This chapter outlines the principles and pitfalls of oxygen isotope stratigraphy, and presents a compilation of δ18O data representing 3.8 Ga of Earth history. The record is based on more than 64,000 analyses of Phanerozoic fossils and microfossils (carbonate and phosphate), including data for benthic foraminifera (N = 39,675), planktonic foraminifera (N = 10,800), belemnites (N = 4352), bivalves (N = 605), brachiopods (N = 4784), and conodonts and fish teeth (N = 3898), as well as 10,080 analyses of Precambrian rocks.

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