Geochronologists are finding fresh approaches to familiar methodologies, especially by zapping rocks with lasers to tackle classic Precambrian problems.
carbonates
A New Focus on the Neglected Carbonate Critical Zone
Studies of Earth’s critical zone have largely focused on areas underlain by silicate bedrock, leaving gaps in our understanding of widespread and vital carbonate-dominated landscapes.
Carbonate Standards Ensure Better Paleothermometers
A community effort finds that carbonate standards eliminate the interlaboratory differences plaguing carbonate clumped-isotope thermometry studies.
“Glass Pearls” in Clamshells Point to Ancient Meteor Impact
Research suggests that the spherical structures, smaller than grains of sand, may be microtektites, but additional investigations are needed to verify their identity.
Old Idea Spurs New Research into Origins of Carbonate Mudstones
Using modern techniques, scientists tested an old hypothesis about carbonate mud production to shift the thinking about rocks that are used as seawater archives and a source of petroleum.
Tiny Marine Shells Reveal Past Patterns in Ocean Dynamics
A 400,000-year calcium carbonate record from the ocean floor sheds light on deep-ocean circulation and on mechanisms driving climate patterns and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
Boiled or Raw, Snail Shells Keep an Environmental Archive
Snail shells discovered at archaeological sites might still accurately record past weather and vegetation despite being the leftovers of a past meal.
Ancient Ocean Floor Seashells Improve Model of Past Glaciers
More accurate reconstruction of ice sheets over the past 150,000 years could help scientists predict future climate change.
Simulating the Climate 145 Million Years Ago
A new model shows that the Intertropical Convergence Zone wasn't always a single band around the equator, which had drastic effects on climate.
Martian Carbonates Spotted by the Orbiter
The minerals identified by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provide more evidence that the planet may have once been habitable.