DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-04621-x The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) has been defined as the time interval when sufficient atmospheric oxygen accumulated to prevent the generation and preservation of mass-independent fractionation of sulphur isotopes (MIF-S) in sedimentary rocks. Existing correlations suggest that the GOE was rapid and globally synchronous. Here we apply sulphur isotope analysis of diagenetic sulphides combined with U-Pb and Re-Os geochronology to document the sulphur cycle evolution in Western Australia spanning the GOE. Our data indicate that, from similar to 2.45 Gyr to beyond 2.31 Gyr, MIF-S was preserved in sulphides punctuated by several episodes of MIF-S disappearance. These results establish the MIF-S record as asynchronous between South Africa, North America and Australia, argue for regional-scale modulation of MIF-S memory effects due to oxidative weathering after the onset of the GOE, and suggest that the current paradigm of placing the GOE at 2.33-2.32 Ga based on the last occurrence of MIF-S in South Africa should be re-evaluated.
| File | Pages | Size | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Publisher's official version | 10 | 2 Mo | ||
Supplementary Information | 17 | 16 Mo | ||
Peer Review File | 56 | 16 Mo | ||
Description of Additional Supplementary Files | 1 | 69 Ko | ||
Supplementary Data 1 | - | 49 Ko | ||
Supplementary Data 2 | - | 72 Ko | ||
Supplementary Data 3 | - | 46 Ko | ||
Supplementary Data 4 | - | 368 Ko |
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