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Cited by 108Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsGeochemistry and Elemental AnalysisOrigins and Evolution of Life

Archean phosphorus liberation induced by iron redox geochemistry

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Herschy, Barry, Chang, Sae Jung, Blake, Ruth, Lepland, Aivo, Abbott-Lyon, Heather, Sampson, Jacqueline, Atlas, Zachary, Kee, Terence P. +1 more·2018·Nature Communications
DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-03835-3PMC PMC5890264
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Abstract

The element phosphorus (P) is central to ecosystem growth and is proposed to be a limiting nutrient for life. The Archean ocean may have been strongly phosphorus-limited due to the selective binding of phosphate to iron oxyhydroxide. Here we report a new route to solubilizing phosphorus in the ancient oceans: reduction of phosphate to phosphite by iron(II) at low (<200 °C) diagenetic temperatures. Reduction of phosphate to phosphite was likely widespread in the Archean, as the reaction occurs rapidly and is demonstrated from thermochemical modeling, experimental analogs, and detection of phosphite in early Archean rocks. We further demonstrate that the higher solubility of phosphite compared to phosphate results in the liberation of phosphorus from ferruginous sediments. This phosphite is relatively stable after its formation, allowing its accumulation in the early oceans. As such, phosphorus, not as phosphate but as phosphite, could have been a major nutrient in early pre-oxygenated oceans.

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Cited by

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Authors
Herschy, B., Chang, S. J., Blake, R., Lepland, A., Abbott-Lyon, H., Sampson, J., Atlas, Z., Kee, T. P., & Pasek, M. A.
Affiliations
  • University of South Florida (US)
  • Yale University (US)
  • Geological Survey of Norway (NO)
  • Kennesaw State University (US)
  • University of Leeds (GB)
Corresponding author
Pasek, Matthew A.
ORCID
Venue
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2018-04-09
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
1346-1346
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41467-018-03835-3
PMC
PMC5890264
OpenAlex
W2797461662
Cited by
108
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1
FWCI
7.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • DigitalCommons - Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw State University) (submittedVersion)
  • Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1504217)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX13AJ36G, CHE-1504217, NNX14AN96G)
  • National Research Foundation
  • National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2015R1D1A1A01060499)
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/H000259/1)
  • Division of Chemistry (CHE-1504217, 1504217)
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 › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
Keywords
Archean ocean, phosphorus solubility, phosphites, phosphate reduction, ferrous iron, iron oxyhydroxide, phosphorus limitation, nutrient cycling, ferruginous sediments, diagenesis, early Earth geochemistry

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