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Mechanisms of nitrogen isotope fractionation at an ancient black smoker in the 2.7 Ga Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada
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dc.contributor.author | Martin, A.N. | |
dc.contributor.author | Stüeken, E.E. | |
dc.contributor.author | Michaud, J.A.-S. | |
dc.contributor.author | Münker, C. | |
dc.contributor.author | Weyer, S. | |
dc.contributor.author | van Hees, E.H.P. | |
dc.contributor.author | Gehringer, M.M. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2024-01-10T10:30:02Z | |
dc.date.available | 2024-01-10T10:30:02Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2024-01-03 | |
dc.identifier | 298128707 | |
dc.identifier | efd0147e-7de7-43b2-b0f4-aa30dc5362c8 | |
dc.identifier | 85187214912 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Martin , A N , Stüeken , E E , Michaud , JA-S , Münker , C , Weyer , S , van Hees , E H P & Gehringer , M M 2024 , ' Mechanisms of nitrogen isotope fractionation at an ancient black smoker in the 2.7 Ga Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada ' , Geology . https://doi.org/10.1130/G51689.1 | en |
dc.identifier.issn | 0091-7613 | |
dc.identifier.other | RIS: urn:67CC8FB35027376BC8E21F6655BA80F9 | |
dc.identifier.other | ORCID: /0000-0001-6861-2490/work/150661076 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10023/28973 | |
dc.description | Funding: Funding for Martin, Münker, Weyer, and Gehringer was provided by the German Research Foundation (DFG) priority program “SPP-1833 Building a Habitable Earth,” and for Michaud by the DFG priority program “SPP-2238 Dynamics of Ore Metals Enrichment” (HO1337/49-1). Stüeken acknowledges support from a UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Frontiers grant (NE/V010824/1) and a Leverhulme Trust grant (RPG-2022-313). | en |
dc.description.abstract | The biological nitrogen (N) cycle on early Earth is enigmatic because of limited data from Archean (meta-)sediments and the potential alteration of primary biotic signatures. Here we further investigate unusual 15N enrichments reported in 2.7 Ga meta-sediments from the Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada, purportedly related to a 15N-enriched Archean atmosphere. Given that sediments from this region are contemporaneous with large-scale volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, we utilize Cu and Zn contents to trace the effects of hydrothermal circulation on N isotope fractionation. We show that high δ15Nbulk values as high as +23‰ are associated with Cu-Zn mineralization, whereas unmineralized organic-rich shales exhibit much lower δ15Nbulk and δ15Nkerogen values. Moreover, we find a large offset between δ15Nbulk and δ15Nkerogen of as much as 17‰ and relate this to the addition of organic-bound N during the late-stage emplacement of organic-rich veins. We conclude that the previously reported high δ15N values are most parsimoniously explained by biotic and abiotic mechanisms rather than a 15N-enriched atmosphere. Crucially, both mechanisms require the presence of NH4+ in hydrothermal fluids, supporting the hypothesis that hydrothermal discharge was an important nutrient source for Neoarchean marine life. | |
dc.format.extent | 6 | |
dc.format.extent | 3221962 | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Geology | en |
dc.subject | NDAS | en |
dc.subject | SDG 14 - Life Below Water | en |
dc.title | Mechanisms of nitrogen isotope fractionation at an ancient black smoker in the 2.7 Ga Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada | en |
dc.type | Journal article | en |
dc.contributor.sponsor | NERC | en |
dc.contributor.sponsor | The Leverhulme Trust | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. School of Earth & Environmental Sciences | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. St Andrews Centre for Exoplanet Science | en |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1130/G51689.1 | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | en |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | NE/V010824/1 | en |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 103935 | en |
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