Pre-Quaternary isotope palaeoclimatological and palaeoenvironmental studies: science or artifact?

This short paper points out discrepancies existing among different authors as regards the reliability of oxygen isotope measurements carried out on phosphates and/or carbonates ranging in age from Quaternary to Palaeozoic. Several authors are clearly in favour of extremely stable phosphor to oxygen and carbon to oxygen bonds, while other authors experimentally proved the opposite. These diverging positions are difficult to reconcile mainly because on the one hand there is experimental evidence of isotopic changes related to diagenetic processes while on the other there is essentially an act of faith on the strength of oxygen to phosphorus and oxygen to carbon bonds.