High-latitude platform carbonate deposition constitutes a climate conundrum at the terminal Mesoproterozoic.

ABSTRACT: During the Mesoproterozoic Era, 1600 to 1000 million years ago, global climate was warm with very little evidence of glaciation. Substantial greenhouse warming would have been required to sustain this ice-free state given 5-18% lower solar luminosity. Paleomagnetic data reported here place voluminous ca. 1.2 Ga shallow marine carbonate deposits from India at an unexpectedly high latitude of around 70° from the equator. Previous studies noted high latitudes, but their implication was never considered. Here, we evaluate the temporal-latitudinal distribution of neritic carbonate deposits across the Proterozoic and identify similar deposits from North China that together with those from India are seemingly unique to the late Mesoproterozoic. A uniformitarian interpretation implies that this is

SUBMITTER: de Kock MO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10918070 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature