Environmental changes and the geodynamic evolution of continents have facilitated both the emergence of life on Earth and the diversification of mineral species from the early Archean until today. However, the physico-chemical conditions of ancient environments remain poorly understood, particularly regarding the processes and consequences of major oxygenation events (e.g., the Great Oxidation Event, Neoproterozoic Oxygenation Event, and Phanerozoic Oceanic Anoxic Events) and associated mass extinctions, as well as the influence of continents and mantle processes in modulating ocean chemistry at different times in Earth’s history.
Understanding key processes shaping modern and ancient environments; such as weathering, hydrothermal alteration of the oceanic crust, bacterial activity, sedimentation, and diagenesis; is crucial for reconstructing paleo-environments. Redox processes and Earth’s oxygenation during critical transitions and biotic crises are central to unraveling the links between environmental change and biological evolution.
With this session, we encourage contributions from the interdisciplinary fields of geochemistry, oceanography, sedimentology, mineralogy, and geo(micro)biology with a particular emphasis on geochemical and isotope-based approaches to redox reconstructions, element cycling, and paleoenvironmental modeling. We welcome studies addressing the evolution of early life habitats, biomineralization, and paleobiological responses during intervals of profound environmental and climatic change, highlighting the links between Earth's chemical evolution and life.