Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Great Oxidation and Lomagundi events linked by deep cycling and enhanced degassing of carbon

Abstract

For approximately the first 2 billion years of the Earth’s history, atmospheric oxygen levels were extremely low. It was not until at least half a billion years after the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis, perhaps as early as 3 billion years ago, that oxygen rose to appreciable levels during the Great Oxidation Event. Shortly after, marine carbonates underwent a large positive spike in carbon isotope ratios known as the Lomagundi event. The mechanisms responsible for the Great Oxidation and Lomagundi events remain debated. Using a carbon–oxygen box model that tracks the Earth’s surface and interior carbon fluxes and reservoirs, while also tracking carbon isotopes and atmospheric oxygen levels, we demonstrate that about 2.5 billion years ago a tectonic transition that resulted in increased volcanic CO2 emissions could have led to increased deposition of both carbonates and organic carbon (organic C) via enhanced weathering and nutrient delivery to oceans. Increased burial of carbonates and organic C would have allowed the accumulation of atmospheric oxygen while also increasing the delivery of carbon to subduction zones. Coupled with preferential release of carbonates at arc volcanoes and deep recycling of organic C to ocean island volcanoes, we find that such a tectonic transition can simultaneously explain the Great Oxidation and Lomagundi events without any change in the fraction of carbon buried as organic C relative to carbonate, which is often invoked to explain carbon isotope excursions.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Variations in atmospheric O2, carbonate δ13C and tracers of tectonic processes through geological time.
Fig. 2: Natural data and petrologic calculations suggesting preferential release of carbonate over organic C in present-day and ancient subduction zones.
Fig. 3: A comparison of carbon isotope compositions of CO2 emissions from different volcanic settings.
Fig. 4: A schematic diagram showing preferential release of carbonate C at arc volcanoes and organic C at ocean island volcanoes.
Fig. 5: Model results showing how tectonically driven increased CO2 emissions and deep recycling of organic C can drive both the GOE and LE.

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Data used in the generation of Fig. 1 were taken directly, without any alteration, from the references given in the figure caption and can be accessed in the original publications cited therein. In addition, the original author has made available the data compilation of C isotopes on his personal website: http://www.krisstott.com/publications.html. The data used in Fig. 2a are reported in Supplementary Table 2 and can be accessed from the original publications cited in that table. The data in Supplementary Table 2 have been made publicly available at http://www.earthchem.org (https://doi.org/10.1594/IEDA/111406). The compiled data used in Fig. 3 are reported in Supplementary Table 3 and can be accessed from the original publications cited in the table. The data in Supplementary Table 3 have been made publicly available at http://www.earthchem.org (https://doi.org/10.1594/IEDA/111406).

Code availability

All equations required by the model are presented in Methods. The python code for the model is included in the Supplementary material at https://github.com/jameseguchi

References

  1. Lyons, T. W., Reinhard, C. T. & Planavsky, N. J. The rise of oxygen in Earth’s early ocean and atmosphere. Nature 506, 307–315 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Luo, G. et al. Rapid oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere 2.33 billion years ago. Sci. Adv. 2, e1600134 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bekker, A., Karhu, J. A. & Kaufman, A. J. Carbon isotope record for the onset of the Lomagundi carbon isotope excursion in the Great Lakes area, North America. Precambrian Res. 148, 145–180 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Karhu, J. A. & Holland, H. D. Carbon isotopes and the rise of atmospheric oxygen. Geology 24, 867–870 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Planavsky, N. J. et al. Evidence for oxygenic photosynthesis half a billion years before the Great Oxidation Event. Nat. Geosci. 7, 283–286 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Kasting, J. F. What caused the rise of atmospheric O2? Chem. Geol. 362, 13–25 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Bekker, A. et al. Dating the rise of atmospheric oxygen. Nature 427, 117–120 (2004).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Bekker, A. et al. Fractionation between inorganic and organic carbon during the Lomagundi (2.22–2.1 Ga) carbon isotope excursion. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 271, 278–291 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kump, L. R. & Barley, M. E. Increased subaerial volcanism and the rise of atmospheric oxygen 2.5 billion years ago. Nature 448, 1033–1036 (2007).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Lee, C.-T. A. et al. Two-step rise of atmospheric oxygen linked to the growth of continents. Nat. Geosci. 9, 417–424 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Holland, H. D. Why the atmosphere became oxygenated: a proposal. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 73, 5241–5255 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Condie, K. C., Aster, R. C. & Van Hunen, J. A great thermal divergence in the mantle beginning 2.5 Ga: geochemical constraints from greenstone basalts and komatiites. Geosci. Front. 7, 543–553 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Korenaga, J. Initiation and evolution of plate tectonics on Earth: theories and observations. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 41, 117–151 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Fuentes, J. J., Crowley, J. W., Dasgupta, R. & Mitrovica, J. X. The influence of plate tectonic style on melt production and CO2 outgassing flux at mid-ocean ridges. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 511, 154–163 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Bindeman, I. N. et al. Rapid emergence of subaerial landmasses and onset of a modern hydrologic cycle 2.5 billion years ago. Nature 557, 545–548 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Gumsley, A. P. et al. Timing and tempo of the Great Oxidation Event. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 114, 1811–1816 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Sobolev, S. V. & Brown, M. Surface erosion events controlled the evolution of plate tectonics on Earth. Nature 570, 52–57 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Moussallam, Y., Oppenheimer, C. & Scaillet, B. On the relationship between oxidation state and temperature of volcanic gas emissions. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 520, 260–267 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Campbell, I. H. & Allen, C. M. Formation of supercontinents linked to increases in atmospheric oxygen. Nat. Geosci. 1, 554–558 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Marty, B. & Zimmermann, L. Volatiles (He, C, N, Ar) in mid-ocean ridge basalts: assesment of shallow-level fractionation and characterization of source composition. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 63, 3619–3633 (1999).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Aubaud, C., Pineau, F., Hékinian, R. & Javoy, M. Carbon and hydrogen isotope constraints on degassing of CO2 and H2O in submarine lavas from the Pitcairn hotspot (South Pacific). Geophys. Res. Lett. 33, L02308 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Mason, E., Edmonds, M. & Turchyn, A. V. Remobilization of crustal carbon may dominate volcanic arc emissions. Science 357, 290–294 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Aubaud, C., Pineau, F., Hékinian, R. & Javoy, M. Degassing of CO2 and H2O in submarine lavas from the Society hotspot. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 235, 511–527 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Keller, C. B. et al. Neoproterozoic glacial origin of the Great Unconformity. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 1136–1145 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Avanzinelli, R., Casalini, M., Elliott, T. & Conticelli, S. Carbon fluxes from subducted carbonates revealed by uranium excess at Mount Vesuvius, Italy. Geology 46, 259–262 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Sano, Y. & Marty, B. Origin of carbon in fumarolic gas from island arcs. Chem. Geol. 119, 265–274 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Duncan, M. S. & Dasgupta, R. Rise of Earth’s atmospheric oxygen controlled by efficient subduction of organic carbon. Nat. Geosci. 10, 387–392 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Buseck, P. R. & Beyssac, O. From organic matter to graphite: graphitization. Elements 10, 421–426 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Tsuno, K., Dasgupta, R., Danielson, L. & Righter, K. Flux of carbonate melt from deeply subducted pelitic sediments: geophysical and geochemical implications for the source of Central American volcanic arc. Geophys. Res. Lett. 39, L16307 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Galvez, M. E. et al. Graphite formation by carbonate reduction during subduction. Nat. Geosci. 6, 473–477 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Hofmann, A. W. & White, W. M. Mantle plumes from ancient oceanic crust. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 57, 421–436 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Li, M. & McNamara, A. K. The difficulty for subducted oceanic crust to accumulate at the Earth’s core–mantle boundary. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 118, 1807–1816 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Stagno, V., Ojwang, D. O., McCammon, C. A. & Frost, D. J. The oxidation state of the mantle and the extraction of carbon from Earth’s interior. Nature 493, 84–88 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  34. Gerlach, T. M. & Taylor, B. E. Carbon isotope constraints on degassing of carbon dioxide from Kilauea Volcano. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 54, 2051–2058 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  35. Hauri, E. SIMS analysis of volatiles in silicate glasses, 2: isotopes and abundances in Hawaiian melt inclusions. Chem. Geol. 183, 115–141 (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Exley, R. A., Mattey, D. P., Clague, D. A. & Pillinger, C. T. Carbon isotope systematics of a mantle ‘hotspot’: a comparison of Loihi Seamount and MORB glasses. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 78, 189–199 (1986).

    Google Scholar 

  37. Holloway, J. & Blank, J. Application of experimental results to C-O-H species in natural melts. Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 30, 187–230 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Shirey, S. B. et al. Diamonds and the geology of mantle carbon. Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 75, 355–421 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Marty, B. & Dauphas, N. The nitrogen record of crust–mantle interaction and mantle convection from Archean to Present. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 206, 397–410 (2003).

    Google Scholar 

  40. Christensen, U. R. & Hofmann, A. W. Segregation of subducted oceanic crust in the convecting mantle. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 99, 19867–19884 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  41. Dasgupta, R. & Hirschmann, M. M. The deep carbon cycle and melting in Earth’s interior. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 298, 1–13 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  42. Kelemen, P. B. & Manning, C. E. Reevaluating carbon fluxes in subduction zones, what goes down, mostly comes up. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112, E3997–E4006 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  43. Krissansen-Totton, J., Buick, R. & Catling, D. C. A statistical analysis of the carbon isotope record from the Archean to phanerozoic and implications for the rise of oxygen. Am. J. Sci. 315, 275–316 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  44. Olson, S. L. et al. Volcanically modulated pyrite burial and ocean–atmosphere oxidation. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 506, 417–427 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  45. Williams, J. J., Mills, B. J. W. & Lenton, T. M. A tectonically driven Ediacaran oxygenation event. Nat. Commun. 10, 2690 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Liu, X.-M. et al. Tracing Earth’s O2 evolution using Zn/Fe ratios in marine carbonates. Geochem. Perspect. Lett. 2, 24–34 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  47. Condie, K. C. & Aster, R. C. Episodic zircon age spectra of orogenic granitoids: the supercontinent connection and continental growth. Precambrian Res. 180, 227–236 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  48. Clift, P. D. A revised budget for Cenozoic sedimentary carbon subduction. Rev. Geophys. 55, 97–125 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  49. Carter, L. B. & Dasgupta, R. Decarbonation in the Ca-Mg-Fe carbonate system at mid-crustal pressure as a function of temperature and assimilation with arc magmas—implications for long-term climate. Chem. Geol. 492, 30–48 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Connolly, J. A. D. The geodynamic equation of state: what and how. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 10, Q10014 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  51. Syracuse, E. M. et al. The global range of subduction zone thermal models. Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 183, 73–90 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  52. Gorman, P. J., Kerrick, D. M. & Connolly, J. A. D. Modeling open system metamorphic decarbonation of subducting slabs. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 7, Q04007 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  53. Dasgupta, R. Ingassing, storage, and outgassing of terrestrial carbon through geologic time. Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 75, 183–229 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  54. Frost, D. J. & Wood, B. J. Experimental measurements of the fugacity of CO2 and graphite/diamond stability from 35 to 77 kbar at 925 to 1650 °C. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 61, 1565–1574 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the reviewers for their constructive reviews. R.D. acknowledges support from the NSF (grant no. OCE-1338842), NASA (grant no. 80NSSC18K0828) and the Deep Carbon Observatory. J.E. acknowledges support from a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellowship with the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

J.E. conceived the project, compiled the necessary data and developed the model as part of his PhD thesis. J.S. helped develop the box model and provided insight on geodynamic considerations. R.D. guided J.E. as his thesis advisor to help refine the idea. All authors contributed to writing of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James Eguchi.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Peer review information Primary Handling Editor(s): Rebecca Neely

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Discussion, Figs. 1–3 and Tables 1–4.

Supplementary software

Python script for carbon–oxygen box model described in manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Eguchi, J., Seales, J. & Dasgupta, R. Great Oxidation and Lomagundi events linked by deep cycling and enhanced degassing of carbon. Nat. Geosci. 13, 71–76 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0492-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0492-6

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing