Strongly peraluminous granites (SPGs) are generated by the partial melting of sedimentary rocks and can thus provide a novel archive to reveal secular trends in Earth’s environmental history that integrate siliciclastic sedimentary lithologies. The nitrogen (N) content of Archean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic SPGs reveals a systematic increase across the Precambrian−Phanerozoic boundary. This rise is supported by a coeval increase in the phosphorus (P) contents of SPGs. Collectively, these data are most parsimoniously explained by an absolute increase in biomass burial in the late Proterozoic or early Phanerozoic by a factor of ∼5 and as much as 8. The Precambrian−Phanerozoic transition was a time of progressive oxygenation of surface environments paired with major biological innovations, including the rise of eukaryotic algae to ecological dominance. Because oxygenation suppresses biomass preservation in sediments, the increase in net biomass burial preserved in SPGs reveals an expansion of the biosphere and an increase in primary production across this interval.
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Research Article|
November 17, 2023
Strongly peraluminous granites provide independent evidence for an increase in biomass burial across the Precambrian–Phanerozoic boundary
Sami Mikhail;
Sami Mikhail
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
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Eva E. Stüeken;
Eva E. Stüeken
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
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Toby J. Boocock;
Toby J. Boocock
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
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Megan Athey;
Megan Athey
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
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Nick Mappin;
Nick Mappin
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
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Adrian J. Boyce;
Adrian J. Boyce
2
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride G75 0QF, UK
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Janne Liebmann;
Janne Liebmann
3
Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia
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Christopher J. Spencer;
Christopher J. Spencer
4
Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
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Claire E. Bucholz
Claire E. Bucholz
5
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
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Sami Mikhail
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
Eva E. Stüeken
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
Toby J. Boocock
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
Megan Athey
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
Nick Mappin
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TS, UK
Adrian J. Boyce
2
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride G75 0QF, UK
Janne Liebmann
3
Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia
Christopher J. Spencer
4
Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
Claire E. Bucholz
5
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Received:
06 Nov 2023
Accepted:
09 Nov 2023
First Online:
17 Nov 2023
Online ISSN: 1943-2682
Print ISSN: 0091-7613
© 2023 Geological Society of America
Geology (2023)
Article history
Received:
06 Nov 2023
Accepted:
09 Nov 2023
First Online:
17 Nov 2023
Citation
Sami Mikhail, Eva E. Stüeken, Toby J. Boocock, Megan Athey, Nick Mappin, Adrian J. Boyce, Janne Liebmann, Christopher J. Spencer, Claire E. Bucholz; Strongly peraluminous granites provide independent evidence for an increase in biomass burial across the Precambrian–Phanerozoic boundary. Geology 2023; doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G51800.1
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