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Mantle buffering of the early oceans

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Abstract

Archean calcites and dolomites, if compared to their Phanerozoic counterparts, are enriched in Sr2+, Ba2+, Mn2+, Fe2+, depleted in 18O, (Na+), and contain mantle-like 87Sr/86Sr and, in associated S phases, mantle-like 34S/32S. This may be a consequence of massive seawater pumping through, and equilibration with, the coeval basaltic oceanic crust. The exponential decline of oceanic geothermal gradient in the course of terrestrial evolution led to a waning of this “mantle” flux and to the enhancement of the continental river discharge as the controlling factor of seawater composition; the major transition occurring probably during the late Archean — early Proterozoic time interval. Such evolution is consistent with the observed tectonic, sedimentological, geochemical and metallogenic secular patterns and may also provide an alternative, or complementary, inorganic explanation for the development of the post-Archean oxygenic atmosphere.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Ján Veizer

  2. Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, 2601, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia

    William Compston

  3. Geochemisches Institut der Universität, D-3400, Göttingen

    Jochen Hoefs & Heimo Nielsen

Authors
  1. Ján Veizer
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  2. William Compston
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  3. Jochen Hoefs
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  4. Heimo Nielsen
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Additional information

We thank S.G. Buck, J.S.R. Dunlop, A.Y. Glikson, J.B. Henderson, L. Jensen, D.R. Lowe, T.R. Mason, T. Reimer, R.H. Ridler, P.C. Thurston and V. von Brunn for help in collection of samples and for permission to publish these preliminary conclusions; D. Garrett. R. Hartree, E. Hinze und D. Millar for technical assistance; K.H. Wedepohl and A.E. Ringwood for the hospitality at their respective institutes; E. Hearn for drafting of figures; and HJ. De Gouffe for typing the manuscript.

We thank the many of our scientific colleagues who read various versions of the manuscript. This research was financially supported by the grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Australian National University (Research School of Earth Sciences) and A. von Humboldt Foundation of the German Federal Republic to the senior author.

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Veizer, J., Compston, W., Hoefs, J. et al. Mantle buffering of the early oceans. Naturwissenschaften 69, 173–180 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00364890

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