0000000001313458

AUTHOR

Vincent Busigny

Interpretation of the nitrogen isotopic composition of Precambrian sedimentary rocks: Assumptions and perspectives

International audience; Nitrogen isotope compositions in sedimentary rocks (d(15)N(sed)) are routinely used for reconstructing Cenozoic N-biogeochemical cycling and are also being increasingly applied to understanding the evolution of ancient environments. Here we review the existing knowledge and rationale behind the use of d(15)N(sed) as a proxy for the Precambrian N-biogeochemical cycle with the aims of (i) identifying the major uncertainties that affect analyses and interpretation of nitrogen isotopes in ancient sedimentary rocks, (ii) developing a framework for interpreting the Precambrian d(15)N(sed) record, (iii) testing this framework against a database of Precambrian d(15)N(sed) va…

research product

Nitrogen isotope evidence for stepwise oxygenation of the ocean during the Great Oxidation Event

24 pages; International audience; The Earth’s oxygenation represents one of the most important environmental drivers of life’s evolution, with the first rise, known as ‘the Great Oxidation Event’ (GOE), corresponding to unpreceded accumulation of atmospheric O2, changes in the flux of marine nutrients and possibly global glaciations. However, the detailed evolution of the GOE is still debated, as for instance the accumulation trends of oceanic versus atmospheric oxygen and the nature of biogeochemical responses to oxygenation. Here, we combine organic carbon and bulk nitrogen isotope compositions with major element concentrations and iron speciation data of sedimentary rocks recovered from …

research product

Iron isotope signature of magnetofossils and oceanic biogeochemical changes through the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum.

21 pages; International audience; Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) intracellularly precipitate magnetite (Fe3O4) crystals that can be preserved in the geological record. When MTB die, the so-called magnetofossils constitute valuable proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstructions and are suspected to represent some of the oldest traces of biomineralization on Earth. Yet, the biogenicity of putative magnetofossils found in ancient terrestrial and extra-terrestrial samples is still largely debated and their significance for past climate still holds uncertainties. Here we studied a sedimentary sequence from the Indian Ocean (ODP Hole 711A) recording the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) through…

research product

Data for: Nitrogen isotope evidence for stepwise oxygenation of the ocean during the Great Oxidation Event

Iron speciaton data in shales from the Turee Creek Formation, Western Australia THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOVE

research product