Cited by 1,024Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsGeochemistry and Elemental AnalysisGeological and Geochemical Analysis

A Whiff of Oxygen Before the Great Oxidation Event?

Anbar, Ariel D., Duan, Yun, Lyons, Timothy W., Arnold, Gail L., Kendall, Brian, Creaser, Robert A., Kaufman, Alan J., Gordon, Gwyneth W. +3 more·2007·Science

Abstract

High-resolution chemostratigraphy reveals an episode of enrichment of the redox-sensitive transition metals molybdenum and rhenium in the late Archean Mount McRae Shale in Western Australia. Correlations with organic carbon indicate that these metals were derived from contemporaneous seawater. Rhenium/osmium geochronology demonstrates that the enrichment is a primary sedimentary feature dating to 2501 +/- 8 million years ago (Ma). Molybdenum and rhenium were probably supplied to Archean oceans by oxidative weathering of crustal sulfide minerals. These findings point to the presence of small amounts of O2 in the environment more than 50 million years before the start of the Great Oxidation Event.

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.1140325

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  • Concentration spikes at 2.5 to 2.66 Ga ago in Mo, Se, and Re and isotopic excursions of Mo, Se, U, and N have been interpreted as arising from O2 transients or "whiffs" of O2.

    “Concentration spikes at 2.5 to 2.66 Ga ago in Mo, Se, and Re and isotopic excursions of Mo, Se, U, and N have been interpreted as arising from O2 transients or “whiffs” of O2 (110–113).”

    From The Archean atmosphere (2020) · cites this paper as [110]

  • More recent studies suggest a more complex and dynamic evolution scenario for pO2.

    “More recent studies, most of which were driven by the emergence of redox-sensitive trace element proxies, suggest a more complex and dynamic evolution scenario for pO2 (7–11).”
  • Strong Re and Mo enrichments and coupled Mo-Fe isotope data were interpreted as evidence for oxidative weathering of sulfide-bearing minerals on the continents, and thus the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis as early as ca. 2.6 Ga.

    “Strong Re and Mo enrichments and coupled Mo-Fe isotope data were interpreted as evidence for oxidative weathering of sulfide-bearing minerals on the continents, and thus the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis as early as ca. 2.6 Ga (Anbar et al., 2007; Kendall et al., 2010; Czaja et al., 2012; Stüeken et al., 2015b).”
  • The whiff is recorded by spikes in Mo and Re concentrations, elevated nitrogen isotope values, and iron speciation data.

    “The whiff is recorded by spikes in Mo and Re concentrations, elevated nitrogen isotope values, and iron speciation data (Anbar et al., 2007; Reinhard et al., 2009; Garvin et al., 2009);”
  • By 2.5 Ga, evidence from the Mt. McRae Shale in Western Australia records transient oxidised conditions in the atmosphere known as the 'whiff' of oxygen.

    “Irrespective of the causes for the delay in the rise of atmospheric O2, by 2.5 Ga we see evidence for oxygen accumulation in the atmosphere from the Mt. McRae Shale in Western Australia, recording transient oxidised conditions now widely known as the 'whiff' of oxygen (Anbar et al., 2007).”

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Authors
Anbar, A. D., Duan, Y., Lyons, T. W., Arnold, G. L., Kendall, B., Creaser, R. A., Kaufman, A. J., Gordon, G. W., Scott, C., Garvin, J., & Buick, R.
Affiliations
University of California, Riverside (US)
Corresponding author
Anbar, Ariel D.
Venue
Science
Published
2007-09-28
Volume
317
Issue
5846
Pages
1903-1906
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W1998680662
Cited by
1,024
References
27
Citations by year
2026: 37 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 58 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 56 · 2021: 58 · 2020: 61 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 66 · 2017: 62 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 60 · 2014: 49 · 2013: 73 · 2012: 57
FWCI
26.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
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 › Geophysics › Geological and Geochemical Analysis
Keywords
Great Oxidation Event, Archean ocean, molybdenum, rhenium, oxidative weathering, sulfide minerals, chemostratigraphy, organic carbon
MeSH terms
Australia, Isotopes, Molybdenum, Oceans and Seas, Osmium, Oxidation-Reduction, Oxygen, Rhenium, Seawater, Sulfur, Sulfur Isotopes, Temperature, Uranium, Geologic Sediments

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