A late archean sulfidic sea stimulated by early oxidative weathering of the continents

Christopher T. Reinhard, Rob Raiswell, Clint Scott, Ariel Anbar, Timothy W. Lyons

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

230 Scopus citations

Abstract

Iron speciation data for the late Archean Mount McRae Shale provide evidence for a euxinic (anoxic and sulfidic) water column 2.5 billion years ago. Sulfur isotope data compiled from the same stratigraphie section suggest that euxinic conditions were stimulated by an increase in oceanic sulfate concentrations resulting from weathering of continental sulfide minerals exposed to an atmosphere with trace amounts of photosynthetically produced oxygen. Variability in local organic matter flux likely confined euxinic conditions to midportions of the water column on the basin margin. These findings indicate that euxinic conditions may have been common on a variety of spatial and temporal scales both before and immediately after the Paleoproterozoic rise in atmospheric oxygen, hinting at previously unexplored texture and variability in deep ocean chemistry during Earth's early history.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)713-716
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume326
Issue number5953
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 30 2009

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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