Sea level, sediments and the composition of seawater

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Abstract
The composition of seawater changed significantly during the course of the Phanerozoic in concert with long-term changes in sea level, which were largely the result of changes in the volume of mid-ocean ridges. These reflect changes in the rate of seafloor spreading and determine the rate of seawater cycling through mid-ocean ridges. Spencer and Hardie (1990) and Hardie (1996) proposed that the changes in the cycling rate of seawater through mid-ocean ridges have been responsible for the changes in the composition of seawater during the Phanerozoic. This explanation cannot account for the major changes in the composition of seawater during the Cenozoic, which was a time of nearly constant seafloor spreading rate. However, changes in the rate of deposition of shallow water carbonates and their penecontemporaneous dolomitization can explain the Cenozoic changes in seawater composition. This indicates that sedimentologic parameters have played a major role in the chemical evolution of seawater.
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