A mesoproterozoic iron formation

Donald E Canfield; Shuichang Zhang; Huajian Wang; Xiaomei Wang; Wenzhi Zhao; Jin Su; Christian J. Bjerrum; Emma Rysgaard Haxen; Emma U Hammarlund

doi:10.1073/pnas.1720529115

A mesoproterozoic iron formation

Donald E Canfield, Shuichang Zhang, Huajian Wang, Xiaomei Wang, Wenzhi Zhao, Jin Su, Christian J. Bjerrum, Emma Rysgaard Haxen, Emma U Hammarlund

Geology

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We describe a 1,400 million-year old (Ma) iron formation (IF) from the Xiamaling Formation of the North China Craton. We estimate this IF to have contained at least 520 gigatons of authigenic Fe, comparable in size to many IFs of the Paleoproterozoic Era (2,500-1,600 Ma). Therefore, substantial IFs formed in the time window between 1,800 and 800 Ma, where they are generally believed to have been absent. The Xiamaling IF is of exceptionally low thermal maturity, allowing the preservation of organic biomarkers and an unprecedented view of iron-cycle dynamics during IF emplacement. We identify tetramethyl aryl isoprenoid (TMAI) biomarkers linked to anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and thus phototrophic Fe oxidation. Although we cannot rule out other pathways of Fe oxidation, iron and organic matter likely deposited to the sediment in a ratio similar to that expected for anoxygenic photosynthesis. Fe reduction was likely a dominant and efficient pathway of organic matter mineralization, as indicated by organic matter maturation by Rock Eval pyrolysis combined with carbon isotope analyses: Indeed, Fe reduction was seemingly as efficient as oxic respiration. Overall, this Mesoproterozoic-aged IF shows many similarities to Archean-aged (>2,500 Ma) banded IFs (BIFs), but with an exceptional state of preservation, allowing an unprecedented exploration of Fe-cycle dynamics in IF deposition.

Original language	English
Journal	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume	115
Issue number	17
Pages (from-to)	E3895-E3904
Number of pages	10
ISSN	0027-8424
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1720529115
Publication status	Published - 24 Apr 2018

Access to Document

10.1073/pnas.1720529115

E3895.full.pdfFinal published version, 1.58 MB

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5924912/Licence: Other

Cite this

@article{fdfbb59b0fe141909f4edd8af26e7c0c,

title = "A mesoproterozoic iron formation",

abstract = "We describe a 1,400 million-year old (Ma) iron formation (IF) from the Xiamaling Formation of the North China Craton. We estimate this IF to have contained at least 520 gigatons of authigenic Fe, comparable in size to many IFs of the Paleoproterozoic Era (2,500-1,600 Ma). Therefore, substantial IFs formed in the time window between 1,800 and 800 Ma, where they are generally believed to have been absent. The Xiamaling IF is of exceptionally low thermal maturity, allowing the preservation of organic biomarkers and an unprecedented view of iron-cycle dynamics during IF emplacement. We identify tetramethyl aryl isoprenoid (TMAI) biomarkers linked to anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and thus phototrophic Fe oxidation. Although we cannot rule out other pathways of Fe oxidation, iron and organic matter likely deposited to the sediment in a ratio similar to that expected for anoxygenic photosynthesis. Fe reduction was likely a dominant and efficient pathway of organic matter mineralization, as indicated by organic matter maturation by Rock Eval pyrolysis combined with carbon isotope analyses: Indeed, Fe reduction was seemingly as efficient as oxic respiration. Overall, this Mesoproterozoic-aged IF shows many similarities to Archean-aged (>2,500 Ma) banded IFs (BIFs), but with an exceptional state of preservation, allowing an unprecedented exploration of Fe-cycle dynamics in IF deposition.",

author = "Canfield, {Donald E} and Shuichang Zhang and Huajian Wang and Xiaomei Wang and Wenzhi Zhao and Jin Su and Bjerrum, {Christian J.} and Haxen, {Emma Rysgaard} and Hammarlund, {Emma U}",

year = "2018",

month = apr,

day = "24",

doi = "10.1073/pnas.1720529115",

language = "English",

volume = "115",

pages = "E3895--E3904",

journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",

issn = "0027-8424",

publisher = "The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",

number = "17",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A mesoproterozoic iron formation

AU - Canfield, Donald E

AU - Zhang, Shuichang

AU - Wang, Huajian

AU - Wang, Xiaomei

AU - Zhao, Wenzhi

AU - Su, Jin

AU - Bjerrum, Christian J.

AU - Haxen, Emma Rysgaard

AU - Hammarlund, Emma U

PY - 2018/4/24

Y1 - 2018/4/24

N2 - We describe a 1,400 million-year old (Ma) iron formation (IF) from the Xiamaling Formation of the North China Craton. We estimate this IF to have contained at least 520 gigatons of authigenic Fe, comparable in size to many IFs of the Paleoproterozoic Era (2,500-1,600 Ma). Therefore, substantial IFs formed in the time window between 1,800 and 800 Ma, where they are generally believed to have been absent. The Xiamaling IF is of exceptionally low thermal maturity, allowing the preservation of organic biomarkers and an unprecedented view of iron-cycle dynamics during IF emplacement. We identify tetramethyl aryl isoprenoid (TMAI) biomarkers linked to anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and thus phototrophic Fe oxidation. Although we cannot rule out other pathways of Fe oxidation, iron and organic matter likely deposited to the sediment in a ratio similar to that expected for anoxygenic photosynthesis. Fe reduction was likely a dominant and efficient pathway of organic matter mineralization, as indicated by organic matter maturation by Rock Eval pyrolysis combined with carbon isotope analyses: Indeed, Fe reduction was seemingly as efficient as oxic respiration. Overall, this Mesoproterozoic-aged IF shows many similarities to Archean-aged (>2,500 Ma) banded IFs (BIFs), but with an exceptional state of preservation, allowing an unprecedented exploration of Fe-cycle dynamics in IF deposition.

AB - We describe a 1,400 million-year old (Ma) iron formation (IF) from the Xiamaling Formation of the North China Craton. We estimate this IF to have contained at least 520 gigatons of authigenic Fe, comparable in size to many IFs of the Paleoproterozoic Era (2,500-1,600 Ma). Therefore, substantial IFs formed in the time window between 1,800 and 800 Ma, where they are generally believed to have been absent. The Xiamaling IF is of exceptionally low thermal maturity, allowing the preservation of organic biomarkers and an unprecedented view of iron-cycle dynamics during IF emplacement. We identify tetramethyl aryl isoprenoid (TMAI) biomarkers linked to anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and thus phototrophic Fe oxidation. Although we cannot rule out other pathways of Fe oxidation, iron and organic matter likely deposited to the sediment in a ratio similar to that expected for anoxygenic photosynthesis. Fe reduction was likely a dominant and efficient pathway of organic matter mineralization, as indicated by organic matter maturation by Rock Eval pyrolysis combined with carbon isotope analyses: Indeed, Fe reduction was seemingly as efficient as oxic respiration. Overall, this Mesoproterozoic-aged IF shows many similarities to Archean-aged (>2,500 Ma) banded IFs (BIFs), but with an exceptional state of preservation, allowing an unprecedented exploration of Fe-cycle dynamics in IF deposition.

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1720529115

DO - 10.1073/pnas.1720529115

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29632173

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 115

SP - E3895-E3904

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

IS - 17

ER -

A mesoproterozoic iron formation

Abstract

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this