Isotopic evidence for Mesoarchaean anoxia and changing atmospheric sulphur chemistry

James Farquhar (), Marc Peters, David T. Johnston, Harald Strauss, Andrew Masterson, Uwe Wiechert and Alan J. Kaufman
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James Farquhar: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
Marc Peters: Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut und Museum der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 24, 48149 Münster, Germany
David T. Johnston: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
Harald Strauss: Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut und Museum der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 24, 48149 Münster, Germany
Andrew Masterson: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
Uwe Wiechert: Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, Haus B, C und N, 12249 Berlin, Germany
Alan J. Kaufman: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA

Nature, 2007, vol. 449, issue 7163, 706-709

Abstract: The observation of non-mass-dependent sulphur isotope ratios in sedimentary rocks more than ∼2.4 billion years old and the disappearance of this signal in younger sediments is taken as evidence for the transition from an anoxic to oxic atmosphere around 2.4 Gyr ago. But now, the preservation of a non mass-dependent signal that differs from that of preceding and following periods in the Archean is demonstrated. The findings support the original idea of an anoxic early atmosphere before 2.4 Gyr ago, and at the same time identifies variability within the isotope record that suggests changes in pre-2.4 Gya atmospheric pathways for non-mass-dependent chemistry and in the ultraviolet transparency of an evolving early atmosphere.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06202

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