Cited by 1,435Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsGeological and Geochemical AnalysisGeochemistry and Elemental Analysis

Dating the rise of atmospheric oxygen

Bekker, A., Holland, H. D., Wang, P.-L., Rumble, D., Stein, H. J., Hannah, J. L., Coetzee, L. L., Beukes, N. J.·2004·Nature

Abstract

Several lines of geological and geochemical evidence indicate that the level of atmospheric oxygen was extremely low before 2.45 billion years (Gyr) ago, and that it had reached considerable levels by 2.22 Gyr ago. Here we present evidence that the rise of atmospheric oxygen had occurred by 2.32 Gyr ago. We found that syngenetic pyrite is present in organic-rich shales of the 2.32-Gyr-old Rooihoogte and Timeball Hill formations, South Africa. The range of the isotopic composition of sulphur in this pyrite is large and shows no evidence of mass-independent fractionation, indicating that atmospheric oxygen was present at significant levels (that is, greater than 10(-5) times that of the present atmospheric level) during the deposition of these units. The presence of rounded pebbles of sideritic iron formation at the base of the Rooihoogte Formation and an extensive and thick ironstone layer consisting of haematitic pisolites and oölites in the upper Timeball Hill Formation indicate that atmospheric oxygen rose significantly, perhaps for the first time, during the deposition of the Rooihoogte and Timeball Hill formations. These units were deposited between what are probably the second and third of the three Palaeoproterozoic glacial events.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature02260

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  • The Great Oxygenation Event at 2.45-2.22 Ga marks the rapid appearance of free oxygen in Earth's atmosphere.

    “The Great Oxygenation Event (GOE) at 2.45-2.22Ga (Bekker et al., 2004;Guo et al., 2009;Gumsley et al., 2017) marks the rapid appearance of free oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere (Anbar et al., 2007;Sessions et al., 2009)”

    From Secular change and the onset of plate tectonics on Earth (2020) · cites this paper as Bekker et al., 2004

  • Samples studied here are the oldest samples that exhibit low δ34S values in bulk rock analyses.

    “Although minor occurrences of low δ34S pyrite have recently been reported in late Archean strata by in situ analysis (58), samples studied here are the oldest samples that exhibit low δ34S values in bulk rock analyses (18, 59).”
  • Resolving the origin of Archean hydrocarbon biomarkers would either change or strengthen the late Archean framework for the Great Oxidation Event, about 2.4 billion years ago.

    “resolving the origin of the hydrocarbon biomarkers hosted in Archean rocks would either recast or solidify the late Archean framework in which we understand one of the most profound biologically mediated transformations of the planet-the Great Oxidation Event [GOE; ∼2.4 billion years ago (Ga)] (13).”

    From Reappraisal of hydrocarbon biomarkers in Archean rocks (2015) · cites this paper as [13]

  • In the rock record, the GOE is manifested by changes including loss of detrital uraninite, pyrite, and siderite from fluvial siliciclastic sediments at ca. 2.4 Ga; loss of iron from palaeosols older than ca. 2.4 Ga; appearance of red beds after ca. 2.3 Ga; loss of S-MIF in sulfide and sulfate minerals after 2.3 Ga; and an increase in Cr and U contents in IF at 2.45 Ga.

    “In the rock record, this event is manifested by a number of changes (see Farquhar et al., 2011, 2014, for reviews), including (1) loss of easily oxidisable detrital uraninite, pyrite, and siderite from fluvial siliciclastic sediments at ca. 2.4 Ga”
  • S-MIF effectively disappeared from the sedimentary record between 2.45 and 2.32 Ga.

    “that effectively disappeared from the sedimentary record between 2.45 and 2.32 Ga (e.g., Bekker et al., 2004;Farquhar et al., 2000;2011).”

    From Trace elements at the intersection of marine biological and geochemical evolution (2016) · cites this paper as Bekker et al., 2004

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Authors
Bekker, A., Holland, H. D., Wang, P.-L., Rumble, D., Stein, H. J., Hannah, J. L., Coetzee, L. L., & Beukes, N. J.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Carnegie Institution for Science (US)
  • Colorado State University (US)
  • University of Johannesburg (ZA)
Corresponding author
Bekker, A.
Venue
Nature
Published
2004-01
Volume
427
Issue
6970
Pages
117-120
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2090027771
Cited by
1,435
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 39 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 76 · 2020: 79 · 2019: 80 · 2018: 78 · 2017: 73 · 2016: 58 · 2015: 70 · 2014: 72 · 2013: 99 · 2012: 69
FWCI
53.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Science Foundation
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
Keywords
Great Oxidation, atmospheric oxygen rise, sulfur isotopes, mass-independent fractionation, oolites, Neoproterozoic, Precambrian geochemistry
MeSH terms
Atmosphere, Carbonates, Cold Climate, Geography, Ice, Iron, Isotopes, Oxygen, South Africa, Sulfides, Sulfur, Time Factors, Geologic Sediments

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