The Ca and Mg isotope record of the Cryogenian Trezona carbon isotope excursion

The Trezona carbon isotope excursion is recorded on five different continents in platform carbonates deposited prior to the end-Cryogenian Marinoan glaciation (>635 Ma) and represents a change in carbon isotope values of 16–18‰. In this study, we combine calcium, magnesium, and strontium isotope geochemistry with a numerical model of carbonate diagenesis to disentangle the degree to which the Trezona excursion reflects changes in global seawater chemistry versus local shallow-water platform environments. Our analysis demonstrates that the most extreme carbon isotope values (∼-10‰ versus +10‰) are preserved in former platform aragonite that was neomorphosed to calcite during sediment-buffered conditions and record the primary carbon isotope composition of platform-top surface waters. We also find that the nadir of the Trezona excursion is associated with a fractional increase in siliciclastic sediments, whereas the recovery from the excursion correlates with a relative increase in carbonate.