Controls on carbonate skeletal mineralogy: Global CO2 evolution and mass extinctions

Research Article| December 01, 2009 Controls on carbonate skeletal mineralogy: Global CO2 evolution and mass extinctions Andrey Yu. Zhuravlev; Andrey Yu. Zhuravlev * 1Área y Museo de Paleontología, Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza, c/Pedro Cerbuna 12, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain *E-mail: ayzhur@mail.ru Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Rachel A. Wood Rachel A. Wood 2School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, West Main Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Andrey Yu. Zhuravlev * 1Área y Museo de Paleontología, Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza, c/Pedro Cerbuna 12, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain Rachel A. Wood 2School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, West Main Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK *E-mail: ayzhur@mail.ru Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 09 Mar 2009 Revision Received: 15 Jul 2009 Accepted: 22 Jul 2009 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2009 Geological Society of America Geology (2009) 37 (12): 1123–1126. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30204A.1 Article history Received: 09 Mar 2009 Revision Received: 15 Jul 2009 Accepted: 22 Jul 2009 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Andrey Yu. Zhuravlev, Rachel A. Wood; Controls on carbonate skeletal mineralogy: Global CO2 evolution and mass extinctions. Geology 2009;; 37 (12): 1123–1126. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G30204A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract A quantitative compilation of carbonate skeletal mineralogy through the Phanerozoic shows a progressive replacement of low-Mg calcite by aragonite. This general trend overrides the subsidiary trend of greenhouse intervals favoring biogenic low-Mg calcite mineralogies (calcite seas), and icehouse intervals facilitating aragonite + high-Mg calcite mineralogies (aragonite seas). The replacement of low-Mg calcite by aragonite was, however, achieved episodically at mass extinction intervals. In particular, the end-Permian extinction both preferentially removed species bearing "unfavorable" low-Mg calcite, and allowed the selective radiation of biota with "favorable" aragonite. This demonstrates the importance of incumbency in the evolution of skeletal mineralogy. We suggest that the broad increase of aragonitic biota has been controlled by changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2) via carbonate mineral kinetics. Through the Phanerozoic, broadly decreasing pCO2 levels led to decreasing total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon, and increasing oceanic pH. Superimposed upon this general trend, there are cyclic episodes of relatively high pCO2 and saturation state combined with a lower ratio of magnesium to calcium ions in seawater driven by the relatively slow changes in mid-ocean ridge expansion rates. Mass extinction events, many of which may have been caused by rapid global changes in temperature and/or pCO2, represent major intervals of turnover. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.