Enigmatic origin of the largest-known carbon isotope excursion in Earth's history

Abstract

Carbonate rocks from the Middle Ediacaran period in locations all over the globe record the largest excursion in carbon isotopic compositions in Earth history. This finding suggests a dramatic reorganization of Earth's carbon cycle. Named the Shuram excursion for its original discovery in the Shuram Formation, Oman, the anomaly closely precedes impressive events in evolution, including the rise of large metazoans and the origin of biomineralization in animals. Instead of a true record of the carbon cycle at the time of sedimentation, the carbon isotope signature recorded in the Shuram excursion could be caused by alteration following deposition of the carbonate sediments, a scenario supported by several geochemical indicators. However, such secondary processes are intrinsically local, which makes it difficult to explain the coincident occurrence of carbon isotope anomalies in numerous records around the globe. Both possibilities are intriguing: if the Shuram excursion preserves a genuine record of ancient seawater chemistry, it reflects a perturbation to the carbon cycle that is stronger than any known perturbations of the modern Earth. If, however, it represents secondary alteration during burial of sediments, then marine sediments must have been globally preconditioned in a unique way, to allow ordinary and local processes to produce an extraordinary and widespread response.