In a paper published in Chemical Geology entitled: “Molybdenum isotope fractionation and speciation in a euxinic lake—Testing ways to discern isotope fractionation processes in a sulfidic setting”, we compare molybdenum isotope and speciation data from lake sediments deposited under euxinic (anoxic and sulfidic) waters. We conclude that the chemical Mo species present in sediments did not … Read More
Publication
Molybdenum review: The answer is 42
Molybdenum is element number 42 in the periodic table. Although, this element is a trace constituent in the Earth and life, it currently deserves a lot of attention. With Brian Kendall and Ariel Anbar, I have written a review that brings the latest update on the various aspects of molybdenum isotopes and their current use in geochemistry, cosmochemistry and … Read More
Publication: Molybdenum interacts directly with organic matter in sulfidic environments
Molybdenum is one of the most powerful elements used to track hydrogen sulfide and oxygen in the ocean from the geological record. Still, we have an incomplete understanding of the chemical removal pathway between ocean and sediments. Sediments deposited under anoxic and sulfidic waters display tight correlations between their contents of molybdenum (Mo) and total organic matter (TOC). Yet, association does not mean causation. Instead, … Read More
Article in PNAS: Humble moss created modern O2 levels
In a new modeling study led by Tim Lenton from University of Exeter, we found that the earliest land plants caused atmospheric O2 levels to increase above the “fire limit”, where stuff will ignite and burn. This result fits nicely with available geochemical and paleontological evidence, but previous theoretical models predicted either an earlier or a later rise of … Read More
New release, Evidence for high pO2
April 20 Evidence for high pO2 ~1400 Myrs, communication in PNAS. pdf
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