Limits of hydrosphere-lithosphere interaction: Origin of the lowest-known δ18O silicate rock on Earth in the Paleoproterozoic Karelian rift

Research Article| July 01, 2010 Limits of hydrosphere-lithosphere interaction: Origin of the lowest-known δ18O silicate rock on Earth in the Paleoproterozoic Karelian rift I.N. Bindeman; I.N. Bindeman * 1Department of Geological Sciences, 1272 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA *E-mail: bindeman@uoregon.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar A.K. Schmitt; A.K. Schmitt 2Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California–Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar D.A.D. Evans D.A.D. Evans 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, 210 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information I.N. Bindeman * 1Department of Geological Sciences, 1272 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA A.K. Schmitt 2Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California–Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA D.A.D. Evans 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, 210 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109, USA *E-mail: bindeman@uoregon.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 15 Dec 2009 Revision Received: 16 Dec 2009 Accepted: 11 Feb 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2010 Geological Society of America Geology (2010) 38 (7): 631–634. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30968.1 Article history Received: 15 Dec 2009 Revision Received: 16 Dec 2009 Accepted: 11 Feb 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation I.N. Bindeman, A.K. Schmitt, D.A.D. Evans; Limits of hydrosphere-lithosphere interaction: Origin of the lowest-known δ18O silicate rock on Earth in the Paleoproterozoic Karelian rift. Geology 2010;; 38 (7): 631–634. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G30968.1 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 Geologic records of Earth's hydrosphere and meteoric precipitation older than 2 Ga are rare, although they provide insight into the past climate, rates of water-rock interaction, and intensity of plate tectonics. Here we report and describe in detail the lowest known δ18O (–16‰ to –25‰) terrestrial silicate rocks on Earth, found in Paleoproterozoic plagiogneisses from the Belomorian complex, Karelia, Russia. Geochronologic and oxygen isotopic data on zircons (+7‰ to –26‰) and monazite (–17.5‰) imply that the protoliths of these rocks were ca. 2.5 Ga metasediments and metavolcanics that were hydrothermally altered prior to 1.85 Ga within an intracontinental rift zone, and involved ultralow δ18O, <–25‰ meteoric water. Paleogeographic reconstructions indicate that Karelia was at low to middle latitudes throughout the Paleoproterozoic Era. Ultradepleted δ18O waters outside of polar regions or the interiors of large landmasses provide independent evidence for a moderately glaciated, so called "slushball" Earth climate between 2.45 and 2.4 Ga, in which low- or mid-latitude, mid-size continents were covered with glaciers while the ocean remained at least partially unfrozen to allow for intracontinental isotopic distillation in a large temperature gradient. In addition to these climatic inferences, the data are more readily explained by a depleted –10‰ seawater reservoir during Paleoproterozoic time. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.