C-isotopic stratification in a Neoproterozoic postglacial ocean

We report C-isotopic data from the cap carbonate overlying the terminal Proterozoic Nantuo diamictites in south China. The C-isotopic measurements reveal a large C-isotopic gradient of ∼3‰ along paleoenvironmental transect from shelf to deep basinal sedimentary facies. The C-isotopic stratification may attribute to the effect of biological pumping in a postglacial ocean. Our results confirm that the sea-level rise was rapid and that atmospheric CO2 was significantly high immediately following deglaciation.