sulfate evaporites and likely reflect seawater composition. These observations are inconsistent with the idea of diagenetic carbonate formation in the methanic zone. Toward the end of the carbon isotope excursion there is an increase in the δ(34)S values of CAS. We propose that these trends in C and S isotope values track the isotopic evolution of seawater sulfate and reflect an increase in pyrite burial and a crash in the marine sulfate reservoir during ocean deoxygenation in the waning stages of the positive carbon isotope excursion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah J Planavsky
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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Sahoo SK, Planavsky NJ, Kendall B, Wang X, Shi X, Scott C, Anbar AD, Lyons TW, Jiang G. Ocean oxygenation in the wake of the Marinoan glaciation. Nature 2012; 489:546-9. [DOI: 10.1038/nature11445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 350] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2012] [Accepted: 07/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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48
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Planavsky NJ, McGoldrick P, Scott CT, Li C, Reinhard CT, Kelly AE, Chu X, Bekker A, Love GD, Lyons TW. Widespread iron-rich conditions in the mid-Proterozoic ocean. Nature 2011; 477:448-51. [DOI: 10.1038/nature10327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 322] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 06/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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