A well-preserved stratigraphic record of the organic carbon
isotopic composition across the Precambrian–Cambrian transition
has been obtained from a sequence of entirely detrital rocks
underlying the Lublin Slope, East European Platform, Poland. The
observed δ13C pattern for organic carbon is
comparable to isotope data determined for coeval carbonate platform
sequences elsewhere. These results underline the truly global nature
of these secular variations within the carbon cycle during the
terminal Proterozoic and early Cambrian, largely independent of host
lithology and facies. The direct combination of micropalaeontological
and geochemical results from sedimentary organic matter allows a
detailed interpretation of the isotope record as probably caused by
secular changes in the net balance of burial and erosion rates of
repositories of organic carbon. Furthermore, these variations appear
to be directly correlatable with changes in the diversity and
abundance of the biota and radiation/extinction events.