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Archaean biogeochemistry

Unexpectedly abiotic

Sulphur cycling on early Earth is commonly linked to microbial activity. However, sulphur isotope values from 3.2–3.5-billion-year-old rocks indicate a central role for the breakdown of volcanic sulphur dioxide by ultraviolet radiation instead.

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Figure 1: Possible end-member Archaean sulphur cycles.

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Correspondence to Boswell Wing.

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Wing, B. Unexpectedly abiotic. Nature Geosci 5, 598–599 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1561

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