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Lomagundi Carbon Isotope Excursion

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

Synonyms

Lomagundi–Jatuli carbon isotope excursion; Paleoproterozoic carbon isotope excursion

Definition

The Lomagundi carbon isotope excursion (LCIE), sensu stricto (s.s.), refers to highly positive carbon isotope values (on the average +8 ‰, but values as high as +16 ‰ are not uncommon with the highest values observed at +28 ‰) in Paleoproterozoic sedimentary carbonates deposited between ~2.22 and 2.06 Ga (Karhu and Holland 1996; Bekker et al. 2003), likely reflecting seawater composition. The beginning and the end of the excursion have not so far been recognized in the sedimentary record, and there is also uncertainty about the exact age of these transitions. Positive (at ~2.32 Ga and between ~2.45 and ~2.32 Ga; Bekker et al. 2001; Rasmussen et al. 2013) and negative (between ~2.45 and 2.32 Ga; Bekker et al. 2005) carbon isotope excursions have been found leading to the LCIE s.s. The older positive carbon isotope excursions, in particular the ~2.32 Ga one, are considered to be an...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, 408 Geology Building, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Andrey Bekker

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  1. Andrey Bekker
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Correspondence to Andrey Bekker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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Bekker, A. (2014). Lomagundi Carbon Isotope Excursion. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5127-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5127-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Lomagundi Carbon Isotope Excursion
    Published:
    15 May 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5127-2

  2. Original

    Lomagundi Carbon Isotope Excursion
    Published:
    30 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5127-1

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