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Intra-oceanic arc’s collision with an oceanic plateau plays a crucial role in the development of complex tectonic setting and induce subduction polarity reversal. Despite several studies and investigations, the origin and timing of subduction initiation in Solomon Island Arc (SIA) is still ambiguous. This study presents first robust zircon U-Pb ages and in-situ Hf isotope data from Choiseul, Santa Isabel (SI) and New Georgia Group (NGG), three major islands of SIA. Magmatic zircons and Hf isotope data from one gabbro sample, geochemically identical to N-MORB with Nb, Ta depletion in spidergram yielded 46 ± 1 Ma, which we decipher as the timing of Stage I magmatism by subduction of Pacific plate and subduction initiation in Choiseul. Six Choiseul andesites gave a mean age 206Pb/238U of 0.7 Ma, with εHf(t) values from +9 to +15 which represents the youngest crystallization age of Stage II magmatism with typical island arc-like signatures and a depleted mantle source. Detrital zircons from two sand sample yielded a population of mean age ranging from 0.3-0.7 Ma, 10 Ma and 48-46 Ma with εHf(t) values +9 to 15, +11 to +12 and +11 to +14 respectively and third sample has yielded a mean age 207Pb/206Pb 2.6 Ga and 500-1600 Ma with εHf(t) values -8 to +9, probably associated with Australian-type source indicating presence of a continental fragment beneath SIA. Similar ages of ca. 2.6 Ma have been obtained from inherited zircons from three gabbroic dyke sample from Santa Isabel with εHf(t) values +1 to +9 whereas one gabbroic dyke sample yields 110 ± 1 Ma, with εHf(t) values +14 to + 16 which we interpret as the basement age of SI. U-Pb dating of zircons from mafic to felsic rocks along NGG, covered mostly by Quaternary eruptive lavas. The youngest age population indicate Late Pliocene-Pleistocene 206Pb/238U ages, 2.5-1.5 Ma, interpreted as zircon crystallization ages of Stage II arc magmatism resulting from subduction of the Solomon Sea plate, as those of Choiseul Andesite. The first U-Pb age from ca. 36.8±0.5 Ma granite on Ghizo Island in New Georgia Group, revealing Late Eocene-aged magmatic zircon. This age represents the magmatic emplacement as the basement of plutonic rock from NGG that has not been reported before. We conclude that, (i) The Solomon Islands has a Cretaceous basement preserved in SI. (ii) The timing of subduction initiation and Stage I N-MORB type tholeiitic magmatism in SIA is 46 Ma followed by episodic eruptions from the early Eocene to late Eocene. (iii) Oligocene (30-20 Ma) magmatic hiatus, probably the time of subduction polarity reversal from subduction of Pacific plate to subduction of Solomon Sea plate. (iv) Stage II island arc magmatism initiated at 20-18 Ma in NGG to youngest emplacement age of Pliocene to Pleistocene in Choiseul as well as in NGG. (v)Abundant Archean zircons are present in samples from all three islands, indicate presence of micro-continent beneath Islands of Solomon. We are still working on the whole rock isotopic analysis to better constrain the tectonic and magmatic evolution of SIA.

This paper presents first U–Pb detrital zircon ages, major and trace element geochemical data and whole-rock Nd and Hf-in-zircon isotope data from sandstones of the Char and Zharma zones of eastern Kazakhstan. Petrographically the sandstones represent greywackes. The U–Pb ages of detrital zircons show unimodal distributions peaked at 345–340 and 330–325 Ma indicating post-Early Carboniferous deposition. The sandstones have high CIA values (60–68), suggesting moderate to weak chemical weathering. Their high ICV values (1.1–1.3) and relatively high MgO and low Y, Nb indicate an immature probably mafic–intermediate igneous source (low La/Th, medium Hf). Positive whole-rock eNd(t) and zircon eHf(t) indicate dominantly juvenile character of igneous rocks in the provenance. In total, the unimodal character of U–Pb detrital zircon age patterns, the chemical composition of sandstones similar to that of associated volcanic rocks and the positive values of eNd(t) and eHf(t) suggest their derivation from one or more intra-oceanic arcs. The data from eastern Kazakhstan fit those obtained from late Paleozoic greywacke sandstones of NW China. The new geochemical and geochronological data from sandstones and published data from oceanic and supra-subduction ophiolites of eastern Kazakhstan suggest an extended Pacific-type subduction system in the western Paleo-Asian Ocean in Devonian–early Carboniferous time.

The paper presents new original data on the Devonian felsic volcanism of the NW Rudny Altai (Russia) in the west of Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) – the front part of the Altai convergent margin of the Siberian continent. Two geochemical types of subvolcanic rhyolites were emplaced synchronously with the bimodal rhyolite-basalt association, which began to form in the end-Emsian, and clearly manifested on the border of the Givetian and the Frasnian. The rhyolites yield zircon U-Pb ages of ca. 390 Ma (R1-type) and 380 Ma (R2- and R3-types), reflecting two peaks of the volcanic activity. Most of these rocks have extreme petrochemical characteristics of high SiO2 contents and have contrast Na/K ratios. Their compositions are transition between calc-alkaline and tholeiite series: (La/Yb)n ~ 2–7, Zr/Y ~ 4 (Zr 350 ppm), Zr (>250 ppm), and high Ga/Al (>2.6) values. The island-arc-like R1-rhyolite formed immediately after the beginning of rifting due to widespread crustal melting under reduced conditions. The generation of rift-like R2- and R3-rhyolites took place under non-equilibrium conditions, synchronously with the rise in the upper crust of Givetian-Frasnian basic magmas, as a result of the active lithospheric extension and high thermal input from the underlying hot mantle. We propose an extension regime in the transition area between the island-arc and back-arc basin for the origin of rhyolites. The study of the Devonian volcanism of the Rudny Altai gives important information about the processes that occurred at the initial stage of the formation of the Altai convergent margin.

Several geochemical tracers (S, C, O, Xe) underwent irreversible global changes during the Precambrian, and in particular during the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE), between the Archean and Proterozoïc eons [1]. Xenon is of particular interest as it presents a secular isotopic evolution during the Archean that ceased around the time of the GOE. In this regard Xe is somewhat analogous to mass-independent fractionation sulfur (MIF-S) in that it can be used to categorically identify Archean atmospheric components [2]. Xe isotopes in the modern atmosphere are strongly mass-dependent fractionated (MDF-Xe), with a depletion of the light isotopes relative to the heavy ones. There was a continuous Xe isotope evolution from primitive Xe to modern Xe that ceased between 2.6 and 1.8 Ga [2] and this evolution has been attributed to coupled H+-Xe+ escape to space [3].The purpose of this project is to document the Xe composition of the paleo-atmosphere trapped in well-dated hydrothermal quartz fluid inclusions with ages covering the Archean-Proterozoic transition to better constraint its link with the GOE.We have measured an isotopically fractionated Xe composition of 2.0 ± 1.8 ‰ relative to modern atmosphere at 2441 ± 1.6 Ma, in quartz vein from the Seidorechka sedimentary formation (Imandra-Varzuga Greenstone belt, Russia). A slightly younger sample from the Polisarka sedimentary formation (Imandra-Varzuga Greenstone belt, Russia) of 2434 ± 6.6 Ma does not record such fractionation and is indistinguishable from the modern atmospheric composition. A temporal link between the disappearance of the Xe isotopes fractionation and the MIF-S signature at the Archean-Proterozoic transition is clearly established for the Kola Craton. The mass-dependent evolution of Xe isotopes is the witness of a cumulative atmospheric process that may have played an important role in the oxidation of the Earth's surface [3], independently of biogenic O2 production that started long before the permanent rise of O2 in the atmosphere [4]. [1] Catling & Zahnle, 2020, Sciences Advances 6, eaax1420. [2] Avice et al., 2018, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 232, 82-100 [3] Zahnle et al., 2019, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 244, 56-85. [4] Lyons et al., 2014, Nature 506, 307-315.

The paper presents the results of geological, geochemical and isotope-geochronological studies of subvolcanic rhyolites of the Western Gorny Altai and Rudny Altai which have related to two large volcanic systems, the Altai-Minusinsk and Altai-Salair, respectively. The results of U-Pb isotopic dating of zircons revealed two groups of ages ~410-405 and 390-381 million years. Isotope-geochemical characteristics of rhyolites show relatively high values of εNd(T) = +2,7...6,0 with relatively young values of model ages T(DM) = 851-966 Ma in the Rudny Altai and more ancient - up to 1266 Ma in the West Gorny Altai. Geochemical characteristics indicate that its composition is consistent with transitional field between within-plate and island-arc felsic magmas. The results obtained correspond to the two-stage evolution of volcanism and its migration from the continent to the ocean.

The Ediacaran to Cambrian periods are characterized by the diversification and extinction of metazoans, carbon-cycle perturbation, and ocean oxygenation. Ocean nutrient cycles play a major role in the primary production and productivity-driven shallow water anoxia that was responsible for mass extinction in some Phanerozoic intervals. However, the relationships between these cycles and primary production and biological events during the Ediacaran to Cambrian periods have not previously been well-explored. This study presents stratigraphic profiles of nitrogen and organic carbon isotopes for sections belonging to the shelf and deep basin regions of the Yangtze Platform, South China. The nitrogen isotope profiles for these two regions share a similar trend, showing 1) relatively stable δ15N values of 5–6‰ in the early–middle Ediacaran (635 Ma–ca. 560 Ma) and 2) a shift towards lower δ15N values (3–4‰) since the Shuram δ13Ccarb Excursion. The δ15N values in the shelf section experienced a two-stage decrease from the late Ediacaran to Cambrian Stage 2 of the Terreneuvian series (down to −1‰) and then an increase from −1‰ to +4‰ across the Cambrian Stage 2/3 boundary (i.e., the Terreneuvian/Cambrian Series 2 boundary at 521 Ma). These data, in combination with previously reported nutrient profiles (δ15N, P, and Mo), allow the following new conclusions to be drawn. 1) The early–middle Ediacaran ocean was characterized by N Mo colimitation of primary production on a geological timescale that is different from the P limitation on long-term primary production in the modern ocean. 2) A shift in the ultimate limiting nutrient from N and Mo to P likely occurred in late Ediacaran–early Cambrian marine systems. This shift may have been a prerequisite for the extinction of small shelly fossils in response to the development of photic zone anoxia for several million years in Cambrian Stage 2, which was followed by the third and most prominent phase of metazoan diversification.

The paper reports the results of geological, geochemical, and isotope–geochronological studies of subvolcanic rhyolites of NW Gorny Altai and Rudny Altai, which belong to the large Hercynian volcanic systems: Altai-Minusa and Altai–Salair, respectively. U–Pb zircon dating revealed two age groups: ~410–405 and 390–381 Ma. The isotope–geochemical characteristics of the rhyolites demonstrate high eNd(Т) from +2.6 to 6.0 with relatively young model ages T(DM) = 851–966 Ma in Rudny Altai and older model ages, up to 1266 Ma, in NW Gorny Altai. The rhyolites show transitional geochemical signatures between within-plate and island-arc felsic magmas. The results obtained are consistent with two-stage evolution of volcanism and its migration from the continent to the ocean.

The article presents new geological, geochronological, mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopic data on the Early Cretaceous granitic rocks of the southern part of the Zhuravlevka Terrane (Sikhote-Alin). It is shown that four intrusive complexes containing significant amounts of granitic rocks were formed almost simultaneously in this area in the Early Cretaceous (about 100 Ma). These magmatic associations differ in rock set, their mineralogical characteristics, and chemical composition, varying from medium-potassium tonalites and granodiorites depleted in incompatible elements to shoshonitic monzonitic rocks enriched in HFSE and REE. The geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the granitic rocks indicate that the source of their melts was dominated by essentially juvenile metabasite crust with a limited contribution of the upper-crustal metasedimentary rocks. The diversity of geochemical types of the granitic rocks is explained by variable metabasite and metapelite contributions to their source, upper crustal contamination during magma ascent, as well as the variable contribution of the mantle source and different mechanisms of mantle–crust interaction.

The diversity of small shelly fossils (SSF) demonstrates that multicellular organisms underwent large-scale radiation at the beginning of the Cambrian, which is highlighted by the coexistence of va...

The metamorphic P–T conditions and processes of the mid-Archean Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa were examined with petrological and thermodynamic data from metamorphosed banded iron formation (BIF) and garnet amphibolite in the Inyoni shear zone (ISZ). Equilibrium mineral assemblages in these two rocks range from Grt + Cpx + Gru + Mag + Qz through Grt + Cpx + Gru + Amp + Mag + Qz to Amp + Gru + Mag + Qz, and from Grt + Cpx + Amp + Pl + Ep + Qz to Cpx + Amp + Pl + Ep + Qz, respectively. The metamorphic P–T conditions of these assemblages were estimated from thermodynamic calculations combined with their whole-rock and constituent mineral compositions. The results show that the metamorphosed BIF and garnet amphibolite samples record three and two different metamorphic P–T conditions, respectively, within a single period of metamorphism. The P–T conditions of the BIF changed from ca. 600–680 °C and >10 kbar through ca. 510–540 °C and 8–11 kbar to less than 500 °C and 4 kbar. The P–T conditions of the garnet amphibolite changed from ca. 9.5–10.5 kbar and 620–660 °C to less than 5 kbar and 500 °C. These new results combined with previously published data suggest that the geothermal gradients of the peak and retrograde metamorphisms were ca. 15–20 °C/km and 20–30 °C/km, respectively, and the possibility that the ISZ underwent slightly earlier prograde metamorphism than the high-pressure BGB. The difference between the gradients of 15–20 °C/km and 20–30 °C/km in the ISZ rocks was probably related to a shift from oceanic plate subduction to continental collision at ca. 3.23 Ga.

The Ediacaran–Cambrian transition is characterized by numerous events such as the emergence of large multi-cellular metazoans and surface environmental disturbances. Based on geological evidence, it has been proposed that this transition coincided with the increase in the atmospheric oxygen level that was key to the evolution of life. Even though ancient redox conditions can be inferred from the composition of sedimentary iron mineral species, this method is not necessarily applicable to all rocks. In the Earth system, the cycling of iron is of considerable interest owing to its sensitivity to redox conditions. Information regarding the paleo-oceanic iron cycle is revealed in the iron isotopic composition of iron-bearing minerals. Unfortunately, only limited iron isotopic data exists for Ediacaran- to Cambrian-period oceans. To circumvent this deficiency, we drilled a fossiliferous Ediacaran to Early Cambrian sedimentary succession in the Three Gorges region, South China. We analyzed the iron isotope ratios (δ56/54Fe) of pyrite grains in the drill cores using laser ablation multi collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results demonstrate large variations in δ56/54Fe, from −1.6 to 1.6‰, and positive iron isotope ratios are observed in many successions. The presence of positive δ56/54Fe in pyrite indicates that the ferrous iron in the seawater was partially oxidized, suggesting that seawater at Three Gorges was ferruginous during the Ediacaran and Early Cambrian periods. However, aggregated pyrite grains in organic carbon-rich black shales at Member 4 of the Doushantuo Formation and the base of the Shuijingtuo Formation yield near-zero δ56/54Fe values; this suggests that the ocean was transiently dominated by sulfidic conditions during these periods. Notably negative δ56/54Fe values, lower than −1‰, can be interpreted as a signature of DIR. The DIR also might contribute in part to the re-mineralization of organic matter during the largest negative carbon isotope anomaly in the Ediacaran.

We determined highly siderophile element (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, and Re) concentrations and 187Os/188Os ratios for ultramafic rocks distributed over the Eoarchean gneiss complex of the Saglek-Hebron area in northern Labrador, Canada in order to constrain to what extent variations in HSE abundances are recorded in Early Archean mantle that have well-resolved 182W isotope anomalies relative to the present-day mantle (∼+11 ppm: Liu et al., 2016). The samples analysed here have been previously classified into two suites: mantle-derived peridotites occurring as tectonically-emplaced slivers of lithospheric mantle, and metakomatiites comprising mostly pyroxenitic layers in supracrustal units dominated by amphibolites. Although previous Sm-Nd and Pb-Pb isotope studies provided whole-rock isochrons indicative of ∼3.8 Ga protolith formation for both suites, our whole-rock Re-Os isotope data on a similar set of samples yield considerably younger errorchrons with ages of 3612 ± 130 Ma (MSWD = 40) and 3096 ± 170 Ma (MSWD = 10.2) for the metakomatiite and lithospheric mantle suites, respectively. The respective initial 187Os/188Os = 0.10200 ± 18 for metakomatiites and 0.1041 ± 18 for lithospheric mantle rocks are within the range of chondrites. Re-depletion Os model ages for unradiogenic samples from the two suites are consistent with the respective Re-Os errorchrons (metakomatiite TRD = 3.4–3.6 Ga; lithospheric mantle TRD = 2.8–3.3 Ga). These observations suggest that the two ultramafic suites are not coeval. However, the estimated mantle sources for the two ultramafics suites are similar in terms of their broadly chondritic evolution of 187Os/188Os and their relative HSE patterns. In detail, both mantle sources show a small excess of Ru/Ir similar to that in modern primitive mantle, but a ∼20% deficit in absolute HSE abundances relative to that in modern primitive mantle (metakomatiite 74 ± 18% of PUM; lithospheric mantle 82 ± 10% of PUM), consistent with the ∼3.8 Ga Isua mantle source and Neoarchean komatiite sources around the world (∼70–86% of PUM). This demonstrates that the lower HSE abundances are not unique to the sources of komatiites, but rather might be a ubiquitous feature of Archean convecting mantle. This tentatively suggests that chondritic late accretion components boosted the convecting mantle HSE inventory after core separation in the Hadean, and that the Eoarchean to Neoarchean convecting mantle was depleted in its HSE content relative to that of today. Further investigation of Archean mantle-derived rocks is required to explore this hypothesis.

We describe here Sinaster petalon gen. et sp. nov., a new embryonic form from the c. 535 million-year-old Kuanchuanpu Formation of South China (Ningqiang, Shaanxi Province). The excellent three-dimensional, phosphatic preservation of these microfossils allowed us to use x-ray microtomographic techniques to make accurate reconstructions of their internal structures and to compare their anatomy point-by-point with that of extant cnidarians and other animal groups. Sinaster petalon has anatomical features typical of extant Medusozoa (Cnidaria), such as coronal muscles, perradial and adradial frenula, interradial septa, accessory septa, gonad-lamellae, tentacle buds and perradial pockets. Although Sinaster cannot be straightforwardly assigned to any crown-group within Medusozoa, the presence of marginal lappets and endodermal lamellae suggests that it is closer to Cubozoa and Scyphozoa than to any other group of modern cnidarians. The tentative placement of Sinaster within the stem-group Cubozoa is justified by the presence of a velarium supported by a frenulum. The cubozoan affinities of Sinaster are also supported by cladistic analysis.

The early Cambrian Carinachitidae, a family in the subclass Conulata, are intriguing and important small shelly fossils. Their gently tapering, tube-shaped skeletons consist of convex faces separated from each other by broad, deep corner sulci, and they exhibit triradial, pentaradial, or predominantly tetraradial symmetry. However, the morphology of the aperture and the modes of growth of carinachitid skeletons as well as the anatomy of their soft parts are unknown. Examination of a single new, exceptionally well-preserved specimen of tetramerousCarinachites spinatusQian, 1977, collected from the lower Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation in South China, reveals: (1) that its aperture is connected to a small mass of relic soft tissue and (2) that the apertural end of each of the four faces is developed into a subtriangular lappet or oral lobe that is smoothly folded toward the long axis of the tube, partially closing the tube aperture. Similarities between thorn-like spines on the faces and the oral lobes indicate that the transverse ribs were periodically displaced from the perradial portion of the aperture during formation of new ribs. In addition, the tube walls may have undergone secondary thickening during growth. The growth pattern of the tube and the spatial relationships between the tube aperture and soft parts are analogous to those of co-occurring olivooids. These findings further strengthen the previously proposed hypothesis that coeval carinachitids, olivooids, hexangulaconulariids, and Paleozoic conulariids are closely related taxa within the subphylum Medusozoa. Finally, carinachitids most likely represent an evolutionary intermediate between olivooids and hexangulaconulariids.

Abundant microstructures have been discovered in small skeletal fossils (SSFs) and embryo-like fossils collected from the Lower Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation (ca. 535 Ma) in Xixiang County, Shaanxi Province, China. These involve two co-occurring structures: (1) long, unbranched cylindrical filaments, which are comparable to phosphatic casts of microborings constructed by euendolithic cyanobacteria (Endoconchia lata) in morphology and preservation pathway; and (2) meandering micro-tubes or grooves on fossil moulds (and steinkerns) of a wide range of sizes and morphological diversities, perceived as ambient inclusion trails (AITs). Herein, we also report a new occurrence of organic carbon spherules as AIT-propelled material, which is rare in comparable fossils. From direct comparison of endolith fossils and AITs, we propose a mechanism to account for their notably different preservation, and further attempt to offer an explanation for their co-occurrence. Their differential preservation suggests a chronological, taphonomic sequence of their formation. We interpret that E. lata microborings formed prior to phosphate sedimentation, whereas AITs are likely generated in a later phase of (or after) phosphorite precipitation but before calcareous re-cementation. Dissecting the sequence of formation of these structures, in conjunction with detailed morphological observations, assists in distinguishing true biologically produced endoliths from otherwise abiogenically produced microstructures.

The Archean continental crusts account for ca. 20% of the present volume, but the thermal history of the Earths' mantle suggests much more continental crusts were formed in the early Archean. Because the Archean continental crust underwent severe metamorphism, it is important to avoid influence by the later thermal events. We carried out a comprehensive geochronological work of Cathodoluminescence (CL) observation and U-Pb dating of zircons from orthogneisses and supracrustal rocks over the Saglek Block to obtain their protolith ages. The zircons were classified into three domains of core, mantle and rims, and the cores were further classified into three groups of inherited, altered and zoned cores based on the zonation on the CL images. We estimated the protolith ages from Pb-Pb ages of the zoned-cores of zircons with low U contents. We made a detailed sketch of a small outcrop in St. John's Harbour South (SJHS) area, and classified the orthogneisses and mafic enclaves into seven generations based on the geologic occurrence. The first and second generations comprise mafic rocks and lack magmatic zircons. We conducted CL imaging and U-Pb dating of zircons from the third, sixth and seventh generation of the orthogneisses to estimate the protolith ages at 3902 ± 25, 3892 ± 33 and 3897 ± 33 Ma for each, supporting the presence of the over 3.9 Ga Iqaluk Gneiss. The geological occurrence that the mafic rocks occur as enclaves within the 3.9 Ga Iqaluk Gneiss indicates that they are the oldest supracrustal rocks in the world. Our geochronological and geological studies show the Uivak Gneiss is quite varied in lithology and age from 3.6 to >3.9 Ga, and tentatively classified into six groups based on their ages. The oldest Uivak Gneiss components including the Iqaluk Gneiss are present around the SJHS area, and the orthogneisses become young as it is away. The lines of evidence of overprinting of younger granitoid on older granitoid in small outcrops and geological-map scale as well as presence of inherited zircons even in the oldest suite suggests that crustal reworking played an important role on erasing the ancient crusts.

The earliest fossil record of animal biomineralization occurs in the latest Ediacaran Period (c. 550 Ma).CloudinaandSinotubulitesare two important tubular taxa among these earliest skeletal fossils. The evolutionary fate ofCloudina-type fossils across the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition, however, remains poorly understood. Here we report a multi-layered tubular microfossilFeiyanella manicagen. et sp. nov. from a phosphorite interval of the lowest Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation, southern Shaanxi Province, South China. This newly discovered fossil is a conical tube with a ‘funnel-in-funnel’ construction, showing profound morphological similarities toCloudinaandConotubus. On the other hand, the outer few layers, and particularly the outermost layer, ofFeiyanellatubes are regularly to irregularly corrugated, a feature strikingly similar to the variably folded/wrinkled tube walls ofSinotubulites. TheFeiyanellatubes additionally exhibit two orders of dichotomous branching, similar to branching structures reported occasionally inCloudinaand possibly indicative of asexual reproduction. Owing to broad similarities in tube morphology, tube wall construction and features presumably indicative of asexual reproduction,Cloudina, Conotubus, Sinotubulitesand the here describedFeiyanellamay thus constitute a monophyletic group traversing the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary. The tube construction and palaeoecological strategy ofFeiyanellaputatively indicate evolutionary continuity in morphology and palaeoecology of benthic metazoan communities across the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition.

Du, W., Wang, X.L., Komiya, T., Zhao, R. & Wang, Y., April 2016. Dendroid multicellular thallophytes preserved in a Neoproterozoic black phosphorite in southern China. Alcheringa 40, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.A new form of dendroid multicellular thallophyte is documented in the Ediacaran Doushantuo phosphorite at Weng’an, Guizhou Province, southern China. The dendroid thallophytes have variable forms, possibly owing to heteromorphic variation. Many lateral branches extend from the upper portions of the main axes; the lateral branches bear terminal vegetative vesicles, reproductive vesicles, monosporangium-like discoidal vesicles and urn-shaped pseudoparenchymatous structures. The vegetative vesicles give rise to clavate pseudoparenchymatous structures, characterized by differentiation of the thallus medulla/cortex, which might represent an early stage of thallus development. An oogamous conceptacle arising from one carpogonial vesicle forms a highly specialized goblet-shaped conceptacle. The discovery of th...

Compositional variability found in modern mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) and ocean island basalt (OIB) reflects differentiation processes associated with material recycling in the mantle-crust system. To investigate the timing at which this recycling system was established and how it transformed into the present-day system, we present geochemical analyses of the Archean basalts from North Pole (NP) in the East Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, and the Isua supracrustal belt (ISB), southern West Greenland. These rocks represent Archean accretionary complexes with ages of ~3.5 Ga and 3.7–3.8 Ga, respectively. We analyzed the trace element contents including rare earth elements (REEs), and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of the basalts, which may represent MORBs and OIBs, from NP and ISB. Their trace-element compositions are broadly similar, but show distinct geochemical characteristics particularly with respect to REEs that probably reflect differences in both the source mantle and degree of melting. Such differences are also evident in their initial Nd isotopic compositions, which were estimated based on equilibrium partitioning of REEs and well-defined isochron ages. In contrast, the Sr isotopic compositions of the NP and ISB basalts are highly variable and their isochron ages are inconsistent with previous studies. Furthermore, the partitioning of Rb and Sr in the NP basalts indicates disequilibrium, suggesting that the Rb-Sr system has been disturbed by post-igneous alteration and metamorphism. Based on these observations, we propose the following model to explain the temporal variations in the geochemical composition of the Archean mantle: (i) ~3800 Ma: recycling of plate material and melting occurred quite readily and, therefore, MORBs and OIBs were produced from differentiated mantle sources; (ii) 3460 Ma to ~3800 Ma: mantle-crust mixing occurred as the result of an extreme event, such as mantle overturning, reducing the compositional variation of the mantle; and (iii) after ~3460 Ma: mantle heterogeneity gradually developed in the material-recycling system, re-establishing the compositional differences between MORBs and OIBs. This model requires an extreme event to drive the homogenization during stage (ii), which may provide new insights into the evolution of the crust-mantle system.

The Earth is a unique planet, which has been highly evolved, diversified and complicated through geologic time, and underwent many key events, including giant impact, magma ocean, core formation, large-scale mantle differentiation and late heavy bombardment, especially in its dawn. But, our knowledge of early Earth is limited due to the lack of the Hadean supracrustal rocks. The supracrustal rocks with the Eoarchean ages provide key evidence for the Earth's early evolution, but few supracrustal rocks have been comprehensively investigated. Therefore, we mapped in seven areas of the Saglek Block, northern Labrador, where ancient supracrustal sequences are interleaved with a diverse assemblage of orthogneisses. Early studies suggested that some of them have the Mesoarchean ages because of the lack of the Mesoarchean Saglek dyke, but we found the Saglek dykes in the areas to recognize the Eoarchean Nulliak supracrustal rocks and Uivak Gneiss in all the areas. Recent reassessment of U–Pb dating and cathodoluminescence observation of zircons from the oldest suites of the Uivak Gneiss showed that the Uivak Gneiss has the Eoarchean age, > 3.95 Ga, and forms the Iqaluk–Uivak Gneiss series. Because our geological survey clearly showed that the Iqaluk–Uivak Gneisses were intruded into the Nulliak supracrustal belts, the Nulliak supracrustal rocks are the oldest supracrustal rock in the world. The supracrustal belts consist of piles of fault-bounded blocks, which are composed of the ultramafic rocks, mafic rocks and sedimentary rocks in ascending order, similar to modern ocean plate stratigraphy (OPS). In addition, small-scale duplex structures are found over the areas. The presence of duplex structure and OPS indicates that the > 3.95 Ga Nulliak supracrustal belts originate from an accretionary complex. The presence of the accretionary complex, ophiolite and granitic continental crust provides the oldest evidence for the plate tectonics on the early Earth.

The 3.7–3.8 Ga Isua Supracrustal Belt (ISB), southwest Greenland, might be the oldest accretionary complex on Earth. Regional metamorphism of the ISB has a potential to constrain the tectonothermal history of the Earth during the Eoarchean. Chemical and modal analyses of metabasite in the study area (i.e., the northeast part of the ISB) show that the metamorphic grade increases from greenschist facies in the northern part of the study area to amphibolite facies in the southern part. To determine the precise metamorphic P–T ranges, isochemical phase diagrams of minerals of metabasite were made using Perple_X. A synthesis of the estimated metamorphic P–T ranges of the ISB indicates that both the metamorphic pressure and temperature increase systematically to the south in the study area from 3 kbar and 380 °C to 6 kbar and 560 °C. The monotonous metamorphic P–T change suggests that the northeast part of the ISB preserves regional metamorphism resulting from the subduction of an accretionary complex although the ISB experienced metamorphic overprints during the Neoarchean. Both the presence of the regional metamorphism and an accretionary complex having originating at subduction zone suggest that the ISB may be the oldest Pacific-type orogenic belt. The progressive metamorphism can be considered as a record of intermediate-P/T type geothermal gradient at the subduction zone in the Eoarchean. Intermediate-P/T type geothermal gradient is typical at the current zones of subducting young oceanic crust, such as in the case of the Philippine Sea Plate in the southwest part of Japan. Considering the fact that almost all metamorphisms in the Archean are greenschist–amphibolite facies, the intermediate-P/T type geothermal gradient at the ISB might have been worldwide in the Archean. This would indicate that the subduction of young micro-plates was common because of the vigorous convection of hot mantle in the Archean.

Sponges are widely viewed as the most primitive metazoans. Sponge gemmule-like structures have been recovered from the lower part of the Doushantuo Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area (South China), that were deposited between 635 and 580 Ma. Gemmosclere-like structures are embedded in the outer coat of the sponge structures. Electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) of the gemmoscleresindicate that they have siliceous composition. The naked subspheroidal sponge structures are composed of three layers, consistent with the preservation of a tri-layered theca embedded with the gemmosclere-like structures. The potential fossils of the Ediacaran sponge gemmules in the Doushantuo Formation may provide one of the earliest records of sponges.

To improve estimates of the extent of ocean oxygenation during the late Ediacaran Period, we measured the U and Mo isotope compositions of euxinic (anoxic and sulfidic) organic-rich mudrocks (ORM) of Member IV, upper Doushantuo Formation, South China. The average δ 238 U of most samples is 0.24 ± 0.16‰ (2SD; relative to standard CRM145), which is slightly higher than the average δ 238 U of 0.02 ± 0.12‰ for restricted Black Sea (deep-water Unit I) euxinic sediments and is similar to a modeled δ 238 U value of 0.2‰ for open ocean euxinic sediments in the modern well-oxygenated oceans. Because 238 U is preferentially removed to euxinic sediments compared to 235 U, expanded ocean anoxia will deplete seawater of 238 U relative to 235 U, ultimately leading to deposition of ORM with low δ 238 U. Hence, the high δ 238 U of Member IV ORM points to a common occurrence of extensive ocean oxygenation ca. 560 to 551 Myr ago. The Mo isotope composition of sediments deposited from strongly euxinic bottom waters ([H 2 S] aq >11 μM) either directly records the global seawater Mo isotope composition (if Mo removal from deep waters is quantitative) or represents a minimum value for seawater (if Mo removal is not quantitative). Near the top of Member IV, δ 98 Mo approaches the modern seawater value of 2.34 ± 0.10‰. High δ 98 Mo points to widespread ocean oxygenation because the preferential removal of isotopically light Mo to sediments occurs to a greater extent in O 2 -rich compared to O 2 -deficient marine environments. However, the δ 98 Mo value for most Member IV ORM is near 0‰ (relative to standard NIST SRM 3134 = 0.25‰), suggesting extensive anoxia. The low δ 98 Mo is at odds with the high Mo concentrations of Member IV ORM, which suggest a large seawater Mo inventory in well-oxygenated oceans, and the high δ 238 U. Hence, we propose that the low δ 98 Mo of most Member IV ORM was fractionated from contemporaneous seawater. Possible mechanisms driving this isotope fractionation include: (1) inadequate dissolved sulfide for quantitative thiomolybdate formation and capture of a seawater-like δ 98 Mo signature in sediments or (2) delivery of isotopically light Mo to sediments via a particulate Fe–Mn oxyhydroxide shuttle. A compilation of Mo isotope data from euxinic ORM suggests that there were transient episodes of extensive ocean oxygenation that break up intervals of less oxygenated oceans during late Neoproterozoic and early Paleozoic time. Hence, Member IV does not capture irreversible deep ocean oxygenation. Instead, complex ocean redox variations likely marked the transition from O 2 -deficient Proterozoic oceans to widely oxygenated later Phanerozoic oceans.

金沢大学理工研究域地球社会基盤学系, Granitoids are widespread in Precambrian terranes as well as the Phanerozoic orogenic belts, but they have garnered little attention in paleomagnetic studies, because granitoids often contain abundant coarse-grained, magnetically unstable oxides. In this study, the first example of tiny, needle-shaped, exsolved oxides in plagioclase in a Paleoarchean granitoid is reported. The magnetic properties of single plagioclase crystals with the exsolved oxide inclusions have been studied to determine their paleomagnetic recording fidelity. Demagnetization experiments and hysteresis parameters indicate that the oxide inclusions are near stoichiometric magnetite and magnetically very stable. First-order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams reveal negligible magnetostatic interactions. Minimal interactions are also reflected by very efficient acquisition of anhysteretic remanent magnetization. Single plagioclase crystals exhibit strong magnetic remanence anisotropies, which require corrections to their paleodirectional and paleointensity data. Nonetheless, quantitative consideration of anisotropy tensors of the single plagioclase crystals indicates that the bias can be mitigated by properly averaging data from a few tens of single crystals. From the nonlinear thermoremanence acquisition of the plagioclase crystals, we estimate that the plagioclase crystals can reconstruct paleointensity up to 50 μT. Local metamorphic condition suggests that those magnetite may carry remanence of ∼3.2 to 3.3 Ga. We suggest that exsolved magnetite in granitoids is potentially a suitable target for the study of the early history of the geomagnetic field, and prompt detailed microscopic investigations as well as paleomagnetic tests to constrain the age of remanence. © 2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

It was previously revealed that the total CO2 concentration in seawater decreased during the Late Archean. In this paper, to assess the secular change of total CO2 concentration in seawater, we focused on the Paleoproterozoic era when the Earth experienced its first recorded global glaciation. The 2.4 Ga Ongeluk Formation outcrops in the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa. The formation consists mainly of submarine volcanic rocks that have erupted during the global glaciation. The undeformed lavas are mostly carbonate-free but contain rare disseminated calcites. The carbon isotope ratio of the disseminated calcite (δ13Ccc vs. VPDB) ranges from − 31.9 to − 13.2 ‰. The relatively low δ13Ccc values clearly indicate that the carbonation was partially contributed by 13C-depleted CO2 derived from decomposition of organic matter beneath the seafloor. The absence of δ13Ccc higher than − 13.2‰ is consistent with the exceptionally 13C-depleted CO2 in the Ongeluk seawater during glaciation. The results suggest that carbonation occurred during subseafloor hydrothermal circulation just after the eruption of the lavas. Previously, it was reported that the carbonate content in the uppermost subseafloor crust decreased from 3.2 to 2.6 Ga, indicating a decrease in total CO2 concentration in seawater during that time. However, the average CO2 (as carbonate) content in the Ongeluk lavas (

The authors provide evidence for the existence of life on Earth in the earliest known sedimentary rocks and suggest that the presence of organic carbon, and low stable-isotope values of graphite from sedimentary rocks in Labrador pushes back the existence of organic life to beyond 3.95 billion years. The beginning of organic life on Earth is being pushed back by evidence from the earliest known sedimentary rocks. Tsuyoshi Komiya and colleagues argue that the presence of organic carbon and stable-isotope excursions in graphite from sedimentary rocks in Labrador, Canada, pushes back the existence of organic life to more than 3.95 billion years ago. Together with recent work showing evidence for a diverse range of living organisms around 3.7 billion years ago, including stromatolites living in sunlit surface waters and bacteria living in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, the work shows that life has been around almost as long as there has been a planet that it can call home. The vestiges of life in Eoarchean rocks have the potential to elucidate the origin of life. However, gathering evidence from many terrains is not always possible1,2,3, and biogenic graphite has thus far been found only in the 3.7–3.8 Ga (gigayears ago) Isua supracrustal belt4,5,6,7. Here we present the total organic carbon contents and carbon isotope values of graphite (δ13Corg) and carbonate (δ13Ccarb) in the oldest metasedimentary rocks from northern Labrador8,9. Some pelitic rocks have low δ13Corg values of −28.2, comparable to the lowest value in younger rocks. The consistency between crystallization temperatures of the graphite and metamorphic temperature of the host rocks establishes that the graphite does not originate from later contamination. A clear correlation between the δ13Corg values and metamorphic grade indicates that variations in the δ13Corg values are due to metamorphism, and that the pre-metamorphic value was lower than the minimum value. We concluded that the large fractionation between the δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg values, up to 25‰, indicates the oldest evidence of organisms greater than 3.95 Ga. The discovery of the biogenic graphite enables geochemical study of the biogenic materials themselves, and will provide insight into early life not only on Earth but also on other planets.

This report describes in situ ion microprobe U–Pb dating of a protoconodont, an early Cambrian phosphate microfossil, using laterally high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS). On a single fragment of a fossil (approximately 850 μm × 250 μm) derived from a sedimentary layer in the Meishucunian Yuhucun Formation, Yunnan Province, southern China, 23 spots provide a 238U/206Pb isochron age of 547 ± 43 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 1.9), which is consistent with the depositional age, 536.5 ± 2.5 Ma estimated using zircon U–Pb dating of interbedded tuffs. However, five spots on a small region (approximately 250 μm × 100 μm) in the same protoconodont yield an isochron age of 417 ± 74 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 0.31), apparently younger than the formation age. The younger age might be attributable to a later hydrothermal event, perhaps associated with Caledonian orogenic activity recorded in younger zircon with an age of 420–440 Ma. We also measured 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the protoconodont by NanoSIMS. In the older domain, 19 spots give the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.71032 ± 0.00023 (2σ), although seven spots on the younger region provide the ratio of 0.70862 ± 0.00045; this is significantly less radiogenic than the older domain. This is the first report of U–Pb age and Sr isotope heterogeneity within a single fragment of micro-fossil (215).

The appearance of multicellular animals and subsequent radiation during the Ediacaran/Cambrian transition may have significantly changed the oceanic ecosystem. Nitrogen cycling is essential for primary productivity and thus its connection to animal evolution is important for understanding the co-evolution of the Earth's environment and life. Here, we first report on coupled organic carbon and nitrogen isotope chemostratigraphy from the entire Ediacaran to Early Cambrian period by using drill core samples from the Yangtze Platform, South China. The results show that δ15NTN values were high (~ + 6‰) until middle Ediacaran, gradually dropping down to − 1‰ at the earliest Cambrian, then rising back to + 4‰ in the end of the Early Cambrian. Organic carbon and nitrogen contents widely varied with a relatively constant C/N ratio in each stratigraphic unit, and do not apparently control the carbon and nitrogen isotopic trends. These observations suggest that the δ15NTN and C/N trends mainly reflect secular changes in nitrogen cycling in the Yangtze Platform. Onset of the observed negative N isotope excursion coincided with a global carbon isotope excursion event (Shuram excursion). Before the Shuram event, the high δ15N probably reflects denitrification in a nitrate-limited oceanic condition. Also, degradation of dissolved and particulate organic matter could be an additional mechanism for the 15N-enrichment, and may have been significant when the ocean was rich in organic matter. At the time of the Shuram event, both δ13Ccarb and δ15NTN values were dropped probably due to massive re-mineralization of organic matter. This scenario is supported by an anomalously low C/N ratio, implying that enhanced respiration resulted in selective loss of carbon as CO2 with recycled organic nitrogen. After the Shuram event, the δ15N value continued to decrease despite that δ13Ccarb rose back to + 4‰. The continued δ15N drop appears to have coincided with a decreasing phosphorus content in carbonate. This suggests that ocean oxygenation may have generated a more nitrate-rich condition with respect to phosphorus as a limiting nutrient. Similar to the Shuram event, another negative δ13Ccarb event in the Canglanpuan stage of the Early Cambrian is also characterized by carbon isotopic decoupling as well as the low C/N ratio. The results strongly support that the two stages of the decoupled negative δ13Ccarb excursions reflect a disappearance of a large organic carbon pool in the ocean. The two events appear to relate with the appearance of new metazoan taxa with novel feeding strategies, suggesting a link between ocean oxygenation, nutrient cycling and the appearance and adaptation of metazoans. The nitrogen isotope geochemistry is very useful to understand the link between the environmental, ecological and biological evolutions.

The Ediacaran and Cambrian periods were one of the most important periods for the evolution of life. The biodiversity drastically expanded in the period. However, the origins are still ambiguous because surface environmental changes through the time have not been well understood yet. We conducted in-situ analyses of the phosphorus contents of carbonate minerals with a laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) to estimate the phosphorus contents of seawater from the Ediacaran to the early Cambrian. Carbonate rocks contain not only the carbonate minerals but also detrital and authigenic materials such as silicate and phosphate minerals. Therefore, the whole rock compositions of carbonate rocks are not directly related with seawater composition. To avoid the influence of the involvement of the phosphate minerals, we performed the microscopic observation, elemental mapping of Si, Ca, Mg, Fe, and P contents with an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), and investigation of time profiles of signal intensities of Ca, Sr, Mn, P, La and Ba with the LA-ICP-MS. Especially, samples with low Mn/Sr ratios and primary textures such as oolites are suitable to estimate the primary phosphorus contents of the carbonates. The chemostratigraphy of the phosphorus contents of carbonates from the drill core and outcrop samples displays that the phosphorus contents decrease from ca. 400 ppm in the Ediacaran through ca. 200 ppm around the terminal Ediacaran and the beginning of the Cambrian to ca. 50 ppm in the early Cambrian. Previous works on 87Sr/86Sr chemostratigraphy from the Ediacaran to the Cambrian sections suggested relatively high continental influx in the middle Ediacaran, and around the Precambrian–Cambrian (PC/C) boundary. The high phosphorus content in the Ediacaran was possibly due to the high continental flux. On the other hand, previous works on chemostratigraphy of carbon isotope values of carbonate carbon from the Ediacaran to the Cambrian sections showed some large negative anomalies in the Ediacaran and around the Precambrian–Cambrian (PC/C) boundary, and suggested that the negative anomalies were caused by remineralization and respiration of dissolved organic matter. The degradation of the organic matter also accounts for the high phosphorus contents in the Ediacaran. The high phosphorus content of seawater favors enhancement of primary productivity and formation of phosphorites. The high phosphorus contents in the seawater possibly led to the emergence of the large, and motile organism through the enhancement of primary productivity and the consequent increase of oxygen content of the seawater.

Phosphatized microfossils from ca. 580 Ma from the Doushantuo Formation in the Weng'an region of South China were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy for their chemical characterization. Two morpho-types of phosphatized embryo-like fossils ( Megasphaera and Megaclonophycus ) were analyzed, together with algal fossils. Transmission IR spectra of the microfossils have absorption bands of around 2960 cm − 1 and 2925 cm − 1 , indicating the presence of aliphatic hydrocarbon (anti-symmetric aliphatic CH 3 and aliphatic CH 2 ), and have an additional band of around 1595 cm − 1 , probably derived from aromatic moieties (aromatic C C). In addition, IR microscopic mapping shows that aliphatic hydrocarbon and aromatics are distributed inside the embryo-like fossils. The embryo-like fossils appear to show three types of CH 3 /CH 2 peak height ratios (R 3/2 ) and aromatic C C/CH 2 peak height ratios (R C C/2 values): (1) high-R 3/2 /low-R C C/2 type (R 3/2 = ~ 0.2–1.0 and R C C/2 ~ 0–2), (2) low-R 3/2 /medium-R C C/2 type (R 3/2 = ~ 0.2–0.6 and R C C/2 = ~ 1–4); and (3) low-R 3/2 /high-R C C/2 type (R 3/2 = ~ 0.2–0.6 and R C C/2 ~ 1–8). All three types are contained in both Megasphaera and Megaclonophycus . Raman spectra for the carbonaceous matter within the rock sample show a similar degree of thermal alteration, indicating that the organics were embedded in situ prior to thermal maturation. The IR spectroscopic differences might reflect differences in original organic compositions of microorganisms, and/or immediate post-mortem alteration. This suggests that the origins of phosphatized embryo-like fossils are more diverse than was previously recognized on the basis of their morphology. A comparison of R 3/2 and R C C/2 values in the embryo-like fossils with those of the algal fossils and the extant microorganisms indicates the possible interpretation that some of the embryo-like fossils belong to animal embryo, others are algae, but none of them originate from bacteria.

The bivalved bradoriid arthropod Kunmingella douvillei ( Mansuy, 1912 ) is the most common species in the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstatte. Its soft anatomy has been reported based on well-preserved specimens. However, as with other Cambrian arthropods, its reproductive behavior is poorly documented. Rare specimens of K. douvillei preserved with eggs have been reported. Our new collections confirm that the eggs were directly attached to the last three pairs of biramous appendages and verify the head–trunk boundary suggested by previous work. The brooding behavior of K. douvillei was most probably related to its small body size, as in living crustaceans. The K. douvillei female could carry 50–80 eggs ranging from 150–180 μm in diameter, possibly indicating a K-reproductive strategy; its ontogenetic and reproductive mode might have been an adaptation in response to increasing predatory pressure across the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary. All of the three main directions of development in the life history of living marine invertebrates, namely planktotrophic larvae, lecithotrophic larvae, and brood care, most likely evolved by Stage 3 of the Cambrian.

The Ediacaran–Cambrian was one of the most important periods for the evolution of life. Recent studies have provided detailed chemostratigraphies that decipher the linkages between ambient surface environmental changes and biological evolution. The occurrence of skeletal fossils in Ediacaran rocks suggests that the possible onset of Ca-biomineralization started in the latest Neoproterozoic. Molecular clocks also predict the emergence of animals containing Ca-carbonate spicules in the Neoproterozoic. Therefore, it is important to estimate the transition of the Ca cycle in seawater. Ancient Ca cycles in the oceans are estimated from the calcium isotopic compositions of carbonate rocks. However, the lack of continuous Ca isotopic data in the Ediacaran leaves the Ca cycle unresolved. The almost continuously exposed, Ediacaran and Cambrian strata in South China mainly comprise carbonate rocks with subordinate black shales and sandstones, which contain many fossils, suitable for the study of environmental and biological changes. We conducted drilling from the Liantuo, via the Nantuo, Doushantuo, Dengying and Yanjiahe to the Shuijingtuo formation at four sites in the Three Gorges area in order to obtain continuous, fresh samples without surface alteration and oxidation. We analyzed 44 Ca/ 42 Ca ratios in carbonate rocks with a multiple collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) screened for diagenetic alteration. The resultant δ 44/42 Ca ratios exhibit a smooth curve. The values of δ 44/42 Ca are anomalously high relative to those in the Phanerozoic, and they gradually decrease towards the end of the Ediacaran. Our new Ca isotope chemostratigraphy suggests that a different Ca cycle had existed during the Ediacaran. The long-term, high δ 44/42 Ca is not simply explicable by changes in temperature, differences in carbonate mineralogy, or changes in the input/output fluxes of Ca to the ocean. We propose three possible explanations for the observed high δ 44/42 Ca ratios in the Ediacaran: high δ 44/42 Ca ratios of Ca inputs, potential undiscovered sinks of Ca with low δ 44/42 Ca values, and negligible isotope fractionation between carbonate and seawater; we consider that one or all of these contributed to the high δ 44/42 Ca ratios. Of these, we prefer the small isotope fractionation, which implies that the Ca concentration in seawater was initially low in the early Ediacaran and increased throughout that period.

Before continents attained a critical aerial dimension on the early Earth, hydrothermal carbonation of subseafloor crust is considered to have played the dominant role in fixing CO 2 from the CO 2 -rich ocean. However, it is uncertain how and when the seawater CO 2 level decreased and the strong carbonation of oceanic crust ceased. Here we report the depth profiles of the volume concentration and the carbon isotopes of calcites in the Late Archean/Paleoproterozoic volcanic rocks (Fortescue and Hamersley groups), exposed in the southwestern Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. The depth profiles indicate that 2.6 Ga seafloor hydrothermal carbonation is well preserved in the study area and that the CO 2 content of subseafloor crust per seafloor unit area is estimated to be clearly lower than those in the Early and Middle Archean and similar to the Phanerozoic equivalents. This suggests that the CO 2 concentration in seawater decreased from the Middle Archean to the Late Archean. This period broadly corresponds to the time of the first appearance of supercontinent on Earth. The amalgamation of continents has the potential to decrease seawater CO 2 concentration due to the removal of platform carbonate to continental interior. Subsequent fragmentation of supercontinent likely cause the carbonate deposition around newly created continental shelves. It is therefore implied that seawater CO 2 concentration in the early Earth was lowered by not only the hydrothermal carbonation of subseafloor crust but also through the formation and breakup of supercontinent in the Late Archean.

[1] Analysis of Hadean and Archean rocks for 16O-17O-18O isotopes demonstrates that the Terrestrial Mass Fractionation Line of oxygen isotopes has had the same slope and intercept for at least the past 4.0 and probably for as long as 4.2 Ga. The homogenization of oxygen isotopes required to produce such long-lived consistency was most easily established by mixing in a terrestrial magma ocean. The measured identical oxygen isotope mass fractionation lines for Earth and Moon suggest that oxygen isotope reservoirs of both bodies were homogenized at the same time during a giant moon-forming impact. But other sources of heat for global melting cannot be excluded such as bolide impacts during early accretion of proto-Earth, the decay of short-lived radioactive isotopes, or the energy released during segregation of core from mantle.