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Title: 3. 4-billion-year-old biogenic pyrites from Barberton, South Africa: Sulfur isotope evidence

Abstract

Laser ablation mass spectroscopy analysis of sulfur isotopic compositions of microscopic-sized grains of pyrite that formed about 3.4 billion years ago in the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa, show that the pyrite formed by bacterial reduction of seawater sulfate. These data imply that by about 3.4 billion years ago sulfate-reducing bacteria had become active, the oceans were rich in sulfate, and the atmosphere contained appreciable amounts (> > 10[sup [minus]13] of the present atmospheric level) of free oxygen.

Authors:
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Pennyslvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
  2. Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
5242101
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 262:5133; Journal ID: ISSN 0036-8075
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; BIOSPHERE; SULFUR CYCLE; GEOLOGIC HISTORY; SULFUR ISOTOPES; ISOTOPE RATIO; ISOTOPES; 540310* - Environment, Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-); 540110

Citation Formats

Ohmoto, H, Kakegawa, T, and Lowe, D R. 3. 4-billion-year-old biogenic pyrites from Barberton, South Africa: Sulfur isotope evidence. United States: N. p., 1993. Web. doi:10.1126/science.11539502.
Ohmoto, H, Kakegawa, T, & Lowe, D R. 3. 4-billion-year-old biogenic pyrites from Barberton, South Africa: Sulfur isotope evidence. United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.11539502
Ohmoto, H, Kakegawa, T, and Lowe, D R. 1993. "3. 4-billion-year-old biogenic pyrites from Barberton, South Africa: Sulfur isotope evidence". United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.11539502.
@article{osti_5242101,
title = {3. 4-billion-year-old biogenic pyrites from Barberton, South Africa: Sulfur isotope evidence},
author = {Ohmoto, H and Kakegawa, T and Lowe, D R},
abstractNote = {Laser ablation mass spectroscopy analysis of sulfur isotopic compositions of microscopic-sized grains of pyrite that formed about 3.4 billion years ago in the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa, show that the pyrite formed by bacterial reduction of seawater sulfate. These data imply that by about 3.4 billion years ago sulfate-reducing bacteria had become active, the oceans were rich in sulfate, and the atmosphere contained appreciable amounts (> > 10[sup [minus]13] of the present atmospheric level) of free oxygen.},
doi = {10.1126/science.11539502},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5242101}, journal = {Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)},
issn = {0036-8075},
number = ,
volume = 262:5133,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Oct 22 00:00:00 EDT 1993},
month = {Fri Oct 22 00:00:00 EDT 1993}
}