Peter
Brimblecombe and Alla Yu. Lein, eds., Evolution
of the Global Biogeochemical Sulphur Cycle
(New York: Wiley, 1990).
This book was published on behalf of the Scientific
Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE)
of the International Council of Scientific Unions
(ICSU). In Chapter One "Evolution of the
Sulphur Cycle in the Precambrian," M. Schidlowski
described the geochemical cycle of sulphur as
"one of those elemental cycles that appear
to be basically controlled by life processes."
He contributed research to show that this has
been over most of the Earth's history.
The sulphur cycle constitutes one of the most
striking examples of the impact the biosphere
has exerted on the chemistry of the Earth's
crust. Continuous biological processing of sulphur
is ultimately responsible for dividing its movement
from the surface environment to the rock strata--that
is between the cycle of an organic and an inorganic
reservoir. |