Revised oceanic molybdenum isotope budget from deep-sea pelagic sediments

Zhibing Wang (), Jie Li, Bangqi Hu, Liang Zou (), Xue Ding, Le Zhang, Jinlong Ma and Gangjian Wei
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Zhibing Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jie Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Bangqi Hu: China Geological Survey
Liang Zou: China Geological Survey
Xue Ding: China Geological Survey
Le Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jinlong Ma: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Gangjian Wei: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Molybdenum isotopes serve as critical proxies for reconstructing ancient ocean oxygenation, yet the modern oceanic Mo isotopic budget remains incompletely understood. Deep-sea pelagic sediments enriched in Fe-Mn (hydro)oxides represent a major oxic sink, but their authigenic Mo isotopic composition is poorly constrained. Here, we show Mo isotope data from Pacific deep-sea sediment cores revealing systematic depth-dependent δ98Mo enrichment from ‒0.55‰ to 0.19‰, controlled by Fe-Mn cycling during early diagenesis. Combined with existing datasets, we calculate a revised authigenic oxic Mo flux of 1.52 × 10⁸ mol yr⁻¹ with δ98Mo = ‒0.09 ± 0.23‰—more than double previous estimates and ~0.6‰ heavier than Fe-Mn crusts. These findings necessitate recalibration of the global Mo isotope budget and demonstrate that pelagic sediments exert greater influence on oceanic Mo cycling than previously recognized with implications for quantitative paleoceanographic reconstructions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65006-5

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