Nature Communications (Dec 2019)

New isotope constraints on the Mg oceanic budget point to cryptic modern dolomite formation

  • Netta Shalev,
  • Tomaso R. R. Bontognali,
  • C. Geoffrey Wheat,
  • Derek Vance

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13514-6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Earth’s carbon cycle and oceanic magnesium cycle are controlled by processes such as weathering, volcanism and precipitation of carbonates, such as dolomite. Here, the authors contradict the view that modern dolomite formation is rare and suggest instead that dolomite accounts for ~40–60% of the global oceanic Mg output in the last 20 Ma.