3.7-Billion-Year-Old Rock Structures Formed by Tectonics, Not Life
10/17/2018
Scientists reevaluated evidence of life in 3.7-billion-year-old rock structures using improved imaging techniques and determined they were of geological origin, not biological origin as previously thought. The structures had been considered the earliest evidence for life on Earth.
The morphology, layering, mineralogy, chemistry, and geological context of the structures were originally attributed to the formation of microbial mats in a shallow marine environment 3.7 billion years ago at the start of Earth’s rock record. Previous studies of the rock samples employed millimeter scale information using laser ablation analysis to determine the origin of the formations.
In the more recent study, a team of scientists used micrometer X-ray florescence analysis at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) to reexamine the rock structures. The Submicron Resolution X-ray (SRX) beamline revealed crucial new evidence based on the elemental make-up of the rock structures. This evidence supports the conclusion that the rock formations are of non-biological origin.
Related Links
- BER Resource: Center for BioMolecular Structure
- Feature Story: 3.7-billion-year-old structures formed by tectonics, not life
References
A. Allwood, M. T. Rosing, D. T. Flannery, J. A. Hurowitz, C. M. Heirwegh. “Reassessing evidence of life in 3,700-million-year-old rocks of Greenland.” Nature 563, 241 (2018) [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0610-4]