Mantle degassing related to changing redox and thermal conditions during the Precambrian supercontinent cycle

The C-O-H cycling of the early shallow Earth is suggested to be closely related to mantle degassing and speciation processes. These processes are influenced by the mantle’s thermal and redox states, which have changed significantly in different mantle reservoirs during Earth’s protracted history. However, the link between speciation of C-O-H magmatic volatiles and the temporal changes of the mantle’s thermal and redox states in different mantle reservoirs remains elusive. We test this link through chemical equilibrium modeling of C-O-H magmatic volatiles to assess its influences on shallow C-O-H cycling and the oxidization history of the shallow Earth. We find that a rapid oxidization of Archean mantle related to recycling of oceanic crust, core-mantle material exchange, or evolution of primitive mantle redox heterogeneities can strongly reduce the fraction of reducing compositions (e.g., H2 and CH4) in volcanic gases, which then consumed less photosynthetic oxygen, leading to a net increase of atmospheric oxygen and triggering the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) at 2.4–2.3 Ga. After the GOE, mantle degassing at rifts, mid ocean ridges, and plumes became more oxidizing and thus triggered later atmospheric oxidation synchronous with supercontinent breakup. Our results support that the oxidation of the atmosphere in the Precambrian was influenced by mantle oxidation, upwelling and/or degassing, especially during the GOE.