稳定的同位素证据表明,新新生代后冰川帽碳酸盐中存在甲入
Ganqing Jiang1, Martin J Kennedy, Nicholas Christie-Blick
1Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA. ganqing@mail.ucr.edu
Nature
|December 20, 2003
概括
在严重的冰河时代之后发现的新新生代碳酸盐,为甲水合物不稳定提供了证据. 这表明甲释放,而不仅仅是雪球地球条件,影响了这些独特的地质构造.
科学领域:
- 地质地质地质地质地质地
- 古气候学 古气候学
- 地质化学 地质化学
背景情况:
- 晚期新新生代的冰川 (大约. 6亿年前) 与不寻常的碳酸盐沉积物有关.
- 顶部碳酸盐表现出显著的负碳同位素外流,其起源受到争议.
- 两个主要假设是:"雪球地球"的后果 (生态系统崩) 或脱冰过程中的甲水合物不稳定.
研究的目的:
- 为了调查新新生代碳酸盐和相关的碳同位素异常的起源.
- 为了测试甲水合物不稳定假设与"雪球地球"假设.
- 为甲在冰川后沉积中的作用提供直接证据.
主要方法:
- 在碳酸盐样本中分析碳同位素.
- 对顶部碳酸盐岩石结构的石化检查.
- 在中国南方的一处新新生代碳酸盐位收集现场数据.
主要成果:
- 碳同位素和岩石数据揭示了甲影响过程的证据.
- 这些发现直接支持了脱冰过程中甲水合物破坏稳定的作用.
- 数据表明,大量的甲释放有助于碳酸盐形成.
结论:
- 甲水合物不稳定是新新生代碳酸盐沉积的重要因素.
- 这种假设解释了观察到的碳同位素异常,而不需要极端,长期的生态系统崩.
- 这些发现为后冰期地质特征提供了不那么极端的环境解释.
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