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Climate researchers unlock secrets of ancient oceans in chert rocks!
Research team from the UNI Göttingen examines oceanic chert sedimentary rocks to determine climate information and heat flow.
Climate researchers unlock secrets of ancient oceans in chert rocks!
A research team from University of Göttingen and the GFZ Helmholtz Center for Georesearch has gained groundbreaking insights into oceanic sedimentary rocks, particularly chert. This study, published in the journal Geology, examines whether chert can provide information about past climates.
The results of the research show that the oxygen isotopes in cherts do not provide any direct information about the climate. Instead, they record the flow of heat from the Earth's interior. By analyzing these isotopes, new insights can be gained about what conditions on Earth's surface were like up to four billion years ago.
Research results and methodology
The cherts used in this study come from the Shatsky Rise in the western Pacific, near Japan. It was found that the composition of the oxygen isotopes, especially 16O, 17O and 18O, changes with the heat flow. Young ocean floor has a higher heat flux, while older ocean floor, which has already cooled, has a lower heat flux.
An innovative computational model developed by the research leaders allowed scientists to quantitatively determine heat flow in cherts for the first time using oxygen isotope analysis. These results have been verified by independent measurements in the world's oceans, which underlines the reliability of the method. Oskar Schramm, the first author of the study, emphasized the importance of this new methodology for geosciences.
Outlook for future research
Prof. Dr. Michael Tatzel, one of the main people responsible for the project, is already planning further investigations into unusual patterns of oxygen isotopes in cherts. There could be an interaction with volcanic ash embedded in these rocks. Such aspects could provide new insights into the planet's history and further advance research on oceanic sedimentary rocks.
These advances in geoscience are of great importance for better understanding the Earth's climate history and allow important conclusions to be drawn about the geological processes that have shaped the planet over billions of years. Further details about the study are available on the website University of Göttingen available.