Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026

Laboratory Simulation of an Iron(II)-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria
Published on: July 24, 2016
Isotopic evidence for massive oxidation of organic matter following the great oxidation event
Lee R Kump1, Christopher Junium, Michael A Arthur
1Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Abstract:
The stable isotope record of marine carbon indicates that the Proterozoic Eon began and ended with extreme fluctuations in the carbon cycle. In both the Paleoproterozoic [2500 to 1600 million years ago (Ma)] and Neoproterozoic (1000 to 542 Ma), extended intervals of anomalously high carbon isotope ratios (δ(13)C) indicate high rates of organic matter burial and release of oxygen to the atmosphere; in the Neoproterozoic, the high δ(13)C interval was punctuated by abrupt swings to low δ(13)C, indicating massive oxidation of organic matter. We report a Paleoproterozoic negative δ(13)C excursion that is similar in magnitude and apparent duration to the Neoproterozoic anomaly. This Shunga-Francevillian anomaly may reflect intense oxidative weathering of rocks as the result of the initial establishment of an oxygen-rich atmosphere.
More Related Videos
09:31Preparation of Authigenic Pyrite from Methane-bearing Sediments for In Situ Sulfur Isotope Analysis Using SIMS
Published on: August 31, 2017
09:38Single-throughput Complementary High-resolution Analytical Techniques for Characterizing Complex Natural Organic Matter Mixtures
Published on: January 7, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Origin of Photosynthesis
Oxidation and Reduction of Organic Molecules
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Osmium Tetraoxide
The Fossil Record
Oxidative Cleavage of Alkenes: Ozonolysis
Ozone is a symmetrical bent molecule stabilized by a resonance structure.
Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Potassium Permanganate