Earth System Significance Environmental Response and Morphological Evolution of Neoproterozoic Stromatolites
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/wscb2g91Keywords:
Neoproterozoic, Stromatolites, Morphological evolution, Paleoenvironmental reconstruction, Microbial action, GeochemistryAbstract
The oproterozoic (1000–541 Ma) constitutes a critical transitional period in Earth's evolutionary history. As microbial-dominated biosedimentary structures, stromatolites faithfully record the coevolutionary processes of biological evolution and environmental changes during this era. This study systematically combs the global distribution pattern and spatiotemporal evolutionary characteristics of Neoproterozoic stromatolites. Integrating sedimentological, geochemical, and paleontological evidence from typical sections, it deeply analyzes the controlling factors of their morphological diversity, reveals the response mechanisms of stromatolites to major geological events such as Snowball Earth events and the Second Great Oxidation Event (NOE), and explores the intrinsic connection between microbial community evolution and stromatolite construction. Research indicates that Neoproterozoic stromatolites underwent a transformation from the Mesoproterozoic giant conical-columnar assemblages to diverse small-scale morphologies. The microstructural mutation event at 850–800 Ma marks a revolution in cyanobacterial calcification, while the morphological turnover around glacial periods records microbial adaptation strategies under extreme environments. Geochemical indicators confirm that the carbon, oxygen, and chromium isotope compositions of stromatolites are highly coupled with the evolution of marine redox conditions, and their microbially induced manganese deposits provide key empirical evidence for the biological mineralization theory. In the future, it is necessary to further clarify the impact mechanism of eukaryote rise on stromatolite decline through the combination of high-precision isotope analysis and molecular fossil technology, so as to establish a more comprehensive cognitive framework for reconstructing Neoproterozoic Earth system evolution.
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