Carbon isotope evidence for the stepwise oxidation of the Proterozoic environment
- 1 October 1992
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature
- Vol. 359 (6396) , 605-609
- https://doi.org/10.1038/359605a0
Abstract
The oxidation of the Earth's crust and the increase in atmospheric oxygen early in Earth history have been linked to the accumulation of reduced carbon in sedimentary rocks. Trends in the carbon isotope composition of sedimentary organic carbon and carbonate show that during the Proterozoic aeon (2.5–0.54 Gyr ago) the organic carbon reservoir grew in size, relative to the carbonate reservoir. This increase, and the concomitant release of oxidizing power in the environment, occurred mostly during episodes of global rifting and orogeny.Keywords
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