Organic carbon cycling and black shale deposition: an Earth System Science perspective

Zhijun Jin; Xiaomei Wang; Huajian Wang; Yuntao Ye; Shuichang Zhang

doi:10.1093/nsr/nwad243

Organic carbon cycling and black shale deposition: an Earth System Science perspective

Natl Sci Rev. 2023 Sep 15;10(11):nwad243. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwad243. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Zhijun Jin¹, Xiaomei Wang², Huajian Wang², Yuntao Ye^{2

3}, Shuichang Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Energy, Peking University, Beijing100871, China.
² Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Central Laboratory of Geological Sciences, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing100083, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing100871, China.

Abstract

Earth has a prolonged history characterized by substantial cycling of matter and energy between multiple spheres. The production of organic carbon can be traced back to as early as ∼4.0 Ga, but the frequency and scale of organic-rich shales have varied markedly over geological time. In this paper, we discuss the organic carbon cycle and the development of black shale from the perspective of Earth System Science. We propose that black shale depositions are the results of interactions among lithospheric evolution, orbital forcing, weathering, photosynthesis and degradation. Black shales can record Earth's oxygenation process, provide petroleum and metallic mineral resources and reveal information about the driver, direction and magnitude of climate change. Future research on black shales should be expanded to encompass a more extensive and more multidimensional perspective.

Keywords: Earth System Science; black shale; carbon cycle; climate change; petroleum resource.