THE CONTRIBUTION OF VOLCANIC AEROSOLS TO EARTH SYSTEM BEHAVIOR IN THE LATE PALEOZOIC

AbstractIcehouses are the less common climate state on Earth, and thus it is notable that the longest lived (∼370 to 260 Ma) and possibly most extensive and intense of icehouse periods spanned the Carboniferous Period. Mid- to high-latitude glaciogenic deposits reveal a dynamic glaciation-deglaciation history with ice waxing and waning from multiple ice centers and possible transcontinental ice sheets during the apex of glaciation. New high-precision U-Pb ages confirm a hypothesized west-to-east progression of glaciation through the icehouse, but reveal that its demise occurred as a series of synchronous and widespread deglaciations. The dynamic glaciation history, along with repeated perturbations to Earth System components, are archived in the low-latitude stratigraphic record revealing similarities to the Cenozoic icehouse. Further assessing the phasing between climate, oceanographic, and biotic changes during the icehouse requires additional chronostratigraphic constraints. Astrochronology permits the deciphering of time, at high resolution, in the late Paleozoic record as has been demonstrated in deep- and quit-water deposits. Rigorous testing for astronomical forcing in low-latitude cyclothemic successions, which have a direct link to higher latitude glaciogenic records through inferred glacioeustasy, however, will require a comprehensive approach that integrates new techniques with further optimization and additional independent age constraints given challenges associated with shallow-marine to terrestrial records.

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Seafloor precipitates and C-isotope stratigraphy from the Neoproterozoic Scout Mountain Member of the Pocatello Formation, southeast Idaho: implications for Neoproterozoic earth system behavior

Precambrian Research ◽

10.1016/j.precamres.2003.10.017 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 130 (1-4) ◽

pp. 57-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Nathaniel J. Lorentz ◽

Frank A. Corsetti ◽

Paul Karl Link

Keyword(s):

Earth System ◽

System Behavior ◽

Isotope Stratigraphy

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Observed trends in Earth System behavior

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change ◽

10.1002/wcc.36 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 428-449 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Will Steffen

Keyword(s):

Earth System ◽

System Behavior

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Proterozoic Milankovitch cycles and the history of the solar system

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1717689115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (25) ◽

pp. 6363-6368 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Stephen R. Meyers ◽

Alberto Malinverno

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Milankovitch Cycles ◽

Earth System ◽

System Behavior ◽

Early Solar System ◽

Tidal Dissipation ◽

Fundamental Frequencies ◽

Solar System Dynamics ◽

Geologic Record ◽

Precession Constant

The geologic record of Milankovitch climate cycles provides a rich conceptual and temporal framework for evaluating Earth system evolution, bestowing a sharp lens through which to view our planet’s history. However, the utility of these cycles for constraining the early Earth system is hindered by seemingly insurmountable uncertainties in our knowledge of solar system behavior (including Earth–Moon history), and poor temporal control for validation of cycle periods (e.g., from radioisotopic dates). Here we address these problems using a Bayesian inversion approach to quantitatively link astronomical theory with geologic observation, allowing a reconstruction of Proterozoic astronomical cycles, fundamental frequencies of the solar system, the precession constant, and the underlying geologic timescale, directly from stratigraphic data. Application of the approach to 1.4-billion-year-old rhythmites indicates a precession constant of 85.79 ± 2.72 arcsec/year (2σ), an Earth–Moon distance of 340,900 ± 2,600 km (2σ), and length of day of 18.68 ± 0.25 hours (2σ), with dominant climatic precession cycles of ∼14 ky and eccentricity cycles of ∼131 ky. The results confirm reduced tidal dissipation in the Proterozoic. A complementary analysis of Eocene rhythmites (∼55 Ma) illustrates how the approach offers a means to map out ancient solar system behavior and Earth–Moon history using the geologic archive. The method also provides robust quantitative uncertainties on the eccentricity and climatic precession periods, and derived astronomical timescales. As a consequence, the temporal resolution of ancient Earth system processes is enhanced, and our knowledge of early solar system dynamics is greatly improved.

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