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Elsevier, Gondwana Research, 3(25), p. 1070-1089, 2014

DOI: 10.1016/j.gr.2013.03.008

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The anomalous Ca cycle in the Ediacaran ocean: Evidence from Ca isotopes preserved in carbonates in the Three Gorges area, South China

This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

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Abstract

The Ediacaran–Cambrian was one of the most important periods for the evolution of life. Recent studies have provided detailed chemostratigraphies that decipher the linkages between ambient surface environmental changes and biological evolution. The occurrence of skeletal fossils in Ediacaran rocks suggests that the possible onset of Ca-biomineralization started in the latest Neoproterozoic. Molecular clocks also predict the emergence of animals containing Ca-carbonate spicules in the Neoproterozoic. Therefore, it is important to estimate the transition of the Ca cycle in seawater. Ancient Ca cycles in the oceans are estimated from the calcium isotopic compositions of carbonate rocks. However, the lack of continuous Ca isotopic data in the Ediacaran leaves the Ca cycle unresolved.