Boron and calcium isotope composition in Neoproterozoic carbonate rocks from Namibia: evidence for extreme environmental change

The level and evolution of atmospheric carbon dioxide throughout Earthʹs history are key issues for palaeoclimate reconstructions, especially during times of extreme climate change such as those that marked the Neoproterozoic. The carbon isotope ratios of marine carbonates are crucial in the correlation and identification of Neoproterozoic glacial deposits, and they are also used as a record for biogeochemical cycling and potential proxy for atmospheric pCO2. Likewise, the boron and calcium isotope compositions of marine carbonates are potential proxies for palaeo-seawater pH and the ratio of calcium fluxes into and out of seawater, respectively, and together they may be used to estimate atmospheric carbon dioxide. Here we use B and Ca isotopes to estimate palaeoenvironmental conditions in the aftermath of a major Neoproterozoic glaciation in Namibia. The validity of the B and Ca isotope variation in the ancient marine carbonates is evaluated using the oxygen isotope composition of the carbonates and its correlation to the carbon isotope variation. A negative (2.7 to −6.2‰) δ11B excursion occurs in the postglacial carbonates and is interpreted to reflect a temporary decrease in seawater pH. Associated variations in δ44Ca values (ranging between 0.35 and 1.14‰) are linearly coupled with the carbon isotope ratios and imply enhanced postglacial weathering rates. The reconstructed seawater pH and weathering profiles indicates that high atmospheric CO2 concentrations were likely during the melt back of Neoproterozoic glaciations and precipitation of cap carbonates. However, the B isotope trend suggests that these concentrations rapidly ameliorated and they do not co-vary with δ13C. Thus models attempting to link long-lived negative δ13C excursions to elevated pCO2 need to be reconsidered.