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Nature 460, 698-699 (6 August 2009) | doi:10.1038/460698a; Published online 5 August 2009
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Professor of Experimental Virology (W3)
- University Hospital Jena, Institute of Virology and Antivirale Therapy
- Jena, Germany
Tenure-track Faculty Positions
- University of Michigan
- Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Biogeochemistry: Carbonate rocks deconstructed
Michael A. Arthur1
Abstract
The ratios of stable isotopes, especially isotopes of carbon and oxygen, have tales to tell about Earth's history. Post-depositional alteration of the carbonate rocks being studied may radically alter the story.
In a paper reminiscent of a scene from the movie Total Recall, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger rapidly terraforms Mars, Knauth and Kennedy (page 728 of this issue)1 suggest that the 'greening' of Earth started about 850 million years ago in coastal regions. Their thinking is that the spread of photosynthetic life to the land then altered the chemical breakdown of rocks on Earth's surface2, increasing the nutrient flux from land to ocean, and resulting in greater sequestration of organic matter in soils and marine sediments.
- Michael A. Arthur is in the Department of Geosciences and the Penn State Astrobiology Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
Email: arthur@geosc.psu.edu
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