Constraining the redox landscape of Mesoproterozoic mat grounds: A possible oxygen oasis in the ‘Boring Billion’ seafloor

•Although the oxygen content in the atmosphere was low in Mesoproterozoic, there may be a relatively oxidized environment on the seafloor.•Photosynthesis of microorganisms on the water–sediment surface may perform as oxygen source to create an oxygen oasis.•The oxidized environment suggests that abs...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Precambrian research 2022-07, Vol.376, p.106681, Article 106681
Main Authors: Jia, Tianyi, Wang, Ruimin, Huang, Tianzheng, Lang, Xianguo, Ma, Haoran, Shen, Bing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
DAR model
North China
Pyrite
Sulfur isotope
Wumishan formation
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Summary:•Although the oxygen content in the atmosphere was low in Mesoproterozoic, there may be a relatively oxidized environment on the seafloor.•Photosynthesis of microorganisms on the water–sediment surface may perform as oxygen source to create an oxygen oasis.•The oxidized environment suggests that absence of animal life in mid-Proterozoic should not be attributed to oceanic anoxia. Instead, animal evolution might be mainly limited by some intrinsic factors. The Earth’s middle age or the ‘Boring Billion’ (∼1.8 to ∼ 0.8 Ga, billion years ago) represents one of the most enigmatic intervals in Earth’s history, characterized by the absence of significant carbonate carbon isotope excursions and the sluggish evolution of eukaryotes. It is widely accepted that the atmospheric O2 level was low (
ISSN:0301-9268
1872-7433
DOI:10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106681