Unofficial Bookmarks for STRATI 2026 Program v0.1.7
G10 July 3 · 08:50–09:05 · Room 773 (7F)

Early Jurassic Carbon Release Triggered Rapid and Large-Scale Runoff of Terrestrial Biomass Mercury

G10 Novel Isotope and Elemental Geochemical Proxies for Phanerozoic Stratigraphy and Ocean Chemistry Reconstructions 📅 Add to Calendar

Yuqing Zhu, Xiaofeng Cheng, David B. Kemp, Runsheng Yin, Angela L. Coe, Jun Shen, Chunju Huang, Wenhan Chen, Mengchuang Wei

✉ Corresponding: David B. Kemp

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ~183 Ma) was a major hyperthermal event characterized by the massive release of carbon from magmatic and possibly biogenic sources. Carbon emissions triggered global warming and a marked increase in hydrological cycling. However, the timing and pace of hydrological changes remain uncertain. Here, sedimentary mercury (Hg) concentration and isotope data from a shallow-marine basin demonstrate a near-synchronous coupling between carbon release and enhanced terrestrial Hg fluxes driven by elevated runoff. Our data, supported by a Hg-C biogeochemical cycle model, indicate an overall increase in runoff-driven terrestrial biomass Hg fluxes of up to 22-fold during the T-OAE. Our work reveals the magnitude and millennial-scale rapidity of Earth’s hydrological response to large-scale carbon release and global warming.

terrestrial mercuryToarcian Oceanic Anoxic Eventcarbon releasemercury isotopes
Affiliations
  1. State Key Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Environmental Changes and Hubei Key
  2. Laboratory of Critical Zone Evolution, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, China
  3. University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
  4. State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, School of Earth and
  5. Planetary Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
  6. State Key Laboratory of Critical Mineral Research and Exploration, Institute of Geochemistry,
  7. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
  8. School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall,
  9. Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK7 6AA, UK
  10. State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation & Institute of
  11. Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
  12. International Center for Sedimentary Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry Research, Chengdu
  13. University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
  14. Research Institute of Exploration and Production, Northwest Branch of SINOPEC, Urumqi
  15. 830000, China