Millennial-timescale thermogenic CO<sub>2</sub> release preceding the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40588499.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-60939-3 and PMC identifier 12209464.
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Abstract
Geologic records support a short-lived carbon release, known as the pre-onset excursion (POE), shortly before the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ~ 56 Ma). However, the source and pace of the POE carbon release and its relationship to the PETM remain unresolved. Here we show a high-temporal-resolution stratigraphic record spanning the POE and PETM from the eastern Tethys Ocean that documents the evolution of surface ocean carbon cycle, redox and eutrophication, confirming the global nature of the POE. Biomarkers extracted from the sedimentary record indicate a smaller environmental perturbation during the POE than that during the PETM in the eastern Tethys Ocean. Earth system modeling constrained by observed δ<sup>13</sup>C and pH data indicates that the POE was driven by a largely thermogenic CO<sub>2</sub> source, likely associated with sill intrusions prior to the main eruption phase of the North Atlantic Igneous Province and possibly biogeochemical feedbacks involving the release of biogenic methane.