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The rare earth element signal in Archaean microbial carbonate: information on ocean redox and biogenicity

Balz S. Kamber, Gregory E. Webb and Meabh Gallagher
Journal of the Geological Society, 171, 745-763, 17 September 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2013-110
Balz S. Kamber
Department of Geology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Gregory E. Webb
School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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Meabh Gallagher
Department of Geology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Abstract

Microbial carbonates contain valuable chemical, isotopic and molecular information regarding the Precambrian Earth. They record shallow-water information complementary to deep ocean proxies, such as banded iron formation and black shale. Six groups of well-preserved stromatolites illustrate how the rare earth elements (REE) are used for chemical investigation. The first task is to test whether the REE inventory of carbonate is compromised by clastic, volcanic, or diagenetic contaminants. Once the cleanliness has been verified, the shale-normalized REE pattern can be used to distinguish between marine and lacustrine settings. For marine carbonates, it is possible to distinguish between restricted basin and open marine settings and for thick platform limestones the relative water depth can be inferred from REE systematics. The studied shallow-water stromatolites range in age from 2.52 to 3.45 Ga. They contain no evidence from the behaviour of the redox-sensitive element cerium that free oxygen levels in the shallow sea approached concentrations beyond a trace gas by 2.52 Ga. Compared with abiotic early diagenetic marine carbonate cements, microbial carbonate is strongly enriched in REE. This may itself not yet serve as a biomarker, but it is regarded as a necessary prerequisite for a sample to qualify for biomarker studies.

  • © 2014 The Geological Society of London
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Journal of the Geological Society: 171 (6)
Journal of the Geological Society
Volume 171, Issue 6
November 2014
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The rare earth element signal in Archaean microbial carbonate: information on ocean redox and biogenicity

Balz S. Kamber, Gregory E. Webb and Meabh Gallagher
Journal of the Geological Society, 171, 745-763, 17 September 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2013-110
Balz S. Kamber
Department of Geology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: kamberbs@tcd.ie
Gregory E. Webb
School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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Meabh Gallagher
Department of Geology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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The rare earth element signal in Archaean microbial carbonate: information on ocean redox and biogenicity

Balz S. Kamber, Gregory E. Webb and Meabh Gallagher
Journal of the Geological Society, 171, 745-763, 17 September 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2013-110
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • The establishment of microbial carbonates as proxies for Precambrian seawater geochemistry
    • Scope of this contribution
    • Existing and new data for Archaean microbial carbonates
    • REE as environmental and redox proxies
    • REE inventories as possible biomarkers
    • Summary
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