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Al Asad M, Lau HCP. Coupled fates of Earth's mantle and core: Early sluggish-lid tectonics and a long-lived geodynamo. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadp1991. [PMID: 39093968 PMCID: PMC11296345 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp1991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Conventional Earth evolution models are unable to simultaneously reproduce two fundamental observations: the mantle's secular temperature record and a long-lived geodynamo before inner core nucleation. Today, plate tectonics efficiently cools the mantle, but if assumed to operate throughout Earth's history, past mantle temperature and plate motion become unrealistically high. Through coupled core-mantle modeling that self-consistently predicts multiple mantle convection regimes, we show that over most of the Precambrian, Earth likely operated in a distinct "sluggish-lid" tectonic mode, characterized by partial decoupling between the lithosphere and mantle. This dominant early regime is due to a hotter Earth and the presence of the asthenosphere. This mode regulates the core-mantle boundary heat flow, which powers the geodynamo before inner core nucleation. Both sluggish-lid tectonics and a long-lived dynamo demonstrate the inextricably connected paths of the core-mantle system. Moreover, our simulations simultaneously satisfy diverse geological observations and are consistent with emerging interpretations of such records.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manar Al Asad
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, 324 Brook St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Department of Earth & Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, 307 McCone Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Harriet C. P. Lau
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, 324 Brook St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
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2
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Rodriguez LE, Altair T, Hermis NY, Jia TZ, Roche TP, Steller LH, Weber JM. Chapter 4: A Geological and Chemical Context for the Origins of Life on Early Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:S76-S106. [PMID: 38498817 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Within the first billion years of Earth's history, the planet transformed from a hot, barren, and inhospitable landscape to an environment conducive to the emergence and persistence of life. This chapter will review the state of knowledge concerning early Earth's (Hadean/Eoarchean) geochemical environment, including the origin and composition of the planet's moon, crust, oceans, atmosphere, and organic content. It will also discuss abiotic geochemical cycling of the CHONPS elements and how these species could have been converted to biologically relevant building blocks, polymers, and chemical networks. Proposed environments for abiogenesis events are also described and evaluated. An understanding of the geochemical processes under which life may have emerged can better inform our assessment of the habitability of other worlds, the potential complexity that abiotic chemistry can achieve (which has implications for putative biosignatures), and the possibility for biochemistries that are vastly different from those on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Rodriguez
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, Texas, USA. (Current)
| | - Thiago Altair
- Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA. (Current)
| | - Ninos Y Hermis
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Physics and Space Sciences, University of Granada, Granada Spain. (Current)
| | - Tony Z Jia
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Tyler P Roche
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Luke H Steller
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Jessica M Weber
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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3
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Schaible MJ, Szeinbaum N, Bozdag GO, Chou L, Grefenstette N, Colón-Santos S, Rodriguez LE, Styczinski MJ, Thweatt JL, Todd ZR, Vázquez-Salazar A, Adams A, Araújo MN, Altair T, Borges S, Burton D, Campillo-Balderas JA, Cangi EM, Caro T, Catalano E, Chen K, Conlin PL, Cooper ZS, Fisher TM, Fos SM, Garcia A, Glaser DM, Harman CE, Hermis NY, Hooks M, Johnson-Finn K, Lehmer O, Hernández-Morales R, Hughson KHG, Jácome R, Jia TZ, Marlow JJ, McKaig J, Mierzejewski V, Muñoz-Velasco I, Nural C, Oliver GC, Penev PI, Raj CG, Roche TP, Sabuda MC, Schaible GA, Sevgen S, Sinhadc P, Steller LH, Stelmach K, Tarnas J, Tavares F, Trubl G, Vidaurri M, Vincent L, Weber JM, Weng MM, Wilpiszeki RL, Young A. Chapter 1: The Astrobiology Primer 3.0. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:S4-S39. [PMID: 38498816 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The Astrobiology Primer 3.0 (ABP3.0) is a concise introduction to the field of astrobiology for students and others who are new to the field of astrobiology. It provides an entry into the broader materials in this supplementary issue of Astrobiology and an overview of the investigations and driving hypotheses that make up this interdisciplinary field. The content of this chapter was adapted from the other 10 articles in this supplementary issue and thus represents the contribution of all the authors who worked on these introductory articles. The content of this chapter is not exhaustive and represents the topics that the authors found to be the most important and compelling in a dynamic and changing field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micah J Schaible
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Nadia Szeinbaum
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - G Ozan Bozdag
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Luoth Chou
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Natalie Grefenstette
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Stephanie Colón-Santos
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Laura E Rodriguez
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, Texas, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - M J Styczinski
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Jennifer L Thweatt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Zoe R Todd
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Alberto Vázquez-Salazar
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Alyssa Adams
- Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - M N Araújo
- Biochemistry Department, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Thiago Altair
- Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA
| | | | - Dana Burton
- Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
| | | | - Eryn M Cangi
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Tristan Caro
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Enrico Catalano
- Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | - Kimberly Chen
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Peter L Conlin
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Z S Cooper
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Theresa M Fisher
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Santiago Mestre Fos
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Amanda Garcia
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - D M Glaser
- Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Chester E Harman
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ninos Y Hermis
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Physics and Space Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - M Hooks
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - K Johnson-Finn
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Owen Lehmer
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Ricardo Hernández-Morales
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Kynan H G Hughson
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Rodrigo Jácome
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Tony Z Jia
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jeffrey J Marlow
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jordan McKaig
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Veronica Mierzejewski
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Israel Muñoz-Velasco
- Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ceren Nural
- Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gina C Oliver
- Department of Geology, San Bernardino Valley College, San Bernardino, California, USA
| | - Petar I Penev
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Chinmayee Govinda Raj
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Tyler P Roche
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Mary C Sabuda
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - George A Schaible
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Serhat Sevgen
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Erdemli, Mersin, Turkey
| | - Pritvik Sinhadc
- BEYOND: Center For Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, Arizona, USA
- Dubai College, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Luke H Steller
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Kamil Stelmach
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - J Tarnas
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Frank Tavares
- Space Enabled Research Group, MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gareth Trubl
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA
| | - Monica Vidaurri
- Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Lena Vincent
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jessica M Weber
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | | | - Amber Young
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
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Tarduno JA, Cottrell RD, Bono RK, Rayner N, Davis WJ, Zhou T, Nimmo F, Hofmann A, Jodder J, Ibañez-Mejia M, Watkeys MK, Oda H, Mitra G. Hadaean to Palaeoarchaean stagnant-lid tectonics revealed by zircon magnetism. Nature 2023; 618:531-536. [PMID: 37316722 PMCID: PMC10266976 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06024-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plate tectonics is a fundamental factor in the sustained habitability of Earth, but its time of onset is unknown, with ages ranging from the Hadaean to Proterozoic eons1-3. Plate motion is a key diagnostic to distinguish between plate and stagnant-lid tectonics, but palaeomagnetic tests have been thwarted because the planet's oldest extant rocks have been metamorphosed and/or deformed4. Herein, we report palaeointensity data from Hadaean-age to Mesoarchaean-age single detrital zircons bearing primary magnetite inclusions from the Barberton Greenstone Belt of South Africa5. These reveal a pattern of palaeointensities from the Eoarchaean (about 3.9 billion years ago (Ga)) to Mesoarchaean (about 3.3 Ga) eras that is nearly identical to that defined by primary magnetizations from the Jack Hills (JH; Western Australia)6,7, further demonstrating the recording fidelity of select detrital zircons. Moreover, palaeofield values are nearly constant between about 3.9 Ga and about 3.4 Ga. This indicates unvarying latitudes, an observation distinct from plate tectonics of the past 600 million years (Myr) but predicted by stagnant-lid convection. If life originated by the Eoarchaean8, and persisted to the occurrence of stromatolites half a billion years later9, it did so when Earth was in a stagnant-lid regime, without plate-tectonics-driven geochemical cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Tarduno
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
- Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
- Geological Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
| | - Rory D Cottrell
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Richard K Bono
- Geomagnetism Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Nicole Rayner
- Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - William J Davis
- Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tinghong Zhou
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Francis Nimmo
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Axel Hofmann
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - Jaganmoy Jodder
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | | | - Michael K Watkeys
- Geological Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Hirokuni Oda
- Research Institute of Geology and Geoinformation, Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Gautam Mitra
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
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5
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Tian S, Ding X, Qi Y, Wu F, Cai Y, Gaschnig RM, Xiao Z, Lv W, Rudnick RL, Huang F. Dominance of felsic continental crust on Earth after 3 billion years ago is recorded by vanadium isotopes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220563120. [PMID: 36893277 PMCID: PMC10243130 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220563120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The transition from mafic to felsic upper continental crust (UCC) is crucial to habitability of Earth, and may be related to the onset of plate tectonics. Thus, defining when this crustal transition occurred has great significance for the evolution of Earth and its inhabitants. We demonstrate that V isotope ratios (reported as δ51V) provide insights into this transition because they correlate positively with SiO2 and negatively with MgO contents during igneous differentiation in both subduction zones and intraplate settings. Because δ51V is not affected by chemical weathering and fluid-rock interactions, δ51V of the fine-grained matrix of Archean to Paleozoic (3 to 0.3 Ga) glacial diamictite composites, which sample the UCC at the time of glaciation, reflect the chemical composition of the UCC through time. The δ51V values of glacial diamictites systematically increase with time, indicating a dominantly mafic UCC at ~3 Ga; the UCC was dominated by felsic rocks only after 3 Ga, coinciding with widespread continental emergence and many independent estimates for the onset of plate tectonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengyu Tian
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui230026, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Xin Ding
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui230026, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Yuhan Qi
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui230026, China
| | - Fei Wu
- School of Earth Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan430074, China
| | - Yue Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Nanjing210008, China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing210008, China
| | - Richard M. Gaschnig
- Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA01854
| | - Zicong Xiao
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui230026, China
| | - Weixin Lv
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui230026, China
| | - Roberta L. Rudnick
- Department of Earth Science, University of California–Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Earth Research Institution, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Fang Huang
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui230026, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
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6
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Westall F, Brack A, Fairén AG, Schulte MD. Setting the geological scene for the origin of life and continuing open questions about its emergence. FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES 2023; 9:1095701. [PMID: 38274407 PMCID: PMC7615569 DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2022.1095701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The origin of life is one of the most fundamental questions of humanity. It has been and is still being addressed by a wide range of researchers from different fields, with different approaches and ideas as to how it came about. What is still incomplete is constrained information about the environment and the conditions reigning on the Hadean Earth, particularly on the inorganic ingredients available, and the stability and longevity of the various environments suggested as locations for the emergence of life, as well as on the kinetics and rates of the prebiotic steps leading to life. This contribution reviews our current understanding of the geological scene in which life originated on Earth, zooming in specifically on details regarding the environments and timescales available for prebiotic reactions, with the aim of providing experimenters with more specific constraints. Having set the scene, we evoke the still open questions about the origin of life: did life start organically or in mineralogical form? If organically, what was the origin of the organic constituents of life? What came first, metabolism or replication? What was the time-scale for the emergence of life? We conclude that the way forward for prebiotic chemistry is an approach merging geology and chemistry, i.e., far-from-equilibrium, wet-dry cycling (either subaerial exposure or dehydration through chelation to mineral surfaces) of organic reactions occurring repeatedly and iteratively at mineral surfaces under hydrothermal-like conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - André Brack
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France
| | - Alberto G. Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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7
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Stone J, Edgar JO, Gould JA, Telling J. Tectonically-driven oxidant production in the hot biosphere. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4529. [PMID: 35941147 PMCID: PMC9360021 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32129-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic reconstructions of the common ancestor to all life have identified genes involved in H2O2 and O2 cycling. Commonly dismissed as an artefact of lateral gene transfer after oxygenic photosynthesis evolved, an alternative is a geological source of H2O2 and O2 on the early Earth. Here, we show that under oxygen-free conditions high concentrations of H2O2 can be released from defects on crushed silicate rocks when water is added and heated to temperatures close to boiling point, but little is released at temperatures <80 °C. This temperature window overlaps the growth ranges of evolutionary ancient heat-loving and oxygen-respiring Bacteria and Archaea near the root of the Universal Tree of Life. We propose that the thermal activation of mineral surface defects during geological fault movements and associated stresses in the Earth’s crust was a source of oxidants that helped drive the (bio)geochemistry of hot fractures where life first evolved. Researchers at Newcastle University have discovered a mechanism by which earthquakes create bursts of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen in hot underground fractures. These may have played a vital role in the early evolution and origin of life on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Stone
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - John O Edgar
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Jamie A Gould
- Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Jon Telling
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
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8
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The formation of tonalitic and granodioritic melt from Venusian basalt. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1652. [PMID: 35102296 PMCID: PMC8803830 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05745-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The crust of Venus is composed of the low lying volcanic planitiae and the elevated, deformed tesserae. It is thought that the tesserae may be composed of silicic igneous rocks and that it may resemble proto-continental crust. The initial development of terrestrial continental crust is likely due to melting and deformation of primitive mafic crust via mantle-plume upwelling and collisional plate processes. Unlike Earth, the lithosphere of Venus is not divided into plates and therefore evolved continental crust, if present, developed primarily by melting of pre-existing mafic crust. Here, we report the results of high pressure equilibrium partial melting experiments using a parental composition similar to the basalt measured at the Venera 14 landing site in order to determine if silicic melts can be generated. It was found that at pressures of 1.5 GPa and 2.0 GPa and temperatures of 1080 °C, 1090 °C, and 1285 °C that tonalitic and granodioritic melts can be generated. The experimental results indicate that silicic rocks may be able to form in the crust of Venus providing the thermal regime is suitable and that the lower crust is basaltic. The implication is that the older, thicker regions of Venusian crust may be partially composed of silicic igneous rocks.
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9
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Buntin S, Artemieva IM, Malehmir A, Thybo H, Malinowski M, Högdahl K, Janik T, Buske S. Long-lived Paleoproterozoic eclogitic lower crust. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6553. [PMID: 34772954 PMCID: PMC8589968 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26878-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The nature of the lower crust and the crust-mantle transition is fundamental to Earth sciences. Transformation of lower crustal rocks into eclogite facies is usually expected to result in lower crustal delamination. Here we provide compelling evidence for long-lasting presence of lower crustal eclogite below the seismic Moho. Our new wide-angle seismic data from the Paleoproterozoic Fennoscandian Shield identify a 6–8 km thick body with extremely high velocity (Vp ~ 8.5–8.6 km/s) and high density (>3.4 g/cm3) immediately beneath equally thinned high-velocity (Vp ~ 7.3–7.4 km/s) lowermost crust, which extends over >350 km distance. We relate this observed structure to partial (50–70%) transformation of part of the mafic lowermost crustal layer into eclogite facies during Paleoproterozoic orogeny without later delamination. Our findings challenge conventional models for the role of lower crustal eclogitization and delamination in lithosphere evolution and for the long-term stability of cratonic crust. The nature of the lower crust and the crust-mantle transition is fundamental to Earth Sciences. Here, the authors provide evidence for long-lasting presence of lower crustal eclogite below the seismic Moho, challenging conventional models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Buntin
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Irina M Artemieva
- Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Marine Geodynamics Section, GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany. .,School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China.
| | - Alireza Malehmir
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Hans Thybo
- School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China. .,Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | | | - Karin Högdahl
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tomasz Janik
- Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Stefan Buske
- Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany
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10
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Garçon M. Episodic growth of felsic continents in the past 3.7 Ga. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj1807. [PMID: 34550745 PMCID: PMC8457669 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj1807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Continents form the most accessible parts of Earth, but their complex compositions make their origin difficult to investigate. A novel approach based on a comprehensive compilation of samarium-neodymium isotopic compositions of detrital sedimentary rocks is here used to unravel continental growth through time. This record reveals that continents were as felsic as today in the past 3.7 Ga (billion years) and that their growth was not continuous but episodic. Reworking of preexisting crust was a ubiquitous process during most of Earth history, but at least six periods of continental growth can be identified every 500 to 700 Ma (million years) in the past 3.7 Ga. This recurrence could be accounted for by changes in tectonic plate velocities favoring periods of rapid subduction and enhanced production of juvenile felsic crust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Garçon
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, IRD, OPGC, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Institut für Geochemie und Petrologie, ETH Zürich, Clausiusstrasse 25, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
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11
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'Whole Organism', Systems Biology, and Top-Down Criteria for Evaluating Scenarios for the Origin of Life. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11070690. [PMID: 34357062 PMCID: PMC8306273 DOI: 10.3390/life11070690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
While most advances in the study of the origin of life on Earth (OoLoE) are piecemeal, tested against the laws of chemistry and physics, ultimately the goal is to develop an overall scenario for life's origin(s). However, the dimensionality of non-equilibrium chemical systems, from the range of possible boundary conditions and chemical interactions, renders the application of chemical and physical laws difficult. Here we outline a set of simple criteria for evaluating OoLoE scenarios. These include the need for containment, steady energy and material flows, and structured spatial heterogeneity from the outset. The Principle of Continuity, the fact that all life today was derived from first life, suggests favoring scenarios with fewer non-analog (not seen in life today) to analog (seen in life today) transitions in the inferred first biochemical pathways. Top-down data also indicate that a complex metabolism predated ribozymes and enzymes, and that full cellular autonomy and motility occurred post-LUCA. Using these criteria, we find the alkaline hydrothermal vent microchamber complex scenario with a late evolving exploitation of the natural occurring pH (or Na+ gradient) by ATP synthase the most compelling. However, there are as yet so many unknowns, we also advocate for the continued development of as many plausible scenarios as possible.
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