Terrestrial sources as the primary delivery mechanism of mercury to the oceans across the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (Early Jurassic)

This study evaluates the utility of sedimentary mercury (Hg) contents as a proxy for fingerprinting ancient massive volcanism, which is often associated with biogeochemical perturbations. Herein we present new Hg geochemical data from anoxic marine basins across the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE; ∼183 Ma) as a test of the complex Hg cycle. The T-OAE was likely initiated by the main eruptive phase of the Karoo–Ferrar large igneous...