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Whitings, or occurrences of fine-grained carbonate in the water column, have been observed in modern environments with salinities ranging from fresh to marine conditions, and thick deposits of lime mud are described throughout the geological record. Despite their ubiquity, the trigger for whitings has been debated for more than eighty years. Satellite data reveal that most whitings are restricted to the northwestern part of Great Bahama Bank (GBB) which occupies < 10% of the platform area. Even here, whitings are further focused. More than 35% of them occur in a zone which occupies just 1% of the platform. We propose a three-step process for the existence of this zone of peak whitings and why the whitings in it are both more frequent and larger in winter than summer. First, the temperature differential between on- and off-platform waters is highest in the winter, setting up a disparity between dissolved CO2 concentrations in the two water masses. Second, hydrodynamic mixing of these two water masses increases the degree of aragonite saturation of the platform-top waters, as colder on-platform waters with theoretically higher concentrations of dissolved gases are warmed via mixing with the warmer off-platform waters. Finally, spatial heterogeneity in the degree of aragonite saturation is higher in the winter, and the zone of peak whitings is situated in an area of locally enhanced saturation state. Hydrodynamic simulation suggests that the whitings zone is located by tidal inflow of off-platform waters across the western margin of GBB, as well as inflow from the Tongue of the Ocean to the north of Andros Island. Despite thermodynamic forcing mechanisms that predict higher frequency of whitings in the summer, the environmental, hydrodynamic, geochemical, and kinetic conditions in the whitings zone appear to support the Goldilocks configuration that enhances the formation of wintertime whitings on Great Bahama Bank. This phenomenon has implications for the interpretation of whitings mud in the geological record, including the geochemical signatures within it.

Saline lakes are known to be sensitive to changes in environmental conditions on a broad temporal scale. Therefore, variations in the mineralogical, geochemical, and sedimentological characteristics of these settings have often been interpreted to reflect oscillations in climatic conditions. However, recent work has shown that microbial communities can also influence the formation of carbonate and evaporite minerals in saline lake environments, especially in the salars of South America. Here, both abiotic and organomineralization pathways can be found to exist within the same salar environments, indicating a high degree of spatial heterogeneity of mineralization processes in such settings. Thus, the drivers of the resulting mineral assemblage can be complicated to disentangle through space and time. A process-level understanding of first-order controls on mineral assemblages can provide new insights into sedimentological dynamics of salar environments.Babel (2004) published a conceptual model based on marine-fed systems that established links between salinity and the style of gypsum mineral deposition. Based on field and laboratory analyses conducted on sediments in the Salar de Llamara, we adapted this model for a continental saline lake setting (Reid et al., 2021). In the present study, we aimed to test whether our salar-scale conceptual model was applicable more generally to continental saline lake environments. To accomplish this goal, we investigated a 15-year time series of electrical conductivity, a proxy for salinity, collected in five saline lake/wetland systems situated along the margin of the Salar de Atacama. Based on this dataset, we predicted the style and mineralogy of mineral deposition in each setting using our salar-scale conceptual model. Next, we compared our predictions with published field descriptions of the occurrences of biofilms, microbial mats, microbialites, and evaporite deposits in these lakes. Through a principal component analysis, we evaluated environmental characteristics such as electrical conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen as controls on mineral morphology and mineralogy.Results indicate that salinity is a first-order control on sedimentological expression in the lakes of the Salar de Atacama, although the transition between organomineralization pathways and physicochemical precipitation may occur at different salinity values than observed in other saline lake settings. Broadly in agreement with our model from the Salar de Llamara, granular precipitates of carbonate minerals formed within microbial mats were associated with environments characterized by low salinity, while microbial mats with laminated precipitates were found in settings with moderate salinity in the Salar de Atacama. High salinity environments contained crystalline bottom types characterized by selenitic morphology. Because some South American salars have been cited as living laboratories analogous to the ancient conditions that fostered the evolution of terrestrial and Martian life, these insights into mineralization are important. Improved constraints on the controls of carbonate and evaporite mineral deposition in saline lake environments will elucidate the definition of habitable environments, and provide a testing ground for the production and preservation of chemical and morphological biosignatures through time.

Although thought to be high-resolution archives of paleoenvironmental changes, subsurface sediments deposited in saline lakes situated in salar environments have rarely been studied. To address this knowledge gap, sediment cores of varying depths ranging from 0.42 to 2.2 meters were collected from four saline lakes along the eastern margin of the Salar de Atacama, Chile. Characterization included sedimentological descriptions of lithification, sedimentary structures (microbial mats and microbialites), and color, as well as discrete measurements of total organic carbon content. Radiocarbon analysis was conducted on organic matter in the sediments. The recovered subsurface lithologies were heterogenous in color, stratigraphic features, and age dates, especially when compared between the lakes. Intervals of coarser sediment in the Soncor system lakes Chaxa, Burros Muertos and Barros Negros, appeared to be crystalline and were likely precipitated during periods characterized by higher salinity lake waters. Sediment cores collected from the Soncor system were broadly characterized by low total organic carbon content and punctuated intervals of coarse grained material deeper in the core. In the core collected from Aguas de Quelana, variations in lithology and hardgrounds were commonly observed. In concert, these results suggest that the eastern periphery of the salar was impacted by changes in salinity and water depth as these wetland area experienced changes in extent as a result of changes in wet and dry periods. Radiocarbon dating conducted on organic matter sampled at 4 intervals from each core revealed ages that were significantly older than expected, possibly due to local reservoir effects and subsurface hydrological dynamics. There were five age reversals documented in the transect of cores suggesting that the sources of radiocarbon may have changed over time. Results indicate that the geologic records of saline lake environments are as heterogeneous through time as they are in space.

Organo-sedimentary structures built by benthic microbial communities, known as microbialites, dominated the fossil record for the first 3 billion years of Earth’s history. Various microbial metabolisms contribute to microbialite lithification, each of which can be based on biogeochemical cycling of elements capable of supporting life. Arsenic (As), a common element on the surface of Precambrian Earth, has been proposed to have supported the development of early life associated with the construction of primitive microbial carbonates. These As-based metabolisms have left evidence of their existence within the 2.7 Ga old Tumbiana stromatolites, showing the potential of this metalloid to serve as an archive of the dynamic interplay between microbes, minerals, and their environment of deposition throughout Earth’s history. However, significant changes in the geochemical composition of microbialites likely occur during early taphonomic modification and later diagenetic alteration. Therefore, establishing the mechanisms driving the arsenic geochemistry of ancient microbialites can be challenging.Motivated by these challenges, our objective was to evaluate the mechanisms controlling the initial incorporation of arsenic into actively accreting microbialites, as well as the preservation of the [As] signal during early taphonomic alteration of the structure. Hamelin Pool (Western Australia) is one of the few modern systems that host As-based metabolisms in the microbial communities involved in microbialite accretion. Conventional terminology recognizes four types of microbial mats that produce recognizable internal microfabrics in Hamelin Pool microbialites: pustular, smooth, colloform, and transitional mat types. Over time, these initial microfabrics all follow a similar evolution subdivided into two successive stages: (1) precipitation of micrite along laminations and around clots and; (2) precipitation of aragonitic marine cement. Therefore, Hamelin Pool microbialite fabrics provide a unique and step-wise window into the processes that form ancient microfabrics, particularly highlighting the importance of their early taphonomic evolution in the fate of the As biosignal originally incorporated during initial accretion of the structure.Based on microbialites collected from Hamelin Pool that have been characterized petrographically, we evaluated the evolution of [As] recorded in the Hamelin Pool microbialites at all stages of deposition and early taphonomic modifications. Results were interpreted in relation to the distinct microbial mats and their metabolisms, as well as the physicochemical and geological variability of the depositional environment. To accomplish this, we conducted a sequential leaching experiment to chemically isolate the organic matter and carbonate fractions, and measured As concentrations on a triple-quadrupole inductively coupled mass spectrometer (Agilent 8900 ICP-QQQ). Preliminary results show that elevated As concentrations are initially incorporated into microbial organic matter before being transferred to the carbonate fraction through successive stages of early taphonomic alteration. Because the carbonate fraction is diagenetically more resistant than the organic matter, this discovery could have major implications for the preservation of geochemical biosignatures in the geological record of microbialites. Our results serve as a first step towards improving the utility of [As] as an indicator of biogenicity in the fossil record of early Earth and, possibly, other planets such as Mars.

Reduction of intestinal lumen osmotic pressure by the formation of Ca(Mg)CO3, “ichthyocarbonate,” is essential for osmoregulation by the only vertebrate group, ray-finned fishes, widely capable of hydrating by ingesting seawater. Ichthyocarbonate formation and excretion are under elaborate physiological control and play an important, yet still poorly defined, role in the oceanic carbon cycle.

Reputed to be the driest desert in the world, the Atacama Desert in the Central Andes of Northern Chile is an extreme environment with high UV radiation, wide temperature variation, and minimum precipitation. Scarce lagoons associated with salt flats (salars) in this desert are the surface expression of shallow groundwater; these ponds serve as refugia for life and often host microbial communities associated with evaporitic mineral deposition. Results based on multidisciplinary field campaigns and associated laboratory examination of samples collected from the Puquios of the Salar de Llamara in the Atacama Desert during austral summer provide unprecedented detail regarding the spatial heterogeneity of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of these salar environments. Four main lagoons (‘Puquios’) and more than 400 smaller ponds occur within an area less than 5 km2, and are characterized by high variability in electrical conductivity, benthic and planktonic biota, microbiota, lagoon bottom type, and style of mineral deposition. Results suggest that electrical conductivity is a driving force of system heterogeneity. Such spatial heterogeneity within the Puquios is likely to be expanded with temporal observations incorporating expected seasonal changes in electrical conductivity. The complexity of these Andean ecosystems may be key to their ability to persist in extreme environments at the edge of habitability.

Meteoric and mixing-zone diagenesis can dramatically alter the geochemical signatures of shallow marine carbonates. Most preserved pre-Cretaceous carbonates were deposited in shallow marine environments and thus may have been susceptible to meteoric and mixing-zone diagenesis. However, a quantitative understanding of how the geochemical composition of carbonates changes during diagenesis still requires further development. Here, we present a new two-dimensional (2D) reactive transport model coupled with a 2D coastal hydrology model to simulate carbonate diagenesis and provide insights into its impact on the isotopic and elemental compositions of carbonates in the geological record. Using this model, we have simulated the stratigraphic trends and relationship between isotopic records (for example, δ13C and δ18O values) observed in modern (Recent-Miocene) sections where the impact of meteoric diagenesis has been clearly characterized. Our model can also reproduce anomalous Neoproterozoic carbonate geochemical profiles where the effects of meteoric diagenesis have been debated. Further, our model indicates that linear carbonate C-O isotope co-variations can either be generated in the mixing zone between freshwater and marine pore waters, or in the freshwater phreatic zone with a downward decrease in recrystallization (with no net carbonate dissolution or precipitation) rate. In addition, numerous processes were observed to decouple δ18Ocarb values from other isotopic and elemental signatures during carbonate diagenesis, indicating that a lack of linear correlation between δ18Ocarb values and other geochemical variables does not necessarily suggest limited meteoric alteration. Sensitivity analyses show that the steady-state timescale is controlled by compositional differences between fluid endmembers, the calcite-water element distribution coefficient, the recrystallization rate, porosity, and the groundwater discharge rate. Given that reactive transport models have proven to be powerful theoretical tools in many disciplines of Earth sciences, our hope is that this model will promote a more quantitative understanding of meteoric and mixing zone diagenesis of marine carbonates.

Despite the harsh environmental conditions in the world's oldest and driest desert, some salt flat or 'salar' environments in the Atacama Desert host standing bodies of water known as saline lakes. Evaporite minerals deposited within saline lakes result from the equilibrium of environmental, sedimentological, and biogeochemical processes that occur in the salar; consequently, these minerals are sensitive records of human activities and ecological, evolutionary, and geological changes. The objective of this study was to evaluate feedbacks between physical, chemical, and microbial processes that culminate in distinct trends in brine chemistry, saline lake morphology, and associated evaporite sediments. Using samples from the Puquios of the Salar de Llamara, Atacama Desert, northern Chile, an analysis of spatial gradients and vertical stratification of lake elemental chemistry and mineral saturation indices were integrated with a comprehensive analysis of lake morphology, including depth, slope gradient, substrate type, and mineralogy. Lake waters ranged from saline to hypersaline, and exhibited normal, well mixed and inverse stratification patterns, and results suggest a correlation with lake morphology in the Salar de Llamara. Saline to hypersaline lakes (150 mS/cm) with stratified brines tended to have crystalline substrate and deep (35 cm) and steep-sided lake morphologies, while unstratified lakes with lower electrical conductivity (90 mS/cm and microbial substrates had gentle slopes and characteristically shallow depths (30 cm). Differences in minor element chemistry (Mn and Sr) between saline lakes were observed on scales of meters to kilometers, and result in different accessory mineral assemblages. Quantification of the physical, chemical, and microbial feedbacks that produce the observed heterogeneity in these ecosystems provides key insight into the geochemical composition and lake morphology of saline lakes in extreme environments around the world.

Recent studies recognized distinct stromatolite provinces in Hamelin Pool, Western Australia, each with morphologically distinct stromatolite structures paired with characteristic shelf physiography. In the present paper, we couple detailed lithofacies mapping with Hamelin Pool bathymetry and consider physiography as a control of sedimentation processes, including stromatolite development. Bathymetric transects, derived from a high-resolution bathymetry map with depths from 0 to 11 meters, allow calculation of slope gradients in the provinces. As in other settings, bathymetry is linked to energy regimes, which in turn appear to be coupled with variations in stromatolite morphologies and associated lithofacies as follows: (1) low-gradient ramps with low-energy settings are associated with sheet mats and elongate-clustered stromatolites that exhibit regular spatial patterns, possibly indicative of self-organization; (2) low gradients coupled with high-energy settings resulting from strong winds result in seif stromatolites with pronounced directional bands; (3) medium to steep gradients coupled with medium to high energy are associated with individual and merged stromatolites, often with thin basal necks; (4) headlands and promontories where the topography deflects currents are associated with elongate-nested stromatolites; and (5) medium- to high-energy slopes typically found at promontory edges and shelf margins are dominated by blocky pavement. Observations linking stromatolite morphology to physiography in a modern microbial system provide insight into the long-lived debate about biology versus environment in controlling stromatolite morphology. When physiography leads to a high-energy regime, environmental controls are the main factor determining stromatolite morphology. In contrast, when physiography promotes a low-energy environment, the response of biological communities becomes the main driver of macroscale stromatolite morphology.

Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Skeletal and non-skeletal components of marine sedimentary rocks have been analyzed for the purpose of reconstructing the rare earth element (REE) and yttrium (Y) compositions of paleo-seawater, but skeletal carbonates frequently have proven to be unreliable recorders of seawater chemistry. Here, we present a systematic multi-technique assessment of rare earth and other trace elements in ooid sands from the modern Great Bahama Bank (GBB–marine) and Great Salt Lake (GSL–continental) based on strong-acid (hydrofluoric and nitric) and weak-acid (acetic) digestions, as well as laser ablation (LA) of ooid cortices and nuclei. The results show that Bahamian ooid cortices possess shale-normalized REE + Y features nearly identical to those of shallow seawater, including limited contamination from siliciclastic REEs. An admixture of even 0.2% of detritally sourced material can modify the primary marine REE + Y patterns by, for example, increasing the light REE (LREE) content. Mean values of LA data for Bahamian ooid cortices exhibit similar REE + Y signatures to those produced by acetic acid digestion, but LA data are generally noisier, primarily as a result of low REE concentrations and the small volume of carbonate ablated in analysis. Screening out samples with ΣREE 0.9 ppm) returns a flat pattern, suggesting similar degrees of LREE depletion controlled by carbonate complexation under similar aqueous alkalinity conditions in Great Salt Lake and Bahamian waters. In summary, ooids can be a reliable proxy for REE + Y characteristics of ambient surficial waters when adopting suitable analytical methods, including laser ablation, that allow the identification and isolation of a contamination signal from siliciclastic detritus.

The Atacama Desert, Central Andes of Northern Chile, is an extreme environment characterized by high UV radiation, wide temperature variation, minimum precipitation and is reputed as the driest desert in the world. Scarce lagoons associated with salt flats (salars) in this desert are the surface expression of shallow groundwater which serve as refugia for life, and often host microbial communities associated with evaporitic mineral deposition. Recent investigations of the Puquios of the Salar de Llamara in the Atacama Desert based on multidisciplinary field studies provide unprecedented detail regarding the spatial heterogeneity of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of such saline lake environments. Four main lagoons (‘Puquios’) and more than 400 smaller ponds, occur in an area less than 5 km2, are characterized by high variability in electrical conductivity, benthic and planktonic biota and microbiota, lagoon bottom type, and style of mineral deposition. The heterogeneity of system parameters as observed spatially in the Puquios is likely to be expanded with temporal observations incorporating seasonality. Results provide new insight into the complexity of these Andean ecosystems, which may be key to resilience in extreme environments at the edge of habitability.

A positive correlation between the δ13C and δ18O values of carbonate rocks is a screening tool widely used to identify the overprint of meteoric diagenesis on the original isotopic composition of a sample. In particular, it has been suggested that systematic change from negative to positive δ13C and δ18O values with increasing depth in the core is an indicator of alteration within the zone of mixing between meteoric and marine waters. In this paper, we propose that such covariance is not generated within the traditionally defined mixing zone, and that positive correlations between δ13C and δ18O values in marine carbonates are not necessarily indicators of meteoric alteration. This new interpretation is based on data collected from the shallow sub-surface of the Bahamas, a region unequivocally influenced by meteoric waters to depths of at least 200 m below the current sediment-water interface. The classic interpretation of the diagenetic environments, based on changes in the δ13C and δ18O values, would suggest the maximum penetration of freshwater occurs between 65 and 100 m below seafloor. Below these depths, a strong positive covariation between the δ13C and δ18O values exists, and would traditionally be defined as the mixing zone. However, based upon known changes in sea level, the penetration of the freshwater lens extends significantly below this limit. We contend that the zone showing covariance of δ13C and δ18O values is actually altered within the freshwater lens, and not the mixing zone as previously proposed. The co-varying trend in δ13C and δ18O values is the result of diagenetic processes occurring at the interface between vadose and phreatic zones. Significantly greater rates of recrystallization and neomorphism are driven by the increased rates of oxidation of organic matter at this transition with progressively less alteration occurring with increasing depth. As sea level oscillates, the position of this interface moves through the deposit, causing cumulative alteration throughout the section. Hence, we propose that the covariation between δ13C and δ18O values is a consequence of varying degrees of alteration, rather than the result of diagenesis occurring within the zone where marine and freshwater fluids mix. Furthermore, within the pervasively altered vadose zone, there is little correlation between δ13C and δ18O values, and therefore covariation between δ13C and δ18O values is not an unequivocal indicator of meteoric diagenesis.

The deposition of phosphorus (P) from African dust is believed to play an important role in bolstering primary productivity in the Amazon Basin and Tropical Atlantic Ocean (TAO), leading to sequestration of carbon dioxide. However, there are few measurements of African dust in South America that can robustly test this hypothesis and even fewer measurements of soluble P, which is readily available for stimulating primary production in the ocean. To test this hypothesis, we measured total and soluble P in long-range transported aerosols collected in Cayenne, French Guiana, a TAO coastal site located at the northeastern edge of the Amazon. Our measurements confirm that in boreal spring when African dust transport is greatest, dust supplies the majority of P, of which 5% is soluble. In boreal fall, when dust transport is at an annual minimum, we measured unexpectedly high concentrations of soluble P, which we show is associated with the transport of biomass burning (BB) from southern Africa. Integrating our results into a chemical transport model, we show that African BB supplies up to half of the P deposited annually to the Amazon from transported African aerosol. This observational study links P-rich BB aerosols from Africa to enhanced P deposition in the Amazon. Contrary to current thought, we also show that African BB is a more important source of soluble P than dust to the TAO and oceans in the Southern Hemisphere and may be more important for marine productivity, particularly in boreal summer and fall.

The Ediacaran was a period of intense environmental change in Earth history. Transient pulses of oxygenation and shifts in ocean chemistry have been interpreted from a range of geochemical proxies, including rare earth elements and yttrium (REY), but it is still a challenge to reconstruct paleoceanographic conditions due to the scarcity of reliable recorder. In this study, we explore the possibility that a newly-discovered deposit of giant ooids in the Nanshanping outcrop in South China contains a relatively intact record of the REE composition of Ediacaran seawater, providing an important window into the redox state of the surface ocean at this time. These ooids are relatively large in size (~1–6 mm), and exhibit densely banded laminae. A regional chemostratigraphic correlation shows that the giant-ooid-bearing succession in South China is in the upper part of the second Ediacaran positive carbon isotopic shift (EP2), and thus its occurrence was not associated with the Shuram Excursion. Additionally, the occurrences of giant-ooid-bearing oolites in different blocks were not synchronous during the middle Ediacaran. In-situ laser ablation analysis of giant-ooid cortices reveals that the shale-normalized REY patterns are similar to those of modern seawater, including depleted light REEs, superchondritic Y/Ho ratios, and positive La anomalies. Yet, no Ce anomalies (1.0 ± 0.15) in numerous ooid cortices seems to indicate a suboxidized condition of surface ocean in South China at that time. The petrographic and geochemical evidence support the weak diagenetic alteration of the pure giant ooids during burial. They formed in open-ocean settings with energetic hydrodynamic environments and were affected by early dolomitization that might preserve mostly original petrographic fabrics and REY signatures from further diagenetic overprinting. The characteristics of Ce anomalies and REY compositions acquired from the giant ooids indicate that the surface ocean was suboxidized in South China during the late stage of EP2, implying the very low atmospheric O2 level at that time. Our results suggest that giant ooids may be a reliable analytical target that provide a snapshot into palaeoceanographic conditions during this crucial period of dynamic changes in early Earth history.

Ooid formation remains elusive despite their importance as palaeoclimatic indicators and important contributors to global carbonate budget. Based on stable isotopes, nutrient and elemental analyses on solid components and ooidal leachates, this study supports the notion of microbial involvement in the development of ooids from Great Bahama Bank. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses on organic fractions identified geochemical signatures of microbial activity. The δ13C values for organic carbon in the bulk (−11·9 to −16·9‰); intercrystalline/intracrystalline (−11·9 to 16·7‰); and intracrystalline phases (−12·4 to −17·7‰) were similar and, except for the more enriched values of ooids from Butterfly Beach, were within the range of photosynthesisers. The δ15N values for the bulk (+0·5 to −0·2‰); intercrystalline/intracrystalline (−0·3‰ to −0·7‰) and intracrystalline organic matter (−0·3 to −1·7‰) showed a narrow range consistent with nitrogen fixation. While positive δ15N and δ18O values of the leached from the ooids provided evidence of denitrification, the carbonate associated sulphate δ34SCAS of the bulk sediments (+19·2 to +19·6‰) and δ34S of the leachates (+16·6 to +18·3‰) provided weak indication of sulphate reduction, suggesting either that high concentrations of isotopically enriched S are overriding bio-signatures of sulphate reduction or that microbes are preferentially using as an electron acceptor. In contrast, the elevated sulphate concentrations of the leachates suggest the occurrence of microbial sulphide oxidation within ooids. The high Mg/Ca of the leachates and scanning electron microscope analyses provide putative evidence of amorphous calcium carbonate and a formative role in CaCO3 precipitation. Together, these findings indicate that a redox dependent microbial consortium may influence CaCO3 precipitation in the form of ooid accretion, cementation and micritization. It is also inferred that ooid deposits are not suitable indicators of palaeoclimate because ooids are affected throughout their life by a complex chain of abiotic and biological processes which can lead to large geochemical offsets.

The enigma of the Bahamas is that this highly productive carbonate system has existed for at least 100 m.y., building a vast edifice of carbonates, thousands of meters thick, in an essentially nutrientpoor environment. Based on measurements of the insoluble material, the Fe and Mn in the carbonate fraction, and the d 15 N of the sedimentary organic matter, we suggest a paradigm shift in order to explain the formation of the Bahamas and possibly other similar platforms. We propose that the Great Bahama Bank is currently, and may in the past have been, fertilized by atmospheric dust, promoting the fixation of atmospheric N 2 by cyanobacteria. These cyanobacteria provided a source of nitrogen to the rest of the community in this nutrient-poor environment. The fixation of N has imparted a characteristic d 15 N signal and has been responsible, through the drawdown of CO 2 , for initiating the precipitation of carbonate in the shallow waters. This phenomenon might be responsible for the formation of vast amounts of sediments in the oceans, not only within recent times, but throughout geological history, particularly in the early history of the Earth prior to the existence of calcium carbonate–secr eting organisms.

In pelagic carbonate sediments, the degree to which the δ13C values of inorganic and organic fractions co-vary has been used to interpret rates of production, burial and decomposition of organic carbon. This relationship is relatively consistent through time, permitting estimates of organic carbon production and preservation. However, as the majority of pelagic sediments older than 200 Myr have been subducted, carbonate sediments deposited in epeiric seas and platforms are often substituted for pelagic carbonates in analyses of ancient global carbon cycling. There are well-known pitfalls to using shallow marine carbonate materials, including diagenesis, semi-isolation of depositional environments and input of different types of sediments with varying inorganic δ13C (δ13Cinorganic) values, which can obscure any global signatures. One method used to assess whether global changes in δ13C are accurately represented by δ13Cinorganic records is to examine variations in the δ13C of co-occurring organic material (δ13Corganic). If a δ13Corganic record co-varies with a co-occurring δ13Cinorganic record, it is argued that the signals must be related to variations in the global carbon cycle. This assumption has been investigated by analysing the isotopic composition of the organic carbon preserved in the uppermost 150 m of periplatform sediments recovered during ODP Leg 166 from the western margin of Great Bahama Bank. The δ13Corganic values measured in this study were compared to previously published δ13Cinorganic records measured on identical samples, thus allowing a study of the correlation between the two records through time. These analyses showed that the correlation coefficient between δ13Cinorganic and δ13Corganic increased from the proximal location (Site 1005, r2 = 0·1), to the distal site (Site 1006, r2 = 0·63). The importance of platform-derived carbonate and organic material at the proximal location, Site 1005, is reflected in the absence of a co-variation between inorganic and organic δ13C records, which exhibit no correlation on the platform itself. In contrast, the co-variance in δ13C values at the basinal location, Site 1006, is explained by a two-point mixing model, which demonstrates the importance of both pelagic and platform-derived carbonate and organic carbon in generating the positive correlation between the organic and inorganic δ13C values; this results in a correlation between δ13Cinorganic and δ13Corganic records at Site 1006 that is unrelated to global carbon cycling. Such data question the applicability of using δ13Corganic values to support the ability of δ13Cinorganic values to record global carbon cycling in carbonates recovered from environments where multiple sources of carbonate and organic carbon contribute to the bulk δ13C signal.