143–million-year seawater osmium isotopic record: Trends, rhythms, and dynamics of volcanism and tectonics.
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| Title: | 143–million-year seawater osmium isotopic record: Trends, rhythms, and dynamics of volcanism and tectonics. |
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| Authors: | Matsumoto, Hironao (AUTHOR), Watanabe, Yasuto (AUTHOR), Coccioni, Rodolfo (AUTHOR), Frontalini, Fabrizio (AUTHOR), Yoshimura, Toshihiro (AUTHOR), Kuroda, Junichiro (AUTHOR), Suzuki, Katsuhiko (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Science. 1/22/2026, Vol. 391 Issue 6783, p389-393. 5p. |
| Subjects: | Osmium isotopes, Volcanism, Paleoclimatology, Cretaceous Period, Igneous provinces, Structural geology, Erosion, Seawater |
| Geographic Terms: | Gondwana (India) |
| Abstract: | Tectonic events and volcanic pulses forming large igneous provinces (LIPs) have altered Earth's paleoclimate. Osmium (Os) and strontium (Sr) isotopic ratios are key tracers of past continental weathering and LIP eruptions. However, limited Cretaceous seawater Os and riverine Os–Sr data have hindered quantitative reconstructions. In this study, we present a long-term Os isotopic record from the Cretaceous to the present, revealing ~10– to 20–million-year cycles during the Cretaceous that align with rhythmic LIP eruptions. Seawater Os–Sr isotopic trends indicate transitions in continental weathering patterns during the Late Cretaceous [~90 million years ago (Ma)] and Paleogene (~35 Ma) ascribed to intensified weathering of interior Gondwana during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and the uplift and glaciation of the Himalaya, respectively. Our Os isotopic record highlights its utility in tracing long-term LIP cycles and identifying major paleogeographic turning points. Editor's summary: Osmium occurs in Earth's crust at the low, low rate of 50 parts per trillion. Even so, its isotopes are sensitive measures of environmental change over Earth's history because they get variably transferred to seawater through volcanoes, rivers, and even extraterrestrial impacts. Matsumoto et al. collected 187Os/188Os data from outcrops in Italy and deep-sea cores in the Pacific and Indian oceans. They compiled these with existing data to make a highly resolved marine osmium-isotopic record over the past 143 million years. The record shows cycles related to large Cretaceous eruptions, opening of the Atlantic Ocean, and changing Cenozoic climate. —Angela Hessler [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Tectonic events and volcanic pulses forming large igneous provinces (LIPs) have altered Earth's paleoclimate. Osmium (Os) and strontium (Sr) isotopic ratios are key tracers of past continental weathering and LIP eruptions. However, limited Cretaceous seawater Os and riverine Os–Sr data have hindered quantitative reconstructions. In this study, we present a long-term Os isotopic record from the Cretaceous to the present, revealing ~10– to 20–million-year cycles during the Cretaceous that align with rhythmic LIP eruptions. Seawater Os–Sr isotopic trends indicate transitions in continental weathering patterns during the Late Cretaceous [~90 million years ago (Ma)] and Paleogene (~35 Ma) ascribed to intensified weathering of interior Gondwana during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and the uplift and glaciation of the Himalaya, respectively. Our Os isotopic record highlights its utility in tracing long-term LIP cycles and identifying major paleogeographic turning points. Editor's summary: Osmium occurs in Earth's crust at the low, low rate of 50 parts per trillion. Even so, its isotopes are sensitive measures of environmental change over Earth's history because they get variably transferred to seawater through volcanoes, rivers, and even extraterrestrial impacts. Matsumoto et al. collected 187Os/188Os data from outcrops in Italy and deep-sea cores in the Pacific and Indian oceans. They compiled these with existing data to make a highly resolved marine osmium-isotopic record over the past 143 million years. The record shows cycles related to large Cretaceous eruptions, opening of the Atlantic Ocean, and changing Cenozoic climate. —Angela Hessler [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00368075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.adw8301 |
