87Sr/86Sr composition of seawater during the Phanerozoic

${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ measurements of 108 sedimentary carbonate rocks have been used to trace variations in the strontium isotopic composition of seawater during the Phanerozoic. The lowest ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr observed for any suite of carbonates is taken as the best approximation to the value in well-mixed contemporary seawater. Our data support the existence of low ${}^{87}\text{Sr}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ in the Cretaceous and Late Jurassic but they do not support further structure beyond a general trend through the Phanerozoic, which may correlate with the continental denudation rate.