Atmospheric oxygen regulation at low Proterozoic levels by incomplete oxidative weathering of sedimentary organic carbon

It is unclear why atmospheric O2 remained at low levels for >1.5 billion years following the Great Oxidation Event. Here, the authors show that tectonic recycling of previously accumulated sedimentary organic carbon, and oxygen sensitivity of its oxidative weathering stabilized O2at ∼1–10% of pre...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stuart J. Daines, Benjamin J. W. Mills, Timothy M. Lenton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2017-02-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14379