TY - JOUR

T1 - Strontium isotope stratigraphy

T2 - Potential resolution and event correlation

AU - Veizer, Ján

AU - Buhl, Dieter

AU - Diener, Andreas

AU - Ebneth, Stefan

AU - Podlaha, Olaf G.

AU - Bruckschen, Peter

AU - Jasper, Torsten

AU - Korte, Christoph

AU - Schaaf, Michael

AU - Ala, Davin

AU - Azmy, Karem

N1 - Funding Information: This study was supported financially by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Leibniz Prize and grants Ve 112/3, Ve 112/7, Ve 112/10 and Ve 112/11) and by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to J. Veizer. We acknowledge reviews of the manuscript by J.M. McArthur and P.C. Smalley. A. Fauville, C. Golks and H. Strauss permitted quotation from their recent studies of geological reproducibility.

PY - 1997/8

Y1 - 1997/8

N2 - A new generation 87Sr/86Sr isotope curve for the Phanerozoic seawater, based on a compilation of 3635 stratigraphically well defined and well preserved skeletal components, results in a substantially narrower band, with some discrepancies, if compared to the 'curve' of Burke et al. (1982), which is based mostly on whole-rock samples. The results obtained from low-Mg calcite shells (foraminifers, belemnites, brachiopods and oysters) are mostly superior to those from phosphatic skeletal components, such as conodonts, even if the latter are exceptionally well preserved (CAI ≤1.5). At this stage, the Phanerozoic data set based on fossils is patchy for the Cambrian, Upper Ordovician-Lower Devonian and Upper Carboniferous-Triassic intervals. The major practical constraint that precludes delineation of an unequivocal Sr isotope curve for the Phanerozoic seawater is the uncertainty in the assignment of absolute ages to the samples. As a result the curve is in reality a band. This is a reflection of the limitations of biostratigraphy and geochronology that are inherited by any derivative correlation and dating technique, including isotope stratigraphy. It is therefore unlikely that, in the near future, the Sr isotope stratigraphy will surpass the resolution capability of biostratigraphy as a global correlation tool. On the other hand, if complemented by lithostratigraphy, it is potentially a valuable tool for correlation of sequences on intrabasinal and regional scales. Taking into account the above limitations, careful consideration must be given to assignment of higher order isotope peaks to specific 'events' within a biozone and to the use of such events as a global correlation tool.

AB - A new generation 87Sr/86Sr isotope curve for the Phanerozoic seawater, based on a compilation of 3635 stratigraphically well defined and well preserved skeletal components, results in a substantially narrower band, with some discrepancies, if compared to the 'curve' of Burke et al. (1982), which is based mostly on whole-rock samples. The results obtained from low-Mg calcite shells (foraminifers, belemnites, brachiopods and oysters) are mostly superior to those from phosphatic skeletal components, such as conodonts, even if the latter are exceptionally well preserved (CAI ≤1.5). At this stage, the Phanerozoic data set based on fossils is patchy for the Cambrian, Upper Ordovician-Lower Devonian and Upper Carboniferous-Triassic intervals. The major practical constraint that precludes delineation of an unequivocal Sr isotope curve for the Phanerozoic seawater is the uncertainty in the assignment of absolute ages to the samples. As a result the curve is in reality a band. This is a reflection of the limitations of biostratigraphy and geochronology that are inherited by any derivative correlation and dating technique, including isotope stratigraphy. It is therefore unlikely that, in the near future, the Sr isotope stratigraphy will surpass the resolution capability of biostratigraphy as a global correlation tool. On the other hand, if complemented by lithostratigraphy, it is potentially a valuable tool for correlation of sequences on intrabasinal and regional scales. Taking into account the above limitations, careful consideration must be given to assignment of higher order isotope peaks to specific 'events' within a biozone and to the use of such events as a global correlation tool.

KW - Isotope stratigraphy

KW - Isotopes

KW - Phanerozoic

KW - Seawater

KW - Strontium

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030863504&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/S0031-0182(97)00054-0

DO - 10.1016/S0031-0182(97)00054-0

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:0030863504

VL - 132

SP - 65

EP - 77

JO - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology - An International Journal for the Geo-Sciences

JF - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology - An International Journal for the Geo-Sciences

SN - 0031-0182

IS - 1-4

ER -