An early Cambrian greenhouse climate

2018/05/04 by Thomas W. Wong Hearing, Thomas H. P. Harvey, Mark Williams +6 · 3 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research #Plant Diversity and Evolution

paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/sciadv.aar5690

openalex publication_date 2018/05/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

O signature, suggesting sea surface temperatures of 20° to 25°C at high southern paleolatitudes (~65°S to 70°S) between ~514 and 509 million years ago. These sea temperatures are consistent with the distribution of coeval evaporite and calcrete deposits, peak continental weathering rates, and also our climate model simulations for this interval. Our results support an early Cambrian greenhouse climate comparable to those of the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic, offering a framework for exploring the interplay between biotic and environmental controls on Cambrian animal diversification.

Citations

• Hierarchical fibre composite structure and micromechanical properties of phosphatic and calcitic brachiopod shell biomaterials — an overview
• The Recent Increase in Atlantic Hurricane Activity: Causes and Implications
• Trends, Rhythms, and Aberrations in Global Climate 65 Ma to Present
• Closing the Phosphatization Window: Testing for the Influence of Taphonomic Megabias on the Pattern of Small Shelly Fossil Decline

Cited by

• A high-resolution record of early Paleozoic climate
• Isotopic evidence for temperate oceans during the Cambrian Explosion
• Cambrian [wikipedia]