Oxidation of pyrite during extraction of carbonate associated sulfate

The sulfur isotopic composition of carbonate associated sulfate (CAS) has been used to investigate the geochemistry of ancient seawater sulfate. However, few studies have quantified the reliability of δ34S of CAS as a seawater sulfate proxy, especially with respect to later diagenetic overprinting. Pyrite, which typically has depleted δ34S values due to authigenic fractionation associated with bacterial sulfate reduction, is a common constituent of marine sedimentary rocks. The oxidation of pyrite, whether during diagenesis or sample preparation, could thus adversely influence the sulfur isotopic composition of CAS. Here, we report the results of CAS extractions using HCl and acetic acid with samples spiked with varying amounts of pyrite. The results show a very strong linear relationship between the abundance of fine-grained pyrite added to the sample and the resultant abundance and δ34S value of CAS. This data represents the first unequivocal evidence that pyrite is oxidized during the CAS extraction process. Our mixing models indicate that in samples with much less than 1 wt.% pyrite and relatively high δ34Spyrite values, the isotopic offset imparted by oxidation of pyrite should be much less than − 4‰. A wealth of literature exists on the oxidation of pyrite by Fe3+ and we believe this mechanism drives the oxidation of pyrite during CAS extraction, during which the oxygen used to form sulfate is taken from H2O, not O2. Consequently, extracting CAS under anaerobic conditions would only slow, but not halt, the oxidation of pyrite. Future studies of CAS should attempt to quantify pyrite abundance and isotopic composition.