Atmospheric Influence of Earth's Earliest Sulfur Cycle
Abstract
Mass-independent isotopic signatures for δ33S, δ34S, and δ36S from sulfide and sulfate in Precambrian rocks indicate that a change occurred in the sulfur cycle between 2090 and 2450 million years ago (Ma). Before 2450 Ma, the cycle was influenced by gas-phase atmospheric reactions. These atmospheric reactions also played a role in determining the oxidation state of sulfur, implying that atmospheric oxygen partial pressures were low and that the roles of oxidative weathering and of microbial oxidation and reduction of sulfur were minimal. Atmospheric fractionation processes should be considered in the use of sulfur isotopes to study the onset and consequences of microbial fractionation processes in Earth's early history.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Supplementary Material
File (1052160.xhtml)
- Download
- 35.75 KB
REFERENCES AND NOTES
1
Paytan A., Kastner M., Campbell D., Thiemens M. H., Science 282, 1459 (1998).
2
Berner R. A., Raiswell R., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 47, 855 (1983).
3
P. Brimblecombe, C. Hammer, H. Rodhe, A. Ryaboshapko, C. F. Boutron, in Evolution of the Global Biogeochemical Sulphur Cycle, P. Brimblecombe and A. Y. Lein, Eds. (Wiley, New York, 1989), pp. 77–121.
4
Cameron E. M., Nature 296, 145 (1982).
5
I. B. Lambert and T. H. Donelly, in Early Organic Evolution: Implications for Mineral and Energy Resources, M. G. Schidlowski, S. Golubic, M. M. Kimberly, D. M. McKirdy, P. A. Trudinger, Eds. (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1992), pp. 408–415.
6
Walker J. C. G., Brimblecombe P., Precambrian Res. 28, 205 (1985).
7
Ohmoto H., Kakegawa T., Lowe D. R., Science 262, 555 (1993).
8
Ohmoto H., Felder R. P., Nature 328, 244 (1987).
9
Kakegawa T., Ohmoto H., Precambrian Res. 96, 209 (1999).
10
Hulston J. R., Thode H. G., J. Geophys. Res. 70, 3475 (1965).
11
Those quantities are as follows: Δ33S = 1000*[(1 + δ33S/1000) − (1 + δ34S/1000)0.518 − 1], Δ36S = 1000*[(1 + δ36S/1000) − (1 + δ34S/1000)1.91 − 1], and Δ17O = 1000*[(1 + δ17O/1000) − (1 + δ18O/1000)0.52 − 1]. Uncertainties for Δ33S, Δ36S, and Δ17O are better than ±0.05, 0.3, and 0.05‰, respectively.
12
Zmolek P., Xu X. P., Jackson T., Thiemens M. H., Trogler W. C., J. Phys. Chem. 103, 2477 (1999).
13
Thiemens M. H., Science 283, 341 (1999).
14
Weston R. E. J., Chem. Rev. 99, 2115 (1999).
15
Farquhar J., Savarino J., Thiemens M. H., Jackson T. L., Nature 404, 50 (2000).
16
Bains-Sahota S. K., Thiemens M. H., J. Chem. Phys. 90, 6099 (1989).
17
Hoering T. C., J. Geol. Soc. India 34, 461 (1989).
18
Zahnle K. J., Walker J. C. G., Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 20, 280 (1982).
19
Canuto V. M., Levine J. S., Augustsson T. R., Imhoff C. L., Giampapa M. S., Nature 305, 281 (1983).
20
Sagan C., Chyba C., Science 276, 1217 (1997).
21
J. F. Kasting, H. D. Holland, L. R. Kump, in The Proterozoic Biosphere: A Multidisciplinary Study, J. W. Schopf and C. Klein, Eds. (Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1992), pp. 159–163.
22
Kasting J. F., Holland H. D., Pinto J. P., J. Geophys. Res. 90, 10497 (1985).
23
Kasting J. F., Precambrian Res. 34, 205 (1987).
24
___, Origins Life Evol. Biosph. 20, 199 (1990).
25
H. Okabe, Photochemistry of Small Molecules (Wiley, New York, 1978).
26
Lee C. W., Savarino J., Thiemens M. H., Am. Geophys. Union 79, F91 (1998).
27
H. Bao et al., Nature, in press.
28
Goodwin A. M., Monster J., Thode H. G., Econ. Geol. 71, 870 (1976).
29
Farquhar J., Thiemens M. H., J. Geophys. Res. 105, 11991 (2000).
30
T. B. Moore and J. W. Schopf, in The Proterozoic Biosphere: A Multidisciplinary Study, J. W. Schopf and C. Klein, Eds. (Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1992), pp. 605–694.
31
York D., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 5, 320 (1969).
32
Supported by grants from NSF, NASA, and Calspace. Samples used in this study were supplied and/or collected by J. W. Schopf, B. Runnegar, D. Lowe, H. Baadsgaard, and S. J. Mojzsis. The interpretations herein are our responsibility, but they have benefited from interesting conversations and questions from R. N. Clayton, K. Boering, T. Chacko, D. DePaolo, H. D. Holland, M. Humayun, J. Kasting, A. Knoll, S. J. Mojzsis, A. Payton, G. Retallack, and K. K. Turekian. We thank D. Canfield and J. Kasting for providing copies of in press and unpublished materials.
(0)eLetters
eLetters is a forum for ongoing peer review. eLetters are not edited, proofread, or indexed, but they are screened. eLetters should provide substantive and scholarly commentary on the article. Embedded figures cannot be submitted, and we discourage the use of figures within eLetters in general. If a figure is essential, please include a link to the figure within the text of the eLetter. Please read our Terms of Service before submitting an eLetter.
Log In to Submit a ResponseNo eLetters have been published for this article yet.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Science
Volume 289 | Issue 5480
4 August 2000
4 August 2000
Submission history
Received: 12 May 2000
Accepted: 9 June 2000
Published in print: 4 August 2000
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Article Usage
Altmetrics
Citations
Cite as
- James Farquhar et al.
Export citation
Select the format you want to export the citation of this publication.
Cited by
- An overview of experimental simulations of microbial activity in early Earth, Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, (2023).https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1052831
- NanoSIMS sulfur isotopic analysis at 100 nm scale by imaging technique, Frontiers in Chemistry, 11, (2023).https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2023.1120092
- Analysis of multiple sulfur isotopes using a Curie-point Pyrolyzer and an automated sample preparation system, Journal of the Geological Society of Korea, 59, 1, (183-191), (2023).https://doi.org/10.14770/jgsk.2023.002
- Deglacial volcanism and reoxygenation in the aftermath of the Sturtian Snowball Earth, Science Advances, 9, 36, (2023)./doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh9502
- The evolution and spread of sulfur cycling enzymes reflect the redox state of the early Earth, Science Advances, 9, 27, (2023)./doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade4847
- Apatite Reference Materials for SIMS Microanalysis of Isotopes and Trace Elements, Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, (2023).https://doi.org/10.1111/ggr.12477
- The Paleoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic Carbon Cycle Promoted the Evolution of a Habitable Earth, Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition, 97, 1, (316-326), (2023).https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-6724.15046
- High-precision laser spectroscopy of H 2 S for simultaneous probing of multiple-sulfur isotopes , Environmental Science: Advances, 2, 1, (78-86), (2023).https://doi.org/10.1039/D2VA00104G
- Reconciling discrepant minor sulfur isotope records of the Great Oxidation Event, Nature Communications, 14, 1, (2023).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-35820-w
- Anomalous 33 S in the Lunar Mantle , Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 128, 2, (2023).https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JE007597
- See more
Loading...
View Options
Check Access
Log in to view the full text
AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS Members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.
- Become a AAAS Member
- Activate your AAAS ID
- Purchase Access to Other Journals in the Science Family
- Account Help
Log in via OpenAthens.
Log in via Shibboleth.
More options
Register for free to read this article
As a service to the community, this article is available for free. Login or register for free to read this article.
Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.