New picture of ancient ocean chemistry argues for chemically layered water

Biogeochemists have developed a dynamic three-dimensional model of Earth’s early ocean chemistry that can significantly advance our understanding of how early animal life evolved on the planet. Working on rock samples from the Doushantuo Formation, South China, the research team is the first to show that Earth’s early ocean chemistry during a large portion of the Ediacaran Period was far more complex than previously imagined.