Testing Weathering Control on CO2: Lithium Isotope Data from Three Mass Extinction Events

Published papers and associated data from NERC grant NE/I020571/2 investigate silicate weathering as a primary CO2 removal mechanism. The research analyzes lithium and other isotope tracers in marine calcium carbonate samples from three major climate events: the end-Ordovician glaciation (450 Ma), the Permo-Triassic event (251 Ma), and the Cenomanian-Turonian Ocean Anoxic Event (94 Ma). The project was conducted by the British Geological Survey with collaborators from Oxford, Ottawa, and Copenhagen universities.

Use Cases

• Modeling silicate weathering rates through time based on lithium isotope variations described in the grant.
• Investigating links between atmospheric CO2 levels and mass extinction events based on the described geological case studies.
• Calibrating climate proxies by comparing lithium isotope data with other tracers mentioned for marine and volcanic conditions.

Strengths

• Focuses on three distinct, extreme climate events with precise geological ages (450, 251, and 94 million years ago).
• Uses lithium isotopes, described as a tracer sensitive to both weathering processes and intensity.
• Research involved collaboration with specialized institutions (Oxford, Ottawa, Copenhagen universities).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; last metadata update was 2026-04-09.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Analysis of lithium and other isotopes in marine calcium carbonate samples from specific geological periods.

Time Range

Covers three geological periods: ~450, 251, and 94 million years ago.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-09 08:32:57.457563

Geography

Global, based on marine sediment records from the studied time periods.