Seawater barium and sulfide removal improved marine habitability for the Cambrian Explosion of early animals.

An increase in atmospheric O has been proposed as a trigger for the Cambrian Explosion at ∼539-514 Ma but the mechanistic linkage remains unclear. To gain insights into marine habitability for the Cambrian Explosion, we analysed excess Ba contents (Ba) and isotope compositions (δBa) of ∼521-Myr-old metalliferous black shales in South China. The δBa values vary within a large range and show a negative logarithmic correlation with Ba, suggesting a major (>99%) drawdown of oceanic Ba inventory via barite precipitation. Spatial variations in Ba and δBa indicate that Ba removal was driven by sulfate availability that was ultimately derived from the upwelling of deep seawaters. Global oceanic oxygenation across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition may have increased the sulfate reservoir via oxidation of sulfide and concurrently decreased the Ba reservoir by barite precipitation. The removal of both HS and Ba that are deleterious to animals could have improved marine habitability for early animals.