PETM Foraminifera Geochemical Data for Carbon Source Analysis

Geochemical and isotopic data from surface-dwelling foraminifera, collected to investigate the carbon source of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. The dataset includes boron, carbon, and oxygen isotopes, elemental data, and reconstructed surface water pH with uncertainties. It was produced by the British Geological Survey and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling carbon cycle dynamics during the PETM based on paired boron and carbon isotope records.
• Identifying volcanic versus sedimentary carbon sources based on isotopic composition data.
• Reconstructing paleo-ocean surface water pH based on boron isotopic data and provided uncertainties.
• Assessing the role of organic carbon burial in climate recovery based on geochemical evidence.

Strengths

• Data includes paired boron and carbon isotope records, a key feature for source identification.
• Provides reconstructed surface water pH values with corresponding uncertainties.
• Data is tied to a specific NERC grant (NE/H017356/1) and produced by the British Geological Survey.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Geochemical analysis of foraminifera samples, implemented in an Earth system model.

Time Range

Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (~56 million years ago).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-09 08:36:36.230117; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean (surface water data from foraminifera).