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Volcanic source for fixed nitrogen in the early Earth's atmosphere

2004; Geological Society of America; Volume: 32; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/g20679.1

1943-2682

Tamsin A. Mather, David M. Pyle, Andrew G. Allen,

Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis

Research Article| October 01, 2004 Volcanic source for fixed nitrogen in the early Earth's atmosphere Tamsin A. Mather; Tamsin A. Mather 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David M. Pyle; David M. Pyle 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Andrew G. Allen Andrew G. Allen 2University of Birmingham, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Tamsin A. Mather 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK David M. Pyle 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK Andrew G. Allen 2University of Birmingham, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 07 Jun 2004 Revision Received: 14 Jun 2004 Accepted: 16 Jun 2004 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2004) 32 (10): 905–908. https://doi.org/10.1130/G20679.1 Article history Received: 07 Jun 2004 Revision Received: 14 Jun 2004 Accepted: 16 Jun 2004 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Tamsin A. Mather, David M. Pyle, Andrew G. Allen; Volcanic source for fixed nitrogen in the early Earth's atmosphere. Geology 2004;; 32 (10): 905–908. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G20679.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Hot volcanic vents promote the thermal fixation of atmospheric N2 into biologically available forms. The importance of this process for the global nitrogen cycle is poorly understood. At Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, NO and NO2 are intimately associated with volcanic aerosol, such that NOx levels reach as much as an order of magnitude above local background. In-plume HNO3 concentrations are elevated above background to an even greater extent (≤50 μmol·m−3). We estimate the production efficiency of fixed nitrogen at hot vents to be ∼3 × 10−8 mol·J−1, implying present-day global production of ∼109 mol of fixed N per year. Although conversion efficiency would have been lower in a preoxygenated atmosphere, we suggest that subaerial volcanoes potentially constituted an important source of fixed nitrogen in the early Earth, producing as much as ∼1011 mol·yr−1 of fixed N during major episodes of volcanism. These fluxes are comparable to estimated nitrogen-fixation rates in the prebiotic Earth from other major sources such as bolide impacts and thunderstorm and volcanic lightning. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.