The Pyrite Trace Element Paleo-Ocean Chemistry Proxy

Learn why the pyrite trace element proxy for composition of past oceans is a valuable addition to the paleo-ocean chemistry toolkit.

Daniel D. Gregory (Author)

9781108810524, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 December 2020

75 pages, 4 b/w illus.
15 x 23 x 0.3 cm, 0.07 kg

The use of the trace element content of sedimentary pyrite as a proxy for the trace element composition of past oceans has recently emerged. The pyrite proxy has several potential advantages over bulk sample analysis: preservation through metamorphism; little dilution during analysis (samples are ablated not dissolved, allowing for the less abundant elements commonly held in the sulfide fraction to be investigated as proxies); accurate measurement of several elements simultaneously; the ability to screen sediments for hydrothermal overprint; and the technique can give information regarding trace element availably at multiple stages of diagenesis. Because of these multiple strengths, the pyrite trace element proxy is a valuable potential addition to the paleo-ocean chemistry tool kit.

1. Introduction
2. Systematics of the pyrite trace element proxy
3. Materials and methods
4. Case study
5. Future prospects
6. Key references.

Subject Areas: Oceanography [seas RBKC], Hydrology & the hydrosphere [RBK], Geochemistry [RBGK], Earth sciences [RB]