Neogene continental denudation and the beryllium conundrum
Shilei Li, S. L. Goldstein, Maureen E. Raymo
Abstract
Significance Most weathering and denudation proxies are consistent with Cenozoic cooling being a consequence of increased CO 2 removal from the atmosphere by continental silicate weathering. Beryllium isotope ratios in the late Cenozoic seawater have been an exception that has been cited as falsifying this uplift–weathering hypothesis. This study presents a beryllium cycle model that reinterprets the beryllium isotope record and resolves the contradiction between the beryllium records and the other weathering proxies. The results are consistent with increased terrestrial erosion and weathering during the late Cenozoic. These results indicate an important role for geologic processes that compensate for CO 2 removal by continental weathering and prevent runaway cooling, such as enhanced oxidation of organic carbon, pyrite weathering, and/or reduced basalt weathering.