2005/02/25 by Daniel J. Condon, Maoyan Zhu, Samuel A. Bowring +3 · 1,314 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Chemistry · #Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils #Geological and Geochemical Analysis #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Geology #Zircon #Paleontology #Glacial period #Volcano #Carbonate #Snowball Earth #Isotopes of carbon #Radiometric dating #Geochemistry #Earth science #Chemistry #Total organic carbon
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1107765
published in Science 308(5718), 95-98 (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
openalex publication_date 2005/02/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
U-Pb zircon dates from volcanic ash beds within the Doushantuo Formation (China) indicate that its deposition occurred between 635 and 551 million years ago. The base records termination of the global-scale Marinoan glaciation and is coeval with similar dated rocks from Namibia, indicating synchronous deglaciation. Carbon isotopic and sequence-stratigraphic data imply that the spectacular animal fossils of the Doushantuo Formation are for the most part younger than 580 million years old. The uppermost Doushantuo Formation contains a pronounced negative carbonate carbon isotopic excursion, which we interpret as a global event at circa 551 million years ago.