Carbon Isotopic Studies of Organic Matter in Precambrian Rocks
- 17 March 1972
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 175 (4027), 1246-1248
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.175.4027.1246
Abstract
Reduced carbon in early Precambrian cherts of the Fig Tree and upper and middle Onverwacht groups of South Africa is isotopically similar (the average value of δ13CPDB is -28.7 per mil) to photosynthetically produced organic matter of younger geological age. Reduced carbon in lower Onverwacht cherts (Theespruit formation) is anomalously heavy (the average value of δ13CPDB is -16.5 per mil). This discontinuity may reflect a major event in biological evolution.Keywords
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