Elemental Variation in Pyrite: A Key to Ocean Chemistry

Researchers from the University of Toronto and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) recently published research demonstrating that pyrite—the most abundant sulfide mineral in the Earth’s crust—is enriched in several trace elements. This is important for understanding past ocean chemistry from analyses of sedimentary pyrite. Knowledge from this research will help scientists use pyrite trace metal concentrations to analyze and quantify early ocean chemistry and, as a result, the ocean’s evolution through time.

Muddied waters: sinking organics alter seafloor records

The remains of microscopic plankton blooms in near-shore ocean environments slowly sink to the seafloor, setting off processes that forever alter an important record of Earth’s history, according to research from geoscientists, including David Fike at Washington University in St. Louis.Fike is co-author of a new study published in Nature Communications.