Filamentous microfossils in a 3,235-million-year-old volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit

Other

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

37

Scientific paper

The record of Archaean microfossils is sparse. Of the few bona fide fossil assemblages, most are from shallow-water settings, and they are typically associated with laminated, stromatolitic sedimentary rocks. Microfossils from deep-sea hydrothermal systems have not been reported in Precambrian rocks (>544 million years old), although thermophilic microbes are ubiquitous in modern sea-floor hydrothermal settings, and apparently have the most ancient lineages. Here, I report the discovery of pyritic filaments, the probable fossil remains of thread-like microorganisms, in a 3,235-million-year-old deep-sea volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit from the Pilbara Craton of Australia. From their mode of occurrence, the micro-organisms were probably thermophilic chemotropic prokaryotes, which inhabited sub-sea-floor hydrothermal environments. They represent the first fossil evidence for microbial life in a Precambrian submarine thermal spring system, and extend the known range of submarine hydrothermal biota by more than 2,700 million years. Such environments may have hosted the first living systems on Earth, consistent with proposals for a thermophilic origin of life.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Filamentous microfossils in a 3,235-million-year-old volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Filamentous microfossils in a 3,235-million-year-old volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Filamentous microfossils in a 3,235-million-year-old volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1246942

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.