Intense intrusion of low-oxygen waters into mid-Cambrian surface ocean carbonate factories

The Phanerozoic surface ocean is characterized by its high dissolved oxygen content owing to mixing with the atmosphere. However, atmospheric oxygen levels varied in the early Paleozoic and it remains unclear whether the surface ocean was susceptible to significant redox fluctuations in response to extreme environmental events. In this study, we probed the redox structures of shallow middle Cambrian marine depositional environments across the North China Platform, ranging from open tidal flats to relatively deep subtidal environments. We utilized a combination of least diagenetically altered carbonate materials (such as ooid cortices, calcimicrobes, and their fringing cements), as well as in situ element measurement and imaging techniques. By analyzing a set of redox-related elements (e.g., Ce anomaly, Zn/Fe molar ratio, Mn and Cr) and mineralogical proxies (hydrogenetic Fe oxides), we revealed a stratified redox structure in the Drumian surface oceans. Compared to earlier Drumian conditions, late Drumian surface oceans experienced significant intrusions of ferruginous waters, probably reaching into shallow subtidal environments with water depths less than 10 m. Furthermore, we identified shallow subtidal microbial O₂-producing factories, characterized by dendritic Epiphyton thalli. These calcimicrobes exhibited more oxygenated signatures (negative Ce anomalies and enrichment of hydrogenetic Fe oxides) relative to contemporaneous less oxic shallower and deeper environments. This finding indicates that they produced oxygen oases or refuges during periods of both normal and poor dissolved O₂ conditions. This study has the potential to broaden our understanding of redox conditions and microbial oxygen-producing mechanisms in the surface ocean, particularly during intervals characterized by low atmospheric oxygen levels or episodic anoxic events.