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Palæoclimatic Significance of δ-Oxygen-18-time Trends observed by Oxygen Isotopic Analysis of Freshwater Limestones

Nature volume 203, pages 969–970 (1964)Cite this article

Abstract

AFTER McCrea1 and Epstein et al.2 established the carbonate–water palæotemperature technique whereby the temperature of calcium carbonate precipitation can bo determined by measuring the oxygen-18 content of the calcite, this tool has been widely utilized by a large number of workers for marine carbonates ranging in age from early Mesozoic to the present. Since the fractionation factor, that is, the isotopic composition of calcite divided by that of sea-water, is temperature dependent, deposition temperatures can be determined by: (1) measuring the 18O/16O ratio of ancient carbonate; (2) assuming a value for the isotopic composition of sea-water at that time.

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References

  1. McCrea, J. M., J. Chem. Phys., 18, 849 (1950).

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  2. Epstein, S., Buchsbaum, R., Lowenstam, H. A., and Urey, H. C., Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 62, 417 (1951).

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  3. Dansgaard, W., Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta, 3, 253 (1953).

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  4. Epstein, S., and Mayeda, T., Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta, 4, 213 (1953).

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  5. Keith, M. L., and Weber, J. N., Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta (in the press).

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  1. Materials Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

    JON N. WEBER

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  1. JON N. WEBER
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WEBER, J. Palæoclimatic Significance of δ-Oxygen-18-time Trends observed by Oxygen Isotopic Analysis of Freshwater Limestones. Nature 203, 969–970 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/203969a0

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