The role of tephra in enhancing organic carbon preservation in marine sediments

Abstract

Preservation of organic carbon (Corg) in marine sediments plays a major role in defining ocean-atmosphere CO2 levels, Earth climate, and the generation of hydrocarbons. Important controls over sedimentary Corg preservation include; biological productivity, Corg isolation from oxidants (mainly dissolved O2) in the overlying water column and sediments, and Corg – mineral association in sediments. Deposition of the products of explosive volcanism (tephra) in the oceans directly enhances Corg burial through all these mechanisms, and indirectly through enhanced formation of authigenic carbonate (Cauth) derived from sedimentary Corg. In the modern oceans, it is suggested that tephra deposition may account for 5–10% of the Corg burial flux and 10–40% of the Cauth burial flux. However, during certain periods in Earth's history, extensive explosive volcanism may have led to enhanced Cauth precipitation on a sufficiently large scale to influence the global ocean-atmosphere carbon cycle. Changes in tephra-related Corg preservation may also have played a role in increasing Corg preservation rates in local marine basins, at the oxic-anoxic boundary and enhanced the generation of hydrocarbon deposits in these settings.

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ORCID for Thomas Gernon: orcid.org/0000-0002-7717-2092

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