Europium traces the impact of high temperature hydrothermal systems on the early oceans

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

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  • University of St. Andrews
  • Tongji University
  • State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology
  • Universität Wien
  • Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR)
  • Curtin University
  • Constructor University Bremen
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OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)57-61
FachzeitschriftGeochemical Perspectives Letters
Jahrgang34
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 6 Mai 2025

Abstract

Hydrothermal systems have been invoked as a major driver for the evolution of life,
but the impact of hydrothermal fluids on Earth’s ancient oceans and their habitats
remains ambiguous. Europium (Eu) enrichments trace high temperature hydrothermal
fluids in rock archives and may serve as proxy for hydrothermal input into ancient
oceans. Here, we provide Eu abundances from stromatolites and iron formations
between 3.8 and 0.542 billion years (Ga) ago and reconstruct the impact of hydrothermal
systems on shallow and deeper marine environments. Our results document
a continuous decrease in positive Eu anomalies until 2.5 Ga ago, followed by almost
complete disappearance, suggesting a decreasing impact of submarine hydrothermal
systems on ancient oceans. Exceptional positive Eu excursions between 2.8 and 2.6
Ga, and potentially also at 3.5 and 2.2 Ga, are only preserved in deep marine settings and reflect magmatic pulses triggered by elevated upper mantle temperatures. Our results demonstrate the significance of high temperature hydrothermal systems on Archean seawater chemistry with implications for the supply of bio-essential elements. However, life in shallow marine environments
was likely supported by fluxes from emerging continents, at the least from the Neoarchean onwards.

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Europium traces the impact of high temperature hydrothermal systems on the early oceans. / Viehmann, Sebastian; Stüeken, Eva E.; Hohl, Simon V. et al.
in: Geochemical Perspectives Letters, Jahrgang 34, 06.05.2025, S. 57-61.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Viehmann, S, Stüeken, EE, Hohl, SV, Tepe, N, Lin, Y, Kraemer, D, Van Kranendonk, M, Krayer, JK, Ernst, D & Weyer, S 2025, 'Europium traces the impact of high temperature hydrothermal systems on the early oceans', Geochemical Perspectives Letters, Jg. 34, S. 57-61. https://doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.2514
Viehmann, S., Stüeken, E. E., Hohl, S. V., Tepe, N., Lin, Y., Kraemer, D., Van Kranendonk, M., Krayer, J. K., Ernst, D., & Weyer, S. (2025). Europium traces the impact of high temperature hydrothermal systems on the early oceans. Geochemical Perspectives Letters, 34, 57-61. https://doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.2514
Viehmann S, Stüeken EE, Hohl SV, Tepe N, Lin Y, Kraemer D et al. Europium traces the impact of high temperature hydrothermal systems on the early oceans. Geochemical Perspectives Letters. 2025 Mai 6;34:57-61. doi: 10.7185/geochemlet.2514
Viehmann, Sebastian ; Stüeken, Eva E. ; Hohl, Simon V. et al. / Europium traces the impact of high temperature hydrothermal systems on the early oceans. in: Geochemical Perspectives Letters. 2025 ; Jahrgang 34. S. 57-61.
Download
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title = "Europium traces the impact of high temperature hydrothermal systems on the early oceans",
abstract = "Hydrothermal systems have been invoked as a major driver for the evolution of life,but the impact of hydrothermal fluids on Earth{\textquoteright}s ancient oceans and their habitatsremains ambiguous. Europium (Eu) enrichments trace high temperature hydrothermalfluids in rock archives and may serve as proxy for hydrothermal input into ancientoceans. Here, we provide Eu abundances from stromatolites and iron formationsbetween 3.8 and 0.542 billion years (Ga) ago and reconstruct the impact of hydrothermalsystems on shallow and deeper marine environments. Our results documenta continuous decrease in positive Eu anomalies until 2.5 Ga ago, followed by almostcomplete disappearance, suggesting a decreasing impact of submarine hydrothermalsystems on ancient oceans. Exceptional positive Eu excursions between 2.8 and 2.6Ga, and potentially also at 3.5 and 2.2 Ga, are only preserved in deep marine settings and reflect magmatic pulses triggered by elevated upper mantle temperatures. Our results demonstrate the significance of high temperature hydrothermal systems on Archean seawater chemistry with implications for the supply of bio-essential elements. However, life in shallow marine environmentswas likely supported by fluxes from emerging continents, at the least from the Neoarchean onwards.",
author = "Sebastian Viehmann and St{\"u}eken, {Eva E.} and Hohl, {Simon V.} and Nathalie Tepe and Yibo Lin and Dennis Kraemer and {Van Kranendonk}, Martin and Krayer, {Johanna Katharina} and David Ernst and Stefan Weyer",
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TY - JOUR

T1 - Europium traces the impact of high temperature hydrothermal systems on the early oceans

AU - Viehmann, Sebastian

AU - Stüeken, Eva E.

AU - Hohl, Simon V.

AU - Tepe, Nathalie

AU - Lin, Yibo

AU - Kraemer, Dennis

AU - Van Kranendonk, Martin

AU - Krayer, Johanna Katharina

AU - Ernst, David

AU - Weyer, Stefan

PY - 2025/5/6

Y1 - 2025/5/6

N2 - Hydrothermal systems have been invoked as a major driver for the evolution of life,but the impact of hydrothermal fluids on Earth’s ancient oceans and their habitatsremains ambiguous. Europium (Eu) enrichments trace high temperature hydrothermalfluids in rock archives and may serve as proxy for hydrothermal input into ancientoceans. Here, we provide Eu abundances from stromatolites and iron formationsbetween 3.8 and 0.542 billion years (Ga) ago and reconstruct the impact of hydrothermalsystems on shallow and deeper marine environments. Our results documenta continuous decrease in positive Eu anomalies until 2.5 Ga ago, followed by almostcomplete disappearance, suggesting a decreasing impact of submarine hydrothermalsystems on ancient oceans. Exceptional positive Eu excursions between 2.8 and 2.6Ga, and potentially also at 3.5 and 2.2 Ga, are only preserved in deep marine settings and reflect magmatic pulses triggered by elevated upper mantle temperatures. Our results demonstrate the significance of high temperature hydrothermal systems on Archean seawater chemistry with implications for the supply of bio-essential elements. However, life in shallow marine environmentswas likely supported by fluxes from emerging continents, at the least from the Neoarchean onwards.

AB - Hydrothermal systems have been invoked as a major driver for the evolution of life,but the impact of hydrothermal fluids on Earth’s ancient oceans and their habitatsremains ambiguous. Europium (Eu) enrichments trace high temperature hydrothermalfluids in rock archives and may serve as proxy for hydrothermal input into ancientoceans. Here, we provide Eu abundances from stromatolites and iron formationsbetween 3.8 and 0.542 billion years (Ga) ago and reconstruct the impact of hydrothermalsystems on shallow and deeper marine environments. Our results documenta continuous decrease in positive Eu anomalies until 2.5 Ga ago, followed by almostcomplete disappearance, suggesting a decreasing impact of submarine hydrothermalsystems on ancient oceans. Exceptional positive Eu excursions between 2.8 and 2.6Ga, and potentially also at 3.5 and 2.2 Ga, are only preserved in deep marine settings and reflect magmatic pulses triggered by elevated upper mantle temperatures. Our results demonstrate the significance of high temperature hydrothermal systems on Archean seawater chemistry with implications for the supply of bio-essential elements. However, life in shallow marine environmentswas likely supported by fluxes from emerging continents, at the least from the Neoarchean onwards.

U2 - 10.7185/geochemlet.2514

DO - 10.7185/geochemlet.2514

M3 - Article

VL - 34

SP - 57

EP - 61

JO - Geochemical Perspectives Letters

JF - Geochemical Perspectives Letters

SN - 2410-339X

ER -

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