ALBERT

Description: Iron formations (IF) represent an iron-rich rock type that typifies many Archaean and Proterozoic supracrustal successions and are chemical archives of Precambrian seawater chemistry and post-depositional iron cycling. Given that IF accumulated on the seafloor for over two billion years of Earth's early history, changes in their chemical, mineralogical, and isotopic compositions offer a unique glimpse into environmental changes that took place on the evolving Earth. Perhaps one of the most significant events was the transition from an anoxic planet to one where oxygen was persistently present within the marine water column and atmosphere. Linked to this progressive global oxygenation was the evolution of aerobic microbial metabolisms that fundamentally influenced continental weathering processes, the supply of nutrients to the oceans, and, ultimately, diversification of the biosphere and complex life forms. Many of the key recent innovations in understanding IF genesis are linked to geobiology, since biologically assisted Fe(II) oxidation, either directly through photoferrotrophy, or indirectly through oxygenic photosynthesis, provides a process for IF deposition from mineral precursors. The abundance and isotope composition of Fe(II)-bearing minerals in IF additionally suggests microbial Fe(III) reduction, a metabolism that is deeply rooted in the Archaea and Bacteria. Linkages among geobiology, hydrothermal systems, and deposition of IF have been traditionally overlooked, but now form a coherent model for this unique rock type. This paper reviews the defining features of IF and their distribution through the Neoarchaean and Palaeoproterozoic. This paper is an update of previous reviews by Bekker et al. (2010, 2014) that will improve the quantitative framework we use to interpret IF deposition. In this work, we also discuss how recent discoveries have provided new insights into the processes underpinning the global rise in atmospheric oxygen and the geochemical evolution of the oceans.

Description: Incipient warming of peatlands at high latitudes is expected to modify soil drainage and hence the redox conditions, which has implications for Fe export from soils. This study uses Fe isotopes to assess the processes controlling Fe export in a range of Icelandic soils including peat soils derived from the same parent basalt, where Fe isotope variations principally reflect differences in weathering and drainage. In poorly weathered, well-drained soils (non-peat soils), the limited Fe isotope fractionation in soil solutions relative to the bulk soil (Δ57Fesolution-soil = -0.11 ± 0.12 ‰) is attributed to proton-promoted mineral dissolution. In the more weathered poorly drained soils (peat soils), the soil solutions are usually lighter than the bulk soil (Δ57Fesolution-soil = -0.41 ± 0.32 ‰), which indicates that Fe has been mobilised by reductive mineral dissolution and/or ligand-controlled dissolution. The results highlight the presence of Fe-organic complexes in solution in anoxic conditions. An additional constraint on soil weathering is provided by Si isotopes. The Si isotope composition of the soil solutions relative to the soil (Δ30Sisolution-soil = 0.92 ± 0.26 ‰) generally reflects the incorporation of light Si isotopes in secondary aluminosilicates. Under anoxic conditions in peat soils, the largest Si isotope fractionation in soil solutions relative to the bulk soil is observed (Δ30Sisolution-soil = 1.63 ± 0.40 ‰) and attributed to the cumulative contribution of secondary clay minerals and amorphous silica precipitation. Si supersaturation in solution with respect to amorphous silica is reached upon freezing when Al availability to form aluminosilicates is limited by the affinity of Al for metal-organic complexes. Therefore, the precipitation of amorphous silica in peat soils indirectly supports the formation of metal-organic complexes in poorly drained soils. These observations highlight that in a scenario of decreasing soil drainage with warming high latitude peatlands, Fe export from soils as Fe-organic complexes will increase, which in turn has implications for Fe transport in rivers, and ultimately the delivery of Fe to the oceans.