A/Prof Adriana Dutkiewicz

Mid-Proterozoic expansion of passive margins and reduction in volcanic outgassing supported marine oxygenation and eukaryogenesis

by

The mid-Proterozoic interval between 1800 and 800 Ma, commonly referred to as the “Boring Billion”, was marked by the emergence of eukaryotic cells from prokaryotic ancestors, a key step in the evolution of life. This period encompassed the assembly and dispersal of two consecutive supercontinents, Nuna and Rodinia, as well as the development of extensive … Read more…

Indian Ocean carbonate compensation depth since the Late Oligocene

by

The carbonate compensation depth (CCD), defined as the depth in the ocean where the supply rate of pelagic carbonate is balanced by its dissolution, provides an important parameter for estimating the amount of calcium carbonate-bound carbon that is stored in deep-sea sediments. The CCD is reasonably well-constrained across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; however, our … Read more…

Earth’s ‘boring billion years’ created the conditions for complex life

by

Sydney University Media Release, 20 October 2025 Plate tectonics played central role shaping life-supporting oceans Between 1.8 and 0.8 billion years ago, Earth’s tectonic activity locked atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbonate minerals within the oceanic crust, paving the way for oxygen-rich seas and evolving life. Source: research paper A study led by researchers from the … Read more…

Regional Carbonate Compensation Depth variability in the Pacific Ocean since the Oligocene

by

Deep-sea carbonates constitute the primary deep carbon reservoir, playing a critical role in regulating the long-term global carbon cycle. Reconstructing the temporal evolution of carbonate flux to the seafloor requires estimating the changes in carbonate compensation depth (CCD), a key proxy, revealing the depth where the rate of calcium carbonate supply from biogenic ooze equals … Read more…