An expansive global oxygenation of Earth’s surface environments 1.4 billion years ago

The notion of biogeochemical stasis during the Mesoproterozoic era (1.6 to 1.0 billion years ago, Ga) has been increasingly challenged by evidence of transient episodes of increased oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>) levels in localized basins. However, the extent of oxygenation during this period - whether local or global - remains a topic of debate. Here, we present evidence of elevated global seawater molybdenum (Mo) isotope values, surpassing the typical Mesoproterozoic baseline, based on manganese (Mn)- and iron (Fe)-rich chemical sedimentary rocks in the ~1.45 Ga Tieling Formation, North China. Mass balance modeling indicates that as much as 80% of the global seafloor was oxygenated. Combined with prior evidence for elevated O<sub>2</sub> levels, our findings suggest a more expanded and prolonged global oxygenation event centered around ~1.4 Ga than previously recognized.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-11-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65551-z
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.33

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article

An expansive global oxygenation of Earth’s surface environments 1.4 billion years ago

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1 citations
Nature Communications
Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
4.33
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An expansive global oxygenation of Earth’s surface environments 1.4 billion years ago

Xiuqing Yang, Donald E. Canfield, Dongjie Tang, Qin Huang, Lingang Xu, Kurt O. Konhauser, Brian Kendall, Leslie J. Robbins, Yan‐Tao Hao, Jie Li, Long Li, Zheng Qin, Mao Jingwen, Zhiquan Li
article en
1 citations

Abstract

The notion of biogeochemical stasis during the Mesoproterozoic era (1.6 to 1.0 billion years ago, Ga) has been increasingly challenged by evidence of transient episodes of increased oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>) levels in localized basins. However, the extent of oxygenation during this period - whether local or global - remains a topic of debate. Here, we present evidence of elevated global seawater molybdenum (Mo) isotope values, surpassing the typical Mesoproterozoic baseline, based on manganese (Mn)- and iron (Fe)-rich chemical sedimentary rocks in the ~1.45 Ga Tieling Formation, North China. Mass balance modeling indicates that as much as 80% of the global seafloor was oxygenated. Combined with prior evidence for elevated O<sub>2</sub> levels, our findings suggest a more expanded and prolonged global oxygenation event centered around ~1.4 Ga than previously recognized.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
Guangxi University (CN), University of Waterloo (CA), University of Alberta (CA), University of Southern Denmark (DK), University of Regina (CA), Chang'an University (CN), Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CN), Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (CN), China University of Geosciences (Beijing) (CN), Lakehead University (CA)
China Association for Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
4.33
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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