Isotopic Evidence for Massive Oxidation of Organic Matter Following the Great Oxidation Event

Kump, Lee R.; Junium, Christopher; Arthur, Michael A.; Brasier, Alexander T.; Fallick, Anthony E.; Melezhik, Victor A.; Lepland, Aivo; Črne, Alenka E.; Luo, Genming

doi:10.1126/science.1213999

Cited by 214 publications

(204 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(48 reference statements)

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“…Data from the 2.2-2.1 Gyr Ashanti Belt of Ghana (Jia and Kerrich, 2004) support these conjectures, as all samples fall between the notably heavy values of +9 to +13‰. Corroborating δ 15 N bulk data come from the 2.09-1.98 Gyr upper Zaonega Formation in the Fennoscandian Shield (Kump et al, 2011) which also reach +7 to +10‰. These values are as heavy as or heavier than most parts of the modern ocean and are thus also supportive of oxidizing conditions with abundant nitrate in surface waters and vigorous denitrification below in a strong chemocline.…”

Section: Paleoproterozoic (25-16 Gyr)supporting

confidence: 51%

“…removal of silicate-bound ammonium with hydrofluoric acid (e.g. Godfrey and Falkowski, 2009;Kump et al, 2011;Stüeken et al, 2015c), and this kerogen-phase is sometimes considered to be a more accurate recorder of primary nitrogen isotope ratios (Godfrey and Falkowski, 2009;Kump et al, 2011). However, experimental work suggests that kerogen can equilibrate isotopically with ammonium from exogenous fluids (Schimmelmann and Lis, 2010).…”

Section: Preservation Of Nitrogen Isotopes In the Rock Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additional problems can arise from contamination during the extraction process. In some studies, bulk rock C/N ratios of some samples are higher than the C/N ratios of the corresponding kerogen extracts (Godfrey and Falkowski, 2009;Kump et al, 2011), which is physically impossible. In other studies, the reproducibility of δ 15 N analyses in kerogen extracts is unusually poor with sometimes more than 10‰ difference between replicates (Beaumont and Robert, 1999).…”

Section: Preservation Of Nitrogen Isotopes In the Rock Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Stüeken

Kipp

Koehler

et al. 2016

Earth-Science Reviews

328

287

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Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all life on Earth and it acts as a major control on biological productivity in the modern ocean. Accurate reconstructions of the evolution of life over the course of the last four billion years therefore demand a better understanding of nitrogen bioavailability and speciation through time. The biogeochemical nitrogen cycle has evidently been closely tied to the redox state of the ocean and atmosphere. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that the Earth"s surface has passed in a non-linear fashion from an anoxic state in the Hadean to an oxic state in the later Phanerozoic. It is therefore likely that the nitrogen cycle has changed markedly over time, with potentially severe implications for the productivity and evolution of the biosphere. Here we compile nitrogen isotope data from the literature and review our current understanding of the evolution of the nitrogen cycle, with particular emphasis on the Precambrian. Combined with recent work on redox conditions, trace metal availability, sulfur and iron cycling on the early Earth, we then use the nitrogen isotope record as a platform to test existing and new hypotheses about biogeochemical pathways that may have controlled nitrogen availability through time. Among other things, we conclude that (a) abiotic nitrogen sources were likely insufficient to sustain a large biosphere, thus favoring an early origin of biological N 2 fixation, (b) evidence of nitrate in the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic confirm current views of increasing surface oxygen levels at those times, (c) abundant ferrous iron and sulfide in the midPrecambrian ocean may have affected the speciation and size of the fixed nitrogen reservoir, and (d) nitrate availability alone was not a major driver of eukaryotic evolution.

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Section: Paleoproterozoic (25-16 Gyr)supporting

confidence: 51%

Section: Preservation Of Nitrogen Isotopes In the Rock Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Preservation Of Nitrogen Isotopes In the Rock Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Stüeken

Kipp

Koehler

et al. 2016

Earth-Science Reviews

328

287

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“…Carbonates are too scarce in Francevillian rocks to allow direct comparison with the Lomagundi excursion, but these rocks can be placed within the excursion through a comparison of organic carbon isotope values (33). Thus, our organic carbon isotope analyses ( Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen dynamics in the aftermath of the Great Oxidation of Earth’s atmosphere

Canfield

Ngombi-Pemba

Hammarlund

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

123

139

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The oxygen content of Earth's atmosphere has varied greatly through time, progressing from exceptionally low levels before about 2.3 billion years ago, to much higher levels afterward. In the absence of better information, we usually view the progress in Earth's oxygenation as a series of steps followed by periods of relative stasis. In contrast to this view, and as reported here, a dynamic evolution of Earth's oxygenation is recorded in ancient sediments from the Republic of Gabon from between about 2,150 and 2,080 million years ago. The oldest sediments in this sequence were deposited in well-oxygenated deep waters whereas the youngest were deposited in euxinic waters, which were globally extensive. These fluctuations in oxygenation were likely driven by the comings and goings of the Lomagundi carbon isotope excursion, the longest-lived positive δ 13 C excursion in Earth history, generating a huge oxygen source to the atmosphere. As the Lomagundi event waned, the oxygen source became a net oxygen sink as Lomagundi organic matter became oxidized, driving oxygen to low levels; this state may have persisted for 200 million years.GOE | Paleoproterozoic | marine chemistry | Mo isotope | trace metal

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“…The latter part of the GOE was marked by a protracted episode of elevated organic carbon burial (Lomagundi Event) between ca. 2.22 and 2.06 Ga, which suggests a long-lasting, but transient increase in atmosphere-ocean O 2 contents to levels that may not have occurred again until the Neoproterozoic Oxidation Event (NOE) (Karhu and Holland, 1996;Scott et al, 2008Scott et al, , 2014Kump et al, 2011;Planavsky et al, 2011Planavsky et al, , 2012Planavsky et al, , 2014Bekker and Holland, 2012;Partin et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A model for the oceanic mass balance of rhenium and implications for the extent of Proterozoic ocean anoxia

Sheen

Kendall

Reinhard

et al. 2018

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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Emerging geochemical evidence suggests that the atmosphere-ocean system underwent a significant decrease in O 2 content following the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), leading to a mid-Proterozoic ocean (ca. 2.0-0.8 Ga) with oxygenated surface waters and predominantly anoxic deep waters. The extent of mid-Proterozoic seafloor anoxia has been recently estimated using mass-balance models based on molybdenum (Mo), uranium (U), and chromium (Cr) enrichments in organic-rich mudrocks (ORM). Here, we use a temporal compilation of concentrations for the redox-sensitive trace metal rhenium (Re) in ORM to provide an independent constraint on the global extent of mid-Proterozoic ocean anoxia and as a tool for more generally exploring how the marine geochemical cycle of Re has changed through time. The compilation reveals that mid-Proterozoic ORM are dominated by low Re concentrations that overall are only mildly higher than those of Archean ORM and significantly lower than many ORM deposited during the ca. 2.22-2.06 Ga Lomagundi Event and during the Phanerozoic Eon. These temporal trends are consistent with a decrease in the oceanic Re inventory in response to an expansion of anoxia after an interval of increased oxygenation during the Lomagundi Event. Mass-balance modeling of the marine Re geochemical cycle indicates that the mid-Proterozoic ORM with low Re enrichments are consistent with extensive seafloor anoxia. Beyond this agreement, these new data bring added value because Re, like the other metals, responds generally to lowoxygen conditions but has its own distinct sensitivity to the varying environmental controls. Thus, we can broaden our capacity to infer nuanced spatiotemporal patterns in ancient redox landscapes. For example, despite the still small number of data, some mid-Proterozoic ORM units have higher Re enrichments that may reflect a larger oceanic Re inventory during transient episodes of ocean oxygenation. An improved understanding of the modern oceanic Re cycle and a higher temporal resolution for the Re compilation will enable further tests of these hypotheses regarding changes in the surficial Re geochemical cycle in response to variations in atmosphere-ocean oxygenation. Nevertheless, the existing Re compilation and model results are in agreement with previous Cr, Mo, and U evidence for pervasively anoxic and ferruginous conditions in mid-Proterozoic oceans.

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Isotopic Evidence for Massive Oxidation of Organic Matter Following the Great Oxidation Event

Cited by 214 publications

References 41 publications

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Oxygen dynamics in the aftermath of the Great Oxidation of Earth’s atmosphere

A model for the oceanic mass balance of rhenium and implications for the extent of Proterozoic ocean anoxia

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