Sulphur isotope evidence for an oxic Archaean atmosphere

Hiroshi Ohmoto (), Yumiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Ikemi, Simon R. Poulson and Bruce E. Taylor
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Hiroshi Ohmoto: The Pennsylvania State University
Yumiko Watanabe: The Pennsylvania State University
Hiroaki Ikemi: The Pennsylvania State University
Simon R. Poulson: University of Reno-Nevada
Bruce E. Taylor: Geological Survey of Canada

Nature, 2006, vol. 442, issue 7105, 908-911

Abstract: Oxygen or what? The amount of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere is thought to have increased dramatically about 2.4 billion years ago. The strongest evidence for this increase is the presence of a chemical signature known as mass-independently fractionated sulphur isotopes (MIF-S) in rocks older than that, and its absence in younger rocks. The MIF-S signature is well established as a marker for low atmospheric oxygen levels, but a report in this issue gives pause for thought. Some rocks that formed before 2.4 billion years ago appear not to contain MIF-S. This suggests either that atmospheric oxygen levels fluctuated dramatically before 2.4 billion years ago, or that MIF-S is not the reliable indicator of low oxygen levels that is has been assumed to be.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05044

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