The Devonian Period (419 to 359 million years ago) was an interval of significant change in the Earth’s history. In particular, the proliferation of land plants and the evolution of trees led to the initiation of an ice-house climate by the end of the period. Using sedimentary rocks from Montana as a proxy to track the global carbon cycle, we can infer information about the climate and environment of the Devonian Age. Our study is focused on carbon isotopes stored in limestone rocks of the Jefferson Formation. We will also measure carbon isotopic values of organic carbon stored in these rocks, and pair this geochemical data with environmental interpretation based on the different rock types we observed. With this information, we can reconstruct the Devonian carbon cycle. Here we present some initial results about the processing of samples and reconstruction of environments.
