Chemostratigraphy of Carbonate Systems Through Time and Space: From Continental to Deep-Water Records

About this Research Topic

Background

Chemostratigraphy is a long-known tool for stratigraphic correlations, as well as for the identification of episodes of past climatic and paleoceanographic changes. In the past seventy years, oxygen and carbon isotope records of continental to pelagic carbonates provided fundamental discoveries on the evolution of the Earth and Oceans, as well as on the response of biota to abrupt climate changes and carbon cycle perturbations. Chemostratigraphy is also an incredibly powerful tool in stratigraphy to identify and correlate different events in the geological record, as well as to unravel processes, feedbacks and impacts of global changes on natural systems.

Recent advances in mass-spectrometry allows us to explore, together with the traditional C, O and Sr, several other isotopic systematics. Nd isotope ratios are progressively more used for paleoceanographic studies; B isotopes are increasingly used as proxy for ocean acidification, Hg isotopes are investigated to identify the role of volcanism on carbon cycle perturbations; Li and Mg isotopes are attracting increasing attention for paleoclimatic reconstructions and weathering; Ca isotopes are often investigated as a complementary tool to identify carbon cycle dynamics and perturbations as well as the carbonate saturation state of the past oceans. This Research Topic aims to provide the state of the art on isotope stratigraphy nowadays, as well as to identify the new frontiers that are emerging in this topic.

We believe that isotope stratigraphy is one of the most intriguing topics and powerful tools to unravel the complex processes that control Earth’s evolution and trigger global changes and their relationship with biotic evolution. This Research Topic aims to comprehensively explore its potential.

This collection aims to tackle isotope stratigraphy, from different perspectives, to return a comprehensive picture of this broad topic. We seek contributions focused on continental records (travertines, speleothems, paleosoils), as well as on shallow- and deep-water carbonates (from platform to pelagic records). Furthermore, contributions focused from the Paleozoic to the Present, at different time scales and stratigraphic resolutions, are more than welcomed. Long-term carbon cycle perturbations recorded in hundreds of thousands to millions of years, as well as decadal to centennial abrupt climate shifts would perfectly fit in this Research Topic. Furthermore, integrated isotope stratigraphic studies of non-conventional systematics applied to paleoceanography or to identify ocean acidification would be appreciated. Finally, contributions on new isotope species with possible applications in stratigraphic and paleoceanographic studies are strongly encouraged. In this framework, we welcome Original Research Articles as well as Reviews and Methodological papers.

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Alessandro Mancini has acted as coordinator and has contributed to the preparation of the proposal for this Research Topic.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Carbonates, Stratigraphy, Stable isotopes, Isotope geochemistry, Paleoclimate, Paleoceanography

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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