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Science 6 May 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5723, pp. 807 - 808
DOI: 10.1126/science.1110532
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Perspectives

GEOCHEMISTRY:
The Paradox of Mantle Redox

Catherine McCammon

Reduction and oxidation (redox) reactions play an important role in geological systems, such as Earth's mantle. In her Perspective, McCammon reviews recent advances toward understanding the oxidation state of the upper and the lower mantle. Apparently contradictory observations can be understood when one takes into account the ability of the most abundant minerals to take up iron in different oxidation states. The results shed light on how Earth's mantle became oxidized and may provide clues to the early history of our planet, including the rise of atmospheric oxygen.

The author is at Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universitaet Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440 Germany. E-mail: catherine.mccammon{at}uni-bayreuth.de

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