On the coevolution of Ediacaran oceans and animals
Fe speciation and S-isotope of pyrite data from the terminal Proterozoic Sheepbed Formation in Canada and Doushantuo Formation in China reveal that ocean deep waters were anoxic after the global glaciations (snowball Earth) ending 635 million years ago, but that marine sulfate concentrations and inf...
| Published in: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
National Academy of Sciences
2008
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2375388 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18469138 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0802168105 |
| Summary: | Fe speciation and S-isotope of pyrite data from the terminal Proterozoic Sheepbed Formation in Canada and Doushantuo Formation in China reveal that ocean deep waters were anoxic after the global glaciations (snowball Earth) ending 635 million years ago, but that marine sulfate concentrations and inferentially atmospheric oxygen levels were higher than before the glaciations. This supports a long-postulated link between oxygen levels and the emergence of eumetazoa. Subsequent ventilation of the deep ocean, inferred from shifts in Fe speciation in Newfoundland (previously published data) and western Canada (this report), paved the way for Ediacaran macrobiota to colonize the deep seafloors. |
|---|