A Story of Oceanic Oxygenation in the Neoproterozoic

Written byAaron GronstalSourcePrecambrian Research

Tendrils of dust swept off the west coast of Namibia and spread over the Atlantic in early July 2005.Image credit: NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team..

Drill core samples from a unique geological deposit in northeastern Namibia could reveal clues about fluctuations in marine redox conditions during the Neoproterozoic. The Hüttenberg formation shows a ‘stepwise pattern’ of oceanic oxygenation that occurred during this period of Earth’s history. The study also reveals local, and possibly global, environmental controls that resulted in features found in the Hüttenberg formation, including its reservoir of enhanced marine sulfate.

The study, “The Neoproterozoic Hüttenberg δ¹³C anomaly: Genesis and global implications,” was published in the journal Precambrian Research. The work was supported by NASA Astrobiology through the Exobiology Program.