Secular evolution of marine carbonate δ⁶⁶Zn and its implications for nutrient cycling through time
Abstract
The Zn isotope composition of marine carbonates provides a window into major reorganizations of the Earth surface system. Here, we present 185 new δ⁶⁶Zn measurements from 176 carbonate samples spanning the Early Archean (3.48 Ga) to the Paleogene, integrated with 220 published analyses of carbonates, banded iron formations (BIF), sulfides, organic-rich sediments, and Fe–Mn crusts. The composite record reveals four first-order transitions: (1) a Late Archean decline in carbonate δ⁶⁶Zn culminating near the Great Oxidation Event (GOE); (2) a reversal of the carbonate–BIF Zn isotope offset across the GOE; (3) relative Zn isotope stability during the mid-Proterozoic; and (4) a progressive rise in δ⁶⁶Zn and amplification of isotopic variability from the Neoproterozoic onward.We argue that these secular trends reflect shifts in Zn partitioning among Fe-rich phases, carbonates, phosphates, and organic matter in response to evolving ocean chemistry and ecosystem structure, including the rise of eukaryotic algae. A single-reservoir Zn isotope mass-balance model, including sedimentary removal and exchange with diagenetic and hydrothermal fluids, is used to evaluate how changes in these fluxes and their isotope fractionations are expressed in the δ⁶⁶Zn values of sedimentary rocks. Because the marine Zn cycle has a short residence time relative to the geological timescales considered here, the model supports interpretation of carbonateδ⁶⁶Zn as a tracer of changes in Zn sources, sinks, and their coupling to continental weathering, phosphorus cycling, redox transitions, and biological innovation through Earth history.
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BibTeX
@article{albarede2026secular,
title = {{Secular evolution of marine carbonate δ⁶⁶Zn and its implications for nutrient cycling through time}},
author = {Francis Albarède and Janne Blichert-Toft and Kurt O Konhauser and Andrew H Knoll and Marine Pinto and Aline Lamboux and Harilaos Tsikos and Gilles Dromart},
journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.gca.2026.09.021},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05774790v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Secular evolution of marine carbonate δ⁶⁶Zn and its implications for nutrient cycling through time
AU - Francis Albarède
AU - Janne Blichert-Toft
AU - Kurt O Konhauser
AU - Andrew H Knoll
AU - Marine Pinto
AU - Aline Lamboux
AU - Harilaos Tsikos
AU - Gilles Dromart
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
JO - Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
DO - 10.1016/j.gca.2026.09.021
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05774790v1
AB - The Zn isotope composition of marine carbonates provides a window into major reorganizations of the Earth surface system. Here, we present 185 new δ⁶⁶Zn measurements from 176 carbonate samples spanning the Early Archean (3.48 Ga) to the Paleogene, integrated with 220 published analyses of carbonates, banded iron formations (BIF), sulfides, organic-rich sediments, and Fe–Mn crusts. The composite record reveals four first-order transitions: (1) a Late Archean decline in carbonate δ⁶⁶Zn culminating near the Great Oxidation Event (GOE); (2) a reversal of the carbonate–BIF Zn isotope offset across the GOE; (3) relative Zn isotope stability during the mid-Proterozoic; and (4) a progressive rise in δ⁶⁶Zn and amplification of isotopic variability from the Neoproterozoic onward.We argue that these secular trends reflect shifts in Zn partitioning among Fe-rich phases, carbonates, phosphates, and organic matter in response to evolving ocean chemistry and ecosystem structure, including the rise of eukaryotic algae. A single-reservoir Zn isotope mass-balance model, including sedimentary removal and exchange with diagenetic and hydrothermal fluids, is used to evaluate how changes in these fluxes and their isotope fractionations are expressed in the δ⁶⁶Zn values of sedimentary rocks. Because the marine Zn cycle has a short residence time relative to the geological timescales considered here, the model supports interpretation of carbonateδ⁶⁶Zn as a tracer of changes in Zn sources, sinks, and their coupling to continental weathering, phosphorus cycling, redox transitions, and biological innovation through Earth history.
SN - 0016-7037
SN - 1872-9533
ER -