| Paper No. 226-3 | ||
| Presentation Time: 2:05 PM-2:20 PM | ||
| CONFIRMATION OF MASS-INDEPENDENT ISOTOPE EFFECTS IN ARCHEAN (2.5–3.8 GA) SEDIMENTARY SULFIDES AS DETERMINED BY ION MICROPROBE ANALYSIS | ||
|
MOJZSIS, Stephen J., Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, UCB 399, 2200 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, CO 80309-0399, mojzsis@colorado.edu, COATH, Christopher D., Department of Earth Sciences, Univ of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom, GREENWOOD, James P., Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale Univ, Kline Geological Laboratory, New Haven, CT 05611, MCKEEGAN, Kevin D., Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Univ of California, Box 1567, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, and HARRISON, T. Mark, Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National Univ, Canberra A.C.T, 0200, Australia Sulfur isotope (34S/32S)/(33S/32S) anomalies consistent with mass-independent fractionations (D 33S=d33S x 0.515 d34S, MIF when D33S) reported from bulk analyses of sulfates and sulfides in a diverse suite of sedimentary rocks potentially place constraints on the nature of ancient atmospheric chemistries. A secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS; ion microprobe) multicollector technique previously developed to measure microdomain D33S values in martian meteorites obtains precise (34S /32S) and (33S/32S) ratios. Our data reveal large non-mass-dependent D33S anomalies, some of which form separate linear d33S/d34S arrays in sulfides from Archean sediments. The D33S data reported here corroborate prior bulk measurements of Precambrian sulfides and most likely reflect atmospheric MIF sulfur transferred to the oceans in the Archean, implanted into marine sediments, and subsequently preserved within sedimentary sulfides. Our ion microprobe data provide additional support for a postulated low pO2 and photochemically active atmosphere on the Earth before ca. 2.2 Ga, as well as extends the record of atmosphere-hydrosphere interactions revealed by sulfur isotopes to ca. 3.83 Ga. This technique offers new opportunities for exploring ancient sulfur metabolisms preserved in the rock record. The presence of MIF sulfur in sulfides from a ~3.8 Ga metaquartzite/banded iron formation from Akilia island, West Greenland, supports models for a marine sedimentary origin for this rock. | ||
|
2002 Denver Annual Meeting (October 27-30, 2002)
| ||
| Session No. 226 Evolution of the Early Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and Biosphere II: Constraints from Ore Deposits Colorado Convention Center: Ballroom 4 1:30 PM-5:30 PM, Wednesday, October 30, 2002 | ||
© Copyright 2002 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions. | ||