Analysis For Thallium And Molybdenum Isotope Compositions (IMAGE)

Arizona State University

Analysis For Thallium And Molybdenum Isotope Compositions

Caption

The 2.5 billion-year-old Mt. McRae Shale from Western Australia was analyzed for thallium and molybdenum isotope compositions, revealing a pattern that indicates manganese oxide minerals were being buried over large regions of the ancient sea floor. For this burial to occur, O2 needed to have been present all the way down to the sea floor 2.5 billion-years-ago.

Credit

Chad Ostrander, ASU

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