Intensified biogeodynamical carbon cycling by subduction controlled early Earth glaciations and oxygenation

Intensified biogeodynamical carbon cycling by subduction controlled early Earth glaciations and oxygenation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Intensified biogeodynamical carbon cycling by subduction controlled early Earth glaciations and oxygenation Wenyong Duan, Xiao Wang, Taras Gerya, James Connolly, Benjamin Mills, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8738396/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Earth experienced intensified subduction on a global scale at the Archean–Proterozoic transition (~2.5 ± 0.3 Ga), closely followed by the Great Oxidation Event and the Huronian glaciations. Yet the relationship between the intensified subduction and these environmental transitions has remained unclear, especially given the extreme paucity of early rock records. Here we identify high δ7Li and low δ26Mg signatures in ~2.5 Ga arc basalts, providing the direct evidence that subducted carbonated rocks underwent efficient fluid-driven decarbonation during the Neoarchean. Geodynamic-thermodynamic modeling shows that Neoarchean flat, hot subduction released nearly all slab carbonates, while refractory organic carbon was transported into the deep mantle. This dichotomy—shallow carbonate degassing versus deep organic carbon burial—accelerated atmospheric oxygen accumulation, perturbed the CO2–CH4 balance, and was sufficient to drive planetary-scale climate fluctuations. We propose that the intensification of Neoarchean subduction carbon cycling directly triggered the earliest oxidation and glaciation events, underscoring biogeodynamical carbon cycling by subduction as Earth’s unique engine of habitability evolution. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geology/Precambrian geology Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geochemistry Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Petrology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files TableA1.xlsx Table A1 TableA2.xlsx Table A2 TableA3.xlsx Table A3 TableA4.xlsx Table A4 ExtendedDataFigure.pdf Extended Data Figure SupplementaryInformation.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8738396","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":582948637,"identity":"b46f7ee0-7f12-44a2-ab7c-0792c403487d","order_by":0,"name":"Wenyong 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