The deep Earth oxygen cycle: Mass balance considerations on the origin and evolution of mantle and surface oxidative reservoirs

The deep Earth oxygen cycle addresses the origin and long-term exchange of oxidized species between the mantle and exosphere and creates the geochemical context in which the interior and surface environment have evolved. The redox power of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) can be measured in terms of its redox budget, RB, relative to a reference state of the predominant valences of redox-sensitive elements in the mantle. 82±4% (1.9±0.5 × 1023 moles) of the redox power resides in the mantle and 18±4% (4.2±0.5 × 1022 moles) in the exosphere. Vigorous outfluxes of oxidized species from the mantle (3.8±0.7 × 1013 mol/yr) can replenish the exosphere reservoir in 1.1±0.2 Ga, which requires efficient long-term recycling of redox power via subduction. Within uncertainties, recent (last 200 Ma) mantle RB outfluxes and subduction influxes (4.9±1.3 × 1013 mol/yr) are balanced, but outfluxes likely exceeded influxes earlier in Earth history. CO2 is 66±20% of the RB outfluxes but only 24±13% of the influxes. This is largely because of conjugate intervalence reactions; one in the shallow mantle creates carbonate at the expense of Fe2O3 and the other creates Fe2O3 from CO2 on the surface by a combination of organic carbon fixation and oxidative weathering.