The DOI matches its Crossref record; 48 of the 48 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
A record of deep-ocean dissolved O2 from the oxidation state of iron in submarine basalts
Open accessAbstract
The oxygenation of the deep ocean in the geological past has been associated with a rise in the partial pressure of atmospheric molecular oxygen (O 2) to near-present levels and the emergence of modern marine biogeochemical cycles. It has also been linked to the origination and diversification of early animals. It is generally thought that the deep ocean was largely anoxic from about 2,500 to 800 million years ago, with estimates of the occurrence of deep-ocean oxygenation and the linked increase in the partial pressure of atmospheric oxygen to levels sufficient for this oxygenation ranging from about 800 to 400 million years ago. Deep-ocean dissolved oxygen concentrations over this interval are typically estimated using geochemical signatures preserved in ancient continental shelf or slope sediments, which only indirectly reflect the geochemical state of the deep ocean. Here we present a record that more directly reflects deep-ocean oxygen concentrations, based on the ratio of Fe 3+ to total Fe in hydrothermally altered basalts formed in ocean basins. Our data allow for quantitative estimates of deep-ocean dissolved oxygen concentrations from 3.5 billion years ago to 14 million years ago and suggest that deep-ocean oxygenation occurred in the Phanerozoic (541 million years ago to the present) and potentially not until the late Palaeozoic (less than 420 million years ago).
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“The natural corollary in this discussion is that biospheric O2 must have risen to something like modern levels much later (Dahl et al., 2010; Lu et al., 2018), particularly in the deep ocean (Stolper and Keller, 2018), and that pulsed oxygenation in an ocean that was still mostly anoxic may have continued even into the Paleozoic.”
From Oxygenation, Life, and the Planetary System during Earth's Middle History: An Overview (2021) · cites this paper as Stolper and Keller, 2018
In the citing paper
“Evidence for low-oxygen conditions is consistent with deep-ocean [O 2 ] reconstructed from the iron redox chemistry of extrusive, subaqueous volcanic rocks, though this record also allows for pervasive deep-ocean anoxia (Stolper & Keller 2018), and the eruption depths of these rocks are not always well constrained.”
From The History of Ocean Oxygenation (2022) · cites this paper as Stolper & Keller 2018
In the citing paper
“In particular, there is a striking coincidence between the emergence of deep rooting systems during the Silurian-Devonian transition (∼410-390 Mya) and an increase in the proportion of marine sedimentary rock samples deposited under oxygenated waters (Dahl et al. 2010, Sperling et al. 2015, Stolper & Keller 2018).”
From The History of Ocean Oxygenation (2022) · cites this paper as Stolper & Keller 2018
Citations
Cites
The rise of oxygen in Earth's early ocean and atmosphere
Lyons, T. W., Reinhard, C. T., & Planavsky, N. J. (2014) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature13068 · Cited by 2,810
The mean composition of ocean ridge basalts
Gale, A., Dalton, C. A., Langmuir, C. H., Su, Y., & Schilling, J. (2012) · Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems · doi:10.1029/2012gc004334 · Cited by 1,727
Sarmiento, J. L. (2006) · Princeton University Press eBooks · doi:10.1515/9781400849079 · Cited by 1,429
A new model for Proterozoic ocean chemistry
Canfield, D. E. (1998) · Nature · doi:10.1038/24839 · Cited by 1,243
Dilek, Y., & Furnes, H. (2011) · Geological Society of America Bulletin · doi:10.1130/b30446.1 · Cited by 1,167
Tracing the stepwise oxygenation of the Proterozoic ocean
Scott, C., Lyons, T. W., Bekker, A., Shen, Y., Poulton, S. W., Chu, X., & Anbar, A. D. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature06811 · Cited by 1,098
Mid-Ocean Ridge Hydrothermal Fluxes and the Chemical Composition of the Ocean
Elderfield, H., & Schultz, A. (1996) · Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.24.1.191 · Cited by 1,050
THE EARLY HISTORY OF ATMOSPHERIC OXYGEN: Homage to Robert M. Garrels
Canfield, D. E. (2005) · Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.33.092203.122711 · Cited by 1,032
Late-Neoproterozoic Deep-Ocean Oxygenation and the Rise of Animal Life
Canfield, D. E., Poulton, S. W., & Narbonne, G. M. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1135013 · Cited by 1,000
Gregory, R. T., & Taylor, H. P. (1981) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/jb086ib04p02737 · Cited by 928
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–174 of 174
Evolution of the iodine cycle and the late stabilization of the Earth’s ozone layer
Liu, J., Hardisty, D. S., Kasting, J. F., Fakhraee, M., & Planavsky, N. J. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2412898121 · Cited by 14
Redox constraints on a Cenozoic imbalance in the organic carbon cycle
Galvez, M. E. (2020) · American Journal of Science · doi:10.2475/10.2020.03 · Cited by 13
Redox Variables and Mechanisms in Subduction Magmatism and Volcanism
Evans, K. A., & Tomkins, A. G. (2021) · Geophysical monograph · doi:10.1002/9781119473206.ch4 · Cited by 13
History of the Hadean “Living Microfossil” OD1 and Ultra-reducing Environments
Sato, T., Yoshiya, K., & Maruyama, S. (2019) · Journal of Geography (Chigaku Zasshi) · doi:10.5026/jgeography.128.571 · Cited by 12
Wang, X., Zhang, S., Ye, Y., Ma, S., Su, J., Wang, H., & Canfield, D. E. (2023) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104499 · Cited by 12
O’Driscoll, B., Leuthold, J., Lenaz, D., Skogby, H., Day, J. M. D., & Adetunji, J. (2021) · Journal of Petrology · doi:10.1093/petrology/egab078 · Cited by 12
Zhao, R., Zhang, I. H., Jayakumar, A., Ward, B. B., & Babbin, A. R. (2024) · ISME Communications · doi:10.1093/ismeco/ycae060 · Cited by 11
A Review of the Neoproterozoic Global Glaciations and a Biotic Cause of Them
Casado, J. (2021) · Earth Systems and Environment · doi:10.1007/s41748-021-00258-x · Cited by 12
Wang, H., Wang, D., Wei, G., Ling, H., Struck, U., Wei, W., Yao, S., Cheng, C., Li, J., Sun, Y., et al. (2021) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2021.106501 · Cited by 11
Slack, J. F., McAleer, R. J., Shanks, W. C., & Dumoulin, J. A. (2021) · Chemical Geology · doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2021.120568 · Cited by 11
Xiao, W., Cao, J., Liao, Z., Wang, X., & Zhang, S. (2024) · Gondwana Research · doi:10.1016/j.gr.2024.06.011 · Cited by 10
Seawater sulfate dynamics and a new tipping point in the Earth system
Fakhraee, M., Bauer, K. W., & Crowe, S. A. (2024) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g52228.1 · Cited by 10
A Five‐stage Evolution of Earth's Phosphorus Cycle
Jiao, L., Dodd, M. S., Algeo, T. J., & Li, C. (2023) · Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition · doi:10.1111/1755-6724.15116 · Cited by 9
Data‐Driven Investigation Reveals Subaerial Proportion of Basalts Since the Early Archean
Liu, C., Liu, X., & ZhangZhou, J. (2024) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/2023gl107066 · Cited by 9
Deposition and termination of Neoproterozoic iron formations (NIFs): New insights from NIFs in China
Ye, H., Wu, C., Li, W., Lei, R., Sun, X., Hao, W., & Konhauser, K. O. (2024) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104861 · Cited by 11
Deep-water dissolved iron cycling and reservoir size across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition
Xiang, L., Schoepfer, S. D., Zhang, H., Chen, Z., Cao, C., & Shen, S. (2020) · Chemical Geology · doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.119575 · Cited by 9
Insights from a dynamical system approach into the history of atmospheric oxygenation
Fakhraee, M., & Planavsky, N. J. (2024) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-024-51042-0 · Cited by 7
Past and present dynamics of the iron biogeochemical cycle
Dauphas, N., Heard, A. W., Rêgo, E. S., Rouxel, O. J., Marin‐Carbonne, J., Pasquier, V., Bekker, A., & Rowley, D. B. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-99762-1.00059-0 · Cited by 7
The Isotopic Imprint of Life on an Evolving Planet
Lloyd, M. K., McClelland, H. L. O., Antler, G., Bradley, A. S., Halevy, I., Junium, C. K., Wankel, S. D., & Zerkle, A. L. (2020) · Space Science Reviews · doi:10.1007/s11214-020-00730-6 · Cited by 8
LaFlamme, C. K., Barré, G., Fiorentini, M. L., Beaudoin, G., Occhipinti, S. A., & Bell, J. (2020) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2020.12.018 · Cited by 8
Wang, X., Ye, Y., Wang, H., & Zhang, S. (2021) · Marine and Petroleum Geology · doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2021.105243 · Cited by 7
Rethinking Seawater Mo Isotope Mass‐Balance and the Sedimentary Mo Record
Ostrander, C. M., & Dellwig, O. (2026) · Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology · doi:10.1029/2025pa005313 · Cited by 6
Zhao, G., Deng, Q., Zhang, H., Wang, H., Cheng, B., & Liao, Z. (2022) · Marine and Petroleum Geology · doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2022.105991 · Cited by 6
Aulbach, S., & Brounce, M. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-99762-1.00101-7 · Cited by 6
Stolper, D. A., Pu, X., Lloyd, M. K., Christensen, N. I., Bucholz, C. E., & Lange, R. A. (2022) · Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems · doi:10.1029/2021gc010196 · Cited by 4
Self-citationDavies, J. H., Panton, J., Altoe, I., Andersen, M. B., Béguelin, P., Biggin, A. J., Davies, C., Elliott, T. R., Engbers, Y. A., Fernandes, V. M., et al. (2025) · Proceedings of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspa.2024.0827 · Cited by 4
Garcia, A. K. (2019) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2019.105389 · Cited by 4
The living organism: evolutionary design or an accident
Irena, R., & Konieczny, L. (2019) · Bio-Algorithms and Med-Systems · doi:10.1515/bams-2019-0035 · Cited by 4
Johnson, C. M., Beard, B. L., & Weyer, S. (2020) · Advances in isotope geochemistry · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-33828-2_6 · Cited by 4
Geologic controls on phytoplankton elemental composition
Sharoni, S., & Halevy, I. (2021) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2113263119 · Cited by 4
Ferruginous oceans during OAE1a and the collapse of the seawater sulphate reservoirPreprint
Bauer, K. W., Bottini, C., Katsev, S., Jellinek, M. A., François, R., Erba, E., & Crowe, S. A. (2019) · doi:10.31223/osf.io/n2b8e · Cited by 4
Onset of persistent surface ocean oxygenation during the Great Oxidation Event
Heard, A., Ostrander, C., Shu, Y., Bekker, A., Poulton, S., & Nielsen, S. G. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-66323-5 · Cited by 2
Mantle Source of the High-Ti Magma in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province Is Oxidized
Bai, Z., Zhu, W.-G., Gao, J.-F., Wang, G.-S., & Zheng, S.-J. (2026) · Journal of Petrology · doi:10.1093/petrology/egag012 · Cited by 3
Liu, C., & ZhangZhou, J. (2026) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2026.108063 · Cited by 3
Oxygenation of the Proterozoic Earth's surface: An evolving story
Kendall, B., & Ostrander, C. M. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-99762-1.00058-9 · Cited by 3
The Role of Southeast Asian Island Topography on Indo‐Pacific Climate and Silicate Weathering
Chiang, J. C. H., Maffre, P., Swanson‐Hysell, N. L., & Macdonald, F. A. (2024) · Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology · doi:10.1029/2023pa004672 · Cited by 3
Cascading oxygen loss shoreward in the oceans: Insights from the Cambrian SPICE event
Sørensen, A. L., & Dahl, T. W. (2024) · One Earth · doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2024.05.011 · Cited by 3
Late Ordovician ironstone and its relation to ocean redox instability, climate and glaciation
Matheson, E. J., Malone, J. D., Pufahl, P. K., & Hiatt, E. E. (2024) · Sedimentology · doi:10.1111/sed.13247 · Cited by 3
The sub-arc mantle has remained oxidized since the Neoproterozoic oxygenation event
Liu, C., Ye, C.-Y., Xia, Q., & ZhangZhou, J. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-62821-8 · Cited by 3
Hu, Q., Luo, G., & Li, Y. (2023) · Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) · doi:10.1360/tb-2023-0109 · Cited by 3
Cathodoluminescence of iron oxides and oxyhydroxides
Galili, N., Kaplan‐Ashiri, I., & Halevy, I. (2023) · American Mineralogist · doi:10.2138/am-2022-8843 · Cited by 5
Reduction in Marine Primary Productivity in the Early Cambrian Nanhua Basin, South China
Jin, C., Zhang, Z., Cheng, M., Wang, G., Chang, H., Cao, Z., & Zhang, T. (2024) · ACS Omega · doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c09161 · Cited by 3
Optimizing the Pratt-type titrimetric method to determine FeO in geochemical reference materials
Nakamura, A., Okai, T., & Ohta, A. (2020) · GEOCHEMICAL JOURNAL · doi:10.2343/geochemj.2.0605 · Cited by 3
Oxygen reductase origin followed the great oxidation event and terminated the Lomagundi excursion
Trost, K., Gennis, R. B., Allen, J. F., Mills, D. B., & Martin, W. F. (2025) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics · doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2025.149575 · Cited by 2
Ke, W., Liang, X., Feng, Y., & Zhang, R. (2025) · Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry · doi:10.1039/d5ja00467e · Cited by 2
Beyond Oxygen Fugacity: A Compositional Metric to Probe Earth's Redox Structure
Galvez, M. E., Müntener, O., & Jaccard, S. L. (2025) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/2025gl117642 · Cited by 2
Iron and zinc isotopic insights into the formation of Archean continental crust
Ma, J., Gamaleldien, H., Smithies, R. H., Johnson, T. E., Qu, Y., Liu, S., & Kirkland, C. L. (2026) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2026.120034 · Cited by 2
Zhang, Z., Cheng, M., Wang, H., Chen, X., Guo, W., & Li, C. (2023) · Science China Earth Sciences · doi:10.1007/s11430-022-1116-3 · Cited by 2
Rodney, J. B., Andersen, M. B., Stubbs, D., Lissenberg, C. J., Gianola, O., Willbold, M., & Elliott, T. R. (2025) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119489 · Cited by 3
Geobiological cycling of nitrogen: coupled evolution of biology and geology
Luo, G. (2024) · Bulletin of Mineralogy Petrology and Geochemistry · doi:10.3724/j.issn.1007-2802.20240028 · Cited by 2
A Historical Perspective on Long‐Term Global Biogeochemical Box Models
Kemeny, P. C., Krause, A., & Kump, L. R. (2025) · Geophysical monograph · doi:10.1002/9781394229185.ch12 · Cited by 2
Changes in the global P cycle in the Neoproterozoic recorded by the compositions of arc lavas
Sotiriou, P., Regelous, M., & Haase, K. M. (2025) · Chemical Geology · doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2025.122937 · Cited by 1
Zhang, J., Huang, J., Xu, R., & Liu, Y. (2025) · Earth Science-Journal of China University of Geosciences · doi:10.3799/dqkx.2025.129 · Cited by 1
Aulbach, S., Pohlner, J. E., Stern, R. A., Höfer, H. E., Schulze, D. J., & Helmstaedt, H. H. (2026) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119883 · Cited by 1
Seawater Redox Conditions in the Late Paleoproterozoic: Insight from the North China Craton
Ma, Q., Zhou, Y., Zerkle, A. L., & Cao, M. (2024) · ACS Earth and Space Chemistry · doi:10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00061 · Cited by 1
Zimorski, V., & Martin, W. F. (2019) · Microbiology monographs · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-17941-0_2
Schwartz, D. M. (2019) · ScholarWorks (Boise State University) · doi:10.18122/td/1579/boisestate
(2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-814608-8.09992-8
埃迪卡拉纪海洋表层溶解氧含量的时空波动及其对海洋碳循环扰动的启示
张, 子., Cheng, M., 王, 海., 陈, 欣., 郭, 伟., & 李, 超. (2023) · SCIENTIA SINICA Terrae · doi:10.1360/sste-2022-0258
Cheng, M., 张, 子., 金, 承., 魏, 巍., 王, 海., Thomas, J. A., & 李, 超. (2023) · SCIENTIA SINICA Terrae · doi:10.1360/n072022-0145
Matsu’ura, F., Sawaki, Y., Komiya, T., Han, J., Maruyama, S., Ushikubo, T., Shimizu, K., & Ueno, Y. (2024) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/gbi.12617
Where did the Earth’s oxygen come from? New study hints at an unexpected source
Mole, D. R., Meng, X., & Simon, A. C. (2022) · The Conversation · doi:10.64628/aam.jwrawuga9
Hou, W., Dong, H., Chen, H., Liu, H., Zhang, Y., Li, F., Han, X., & Wang, S. (2026) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74853-9
Yang, Z., Fu, Y., & Zhang, Z. (2026) · Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology · doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113605
Xiao, Y., Zhao, R., Zhao, W., Wang, P., Xiao, X., Peng, X., & Jing, H. (2026) · ISME Communications · doi:10.1093/ismeco/ycag011
Stagewise oxygenation of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans
Wang, H., & Li, C. (2026) · The Innovation · doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2026.101353
LeRoy, M. A., Gill, B. C., Newby, S. M., Them, T. R., & Owens, J. D. (2026) · Chemical Geology · doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2026.123579
Ali, J., Asadi, S., Mughal, M. S., Kontakiotis, G., & Antonarakou, A. (2026) · Mediterranean Geoscience Reviews · doi:10.1007/s42990-026-00264-z
Wang, K., Hu, J., Palin, R. M., Cai, K., & Wang, X. (2026) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2026.120302
Liu, Y., Chen, K., Mei, S., Zhang, Q., Gao, Y., Huilei, K., Bagas, L., Chou, I., Yang, S., Deckart, K., et al. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10886290/v1
Thallium isotope evidence for an anoxic global deep ocean ∼1.83 billion years ago
Ostrander, C. M., Heard, A. W., Canfield, D. E., Fralick, P. W., Nielsen, S. G., Clemente, J. N. R., & Poulton, S. W. (2026) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2026.120348
Oxygen in photosymbiosis evolution
Quevarec, L., Car, C., Brasseur, G., & Robaglia, C. (2026) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2026.07.060
Sedimentary controls on pyrite sulfur isotopes in euxinic settings
Pasquier, V., Halevy, I., Marin‐Carbonne, J., Jones, C., Houghton, J. L., Дубинин, А. В., Klyuvitkin, А. А., & Fike, D. A. (2026) · Communications Earth & Environment · doi:10.1038/s43247-026-04178-4
Metadata
- Authors
- Stolper, D. A., & Keller, C. B.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Berkeley Geochronology Center (US)
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2018-01
- Volume
- 553
- Issue
- 7688
- Pages
- 323-327
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2782454560
- Cited by
- 173
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 14
- FWCI
- 14.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.osti.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Keywords
- dissolved oxygen, iron oxidation state, submarine basalts, atmospheric oxygen rise, Phanerozoic, Archean, marine biogeochemical cycles, ocean anoxia, oxygen isotopes, redox-sensitive elements, early animal diversification, ocean redox state
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Iron, Oceans and Seas, Oxidation-Reduction, Oxygen, Seawater, Silicates, Geologic Sediments, History, Ancient
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review