1
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Zorzano MP, Martínez G, Polkko J, Tamppari LK, Newman C, Savijärvi H, Goreva Y, Viúdez-Moreiras D, Bertrand T, Smith M, Hausrath EM, Siljeström S, Benison K, Bosak T, Czaja AD, Debaille V, Herd CDK, Mayhew L, Sephton MA, Shuster D, Simon JI, Weiss B, Randazzo N, Mandon L, Brown A, Hecht MH, Martínez-Frías J. Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7175. [PMID: 38532041 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57458-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The Mars Sample Return mission intends to retrieve a sealed collection of rocks, regolith, and atmosphere sampled from Jezero Crater, Mars, by the NASA Perseverance rover mission. For all life-related research, it is necessary to evaluate water availability in the samples and on Mars. Within the first Martian year, Perseverance has acquired an estimated total mass of 355 g of rocks and regolith, and 38 μmoles of Martian atmospheric gas. Using in-situ observations acquired by the Perseverance rover, we show that the present-day environmental conditions at Jezero allow for the hydration of sulfates, chlorides, and perchlorates and the occasional formation of frost as well as a diurnal atmospheric-surface water exchange of 0.5-10 g water per m2 (assuming a well-mixed atmosphere). At night, when the temperature drops below 190 K, the surface water activity can exceed 0.5, the lowest limit for cell reproduction. During the day, when the temperature is above the cell replication limit of 245 K, water activity is less than 0.02. The environmental conditions at the surface of Jezero Crater, where these samples were acquired, are incompatible with the cell replication limits currently known on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria-Paz Zorzano
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, 28850, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Germán Martínez
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX, USA
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jouni Polkko
- Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leslie K Tamppari
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | | | | | - Yulia Goreva
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | | | - Tanguy Bertrand
- Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA), Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne, France
| | - Michael Smith
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | - Tanja Bosak
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geosciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Vinciane Debaille
- Laboratoire G-Time, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Christopher D K Herd
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Lisa Mayhew
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Mark A Sephton
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Justin I Simon
- Center for Isotope Cosmochemistry and Geochronology, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicolas Randazzo
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Lucia Mandon
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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2
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Jakubek RS, Bhartia R, Uckert K, Asher SA, Czaja AD, Fries MD, Hand K, Haney NC, Razzell Hollis J, Minitti M, Sharma SK, Sharma S, Siljeström S. Calibration of Raman Bandwidths on the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) Deep Ultraviolet Raman and Fluorescence Instrument Aboard the Perseverance Rover. Appl Spectrosc 2023:37028231210885. [PMID: 37964538 DOI: 10.1177/00037028231210885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we derive a simple method for calibrating Raman bandwidths for the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument onboard NASA's Perseverance rover. Raman bandwidths and shapes reported by an instrument contain contributions from both the intrinsic Raman band (IRB) and instrumental artifacts. To directly correlate bandwidth to sample properties and to compare bandwidths across instruments, the IRB width needs to be separated from instrumental effects. Here, we use the ubiquitous bandwidth calibration method of modeling the observed Raman bands as a convolution of a Lorentzian IRB and a Gaussian instrument slit function. Using calibration target data, we calculate that SHERLOC has a slit function width of 34.1 cm-1. With a measure of the instrument slit function, we can deconvolve the IRB from the observed band, providing the width of the Raman band unobscured by instrumental artifact. We present the correlation between observed Raman bandwidth and intrinsic Raman bandwidth in table form for the quick estimation of SHERLOC Raman intrinsic bandwidths. We discuss the limitations of using this model to calibrate Raman bandwidth and derive a quantitative method for calculating the errors associated with the calibration. We demonstrate the utility of this method of bandwidth calibration by examining the intrinsic bandwidths of SHERLOC sulfate spectra and by modeling the SHERLOC spectrum of olivine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rohit Bhartia
- Photon Systems Incorporated, Covina, California, USA
| | - Kyle Uckert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institution of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Sanford A Asher
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Kevin Hand
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institution of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Shiv K Sharma
- Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Sunanda Sharma
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institution of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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3
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Sharma S, Roppel RD, Murphy AE, Beegle LW, Bhartia R, Steele A, Hollis JR, Siljeström S, McCubbin FM, Asher SA, Abbey WJ, Allwood AC, Berger EL, Bleefeld BL, Burton AS, Bykov SV, Cardarelli EL, Conrad PG, Corpolongo A, Czaja AD, DeFlores LP, Edgett K, Farley KA, Fornaro T, Fox AC, Fries MD, Harker D, Hickman-Lewis K, Huggett J, Imbeah S, Jakubek RS, Kah LC, Lee C, Liu Y, Magee A, Minitti M, Moore KR, Pascuzzo A, Rodriguez Sanchez-Vahamonde C, Scheller EL, Shkolyar S, Stack KM, Steadman K, Tuite M, Uckert K, Werynski A, Wiens RC, Williams AJ, Winchell K, Kennedy MR, Yanchilina A. Diverse organic-mineral associations in Jezero crater, Mars. Nature 2023; 619:724-732. [PMID: 37438522 PMCID: PMC10371864 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06143-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The presence and distribution of preserved organic matter on the surface of Mars can provide key information about the Martian carbon cycle and the potential of the planet to host life throughout its history. Several types of organic molecules have been previously detected in Martian meteorites1 and at Gale crater, Mars2-4. Evaluating the diversity and detectability of organic matter elsewhere on Mars is important for understanding the extent and diversity of Martian surface processes and the potential availability of carbon sources1,5,6. Here we report the detection of Raman and fluorescence spectra consistent with several species of aromatic organic molecules in the Máaz and Séítah formations within the Crater Floor sequences of Jezero crater, Mars. We report specific fluorescence-mineral associations consistent with many classes of organic molecules occurring in different spatial patterns within these compositionally distinct formations, potentially indicating different fates of carbon across environments. Our findings suggest there may be a diversity of aromatic molecules prevalent on the Martian surface, and these materials persist despite exposure to surface conditions. These potential organic molecules are largely found within minerals linked to aqueous processes, indicating that these processes may have had a key role in organic synthesis, transport or preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunanda Sharma
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Ryan D Roppel
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrew Steele
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Sandra Siljeström
- Department of Methodology, Textiles and Medical Technology, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Francis M McCubbin
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sanford A Asher
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William J Abbey
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Abigail C Allwood
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Eve L Berger
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas State University, Houston, TX, USA
- Jacobs JETS II, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Aaron S Burton
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sergei V Bykov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Emily L Cardarelli
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Pamela G Conrad
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Andrea Corpolongo
- Department of Geosciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geosciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Lauren P DeFlores
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Kenneth A Farley
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Teresa Fornaro
- Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, INAF, Florence, Italy
| | - Allison C Fox
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas State University, Houston, TX, USA
- Jacobs JETS II, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Marc D Fries
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - David Harker
- Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Samara Imbeah
- Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Ryan S Jakubek
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Jacobs JETS II, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Linda C Kah
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Carina Lee
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas State University, Houston, TX, USA
- Jacobs JETS II, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yang Liu
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Angela Magee
- Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Kelsey R Moore
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Eva L Scheller
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Svetlana Shkolyar
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Lab, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kathryn M Stack
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Kim Steadman
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Michael Tuite
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Kyle Uckert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Roger C Wiens
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Amy J Williams
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Katherine Winchell
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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4
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Tingle KE, Porter SM, Raven MR, Czaja AD, Webb SM, Bloeser B. Organic preservation of vase-shaped microfossils from the late Tonian Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Geobiology 2023; 21:290-309. [PMID: 36651474 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Vase-shaped microfossils (VSMs) are found globally in middle Neoproterozoic (800-730 Ma) marine strata and represent the earliest evidence for testate (shell-forming) amoebozoans. VSM tests are hypothesized to have been originally organic in life but are most commonly preserved as secondary mineralized casts and molds. A few reports, however, suggest possible organic preservation. Here, we test the hypothesis that VSMs from shales of the lower Walcott Member of the Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, Arizona, contain original organic material, as reported by B. Bloeser in her pioneering studies of Chuar VSMs. We identified VSMs from two thin section samples of Walcott Member black shales in transmitted light microscopy and used scanning electron microscopy to image VSMs. Carbonaceous material is found within the internal cavity of all VSM tests from both samples and is interpreted as bitumen mobilized from Walcott shales likely during the Cretaceous. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS) reveal that VSM test walls contain mostly carbon, iron, and sulfur, while silica is present only in the surrounding matrix. Raman spectroscopy was used to compare the thermal maturity of carbonaceous material within the samples and indicated the presence of pyrite and jarosite within fossil material. X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed the presence of reduced organic sulfur species within the carbonaceous test walls, the carbonaceous material found within test cavities, and in the sedimentary matrix, suggesting that organic matter sulfurization occurred within the Walcott shales. Our suite of spectroscopic analyses reveals that Walcott VSM test walls are organic and sometimes secondarily pyritized (with the pyrite variably oxidized to jarosite). Both preservation modes can occur at a millimeter spatial scale within sample material, and at times even within a single specimen. We propose that sulfurization within the Walcott Shales promoted organic preservation, and furthermore, the ratio of iron to labile VSM organic material controlled the extent of pyrite replacement. Based on our evidence, we conclude that the VSMs are preserved with original organic test material, and speculate that organic VSMs may often go unrecognized, given their light-colored, translucent appearance in transmitted light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E Tingle
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Susannah M Porter
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Morgan R Raven
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Samuel M Webb
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, Stanford University, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Bonnie Bloeser
- Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
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5
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Osterhout JT, Schopf JW, Kudryavtsev AB, Czaja AD, Williford KH. Deep-UV Raman Spectroscopy of Carbonaceous Precambrian Microfossils: Insights into the Search for Past Life on Mars. Astrobiology 2022; 22:1239-1254. [PMID: 36194869 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The current strategy for detecting evidence of ancient life on Mars-a primary goal of NASA's ongoing Mars 2020 mission-is based largely on knowledge of Precambrian life and of its preservation in Earth's early rock record. The fossil record of primitive microorganisms consists mainly of stromatolites and other microbially influenced sedimentary structures, which occasionally preserve microfossils or other geochemical traces of life. Raman spectroscopy is an invaluable tool for identifying such signs of life and is routinely performed on Precambrian microfossils to help establish their organic composition, degree of thermal maturity, and biogenicity. The Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, is equipped with a deep-ultraviolet (UV) Raman spectrometer as part of the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument, which will be used in part to characterize the preservation of organic matter in the ancient sedimentary rocks of Jezero crater and therein search for possible biosignatures. To determine the deep-UV Raman spectra characteristic of ancient microbial fossils, this study analyzes individual microfossils from 14 Precambrian cherts using deep-UV (244 nm) Raman spectroscopy. Spectra obtained were measured and calibrated relative to a graphitic standard and categorized according to the morphology and depositional environment of the fossil analyzed and its Raman-indicated thermal maturity. All acquired spectra of the fossil kerogens include a considerably Raman-enhanced and prominent first-order Raman G-band (∼1600 cm-1), whereas its commonly associated D-band (∼1350 cm-1) is restricted to specimens of lower thermal maturity (below greenschist facies) that thus have the less altered biosignature indicative of relatively well-preserved organic matter. If comparably preserved, similar characteristics would be expected to be exhibited by microfossils or ancient organic matter in rock samples collected and cached on Mars in preparation for future sample return to Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey T Osterhout
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - J William Schopf
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Anatoliy B Kudryavtsev
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Kenneth H Williford
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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6
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Farley KA, Stack KM, Shuster DL, Horgan BHN, Hurowitz JA, Tarnas JD, Simon JI, Sun VZ, Scheller EL, Moore KR, McLennan SM, Vasconcelos PM, Wiens RC, Treiman AH, Mayhew LE, Beyssac O, Kizovski TV, Tosca NJ, Williford KH, Crumpler LS, Beegle LW, Bell JF, Ehlmann BL, Liu Y, Maki JN, Schmidt ME, Allwood AC, Amundsen HEF, Bhartia R, Bosak T, Brown AJ, Clark BC, Cousin A, Forni O, Gabriel TSJ, Goreva Y, Gupta S, Hamran SE, Herd CDK, Hickman-Lewis K, Johnson JR, Kah LC, Kelemen PB, Kinch KB, Mandon L, Mangold N, Quantin-Nataf C, Rice MS, Russell PS, Sharma S, Siljeström S, Steele A, Sullivan R, Wadhwa M, Weiss BP, Williams AJ, Wogsland BV, Willis PA, Acosta-Maeda TA, Beck P, Benzerara K, Bernard S, Burton AS, Cardarelli EL, Chide B, Clavé E, Cloutis EA, Cohen BA, Czaja AD, Debaille V, Dehouck E, Fairén AG, Flannery DT, Fleron SZ, Fouchet T, Frydenvang J, Garczynski BJ, Gibbons EF, Hausrath EM, Hayes AG, Henneke J, Jørgensen JL, Kelly EM, Lasue J, Le Mouélic S, Madariaga JM, Maurice S, Merusi M, Meslin PY, Milkovich SM, Million CC, Moeller RC, Núñez JI, Ollila AM, Paar G, Paige DA, Pedersen DAK, Pilleri P, Pilorget C, Pinet PC, Rice JW, Royer C, Sautter V, Schulte M, Sephton MA, Sharma SK, Sholes SF, Spanovich N, St Clair M, Tate CD, Uckert K, VanBommel SJ, Yanchilina AG, Zorzano MP. Aqueously altered igneous rocks sampled on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars. Science 2022; 377:eabo2196. [PMID: 36007009 DOI: 10.1126/science.abo2196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater, Mars, to investigate ancient lake and river deposits. We report observations of the crater floor, below the crater's sedimentary delta, finding the floor consists of igneous rocks altered by water. The lowest exposed unit, informally named Séítah, is a coarsely crystalline olivine-rich rock, which accumulated at the base of a magma body. Fe-Mg carbonates along grain boundaries indicate reactions with CO2-rich water, under water-poor conditions. Overlying Séítah is a unit informally named Máaz, which we interpret as lava flows or the chemical complement to Séítah in a layered igneous body. Voids in these rocks contain sulfates and perchlorates, likely introduced by later near-surface brine evaporation. Core samples of these rocks were stored aboard Perseverance for potential return to Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Farley
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - K M Stack
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - D L Shuster
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - B H N Horgan
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - J A Hurowitz
- Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - J D Tarnas
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - J I Simon
- Center for Isotope Cosmochemistry and Geochronology, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - V Z Sun
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - E L Scheller
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - K R Moore
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - S M McLennan
- Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - P M Vasconcelos
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - R C Wiens
- Planetary Exploration Team, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - A H Treiman
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - L E Mayhew
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - O Beyssac
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005 Paris, France
| | - T V Kizovski
- Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - N J Tosca
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - K H Williford
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - L S Crumpler
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, NM 8710, USA
| | - L W Beegle
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - J F Bell
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - B L Ehlmann
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Y Liu
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - J N Maki
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M E Schmidt
- Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - A C Allwood
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - H E F Amundsen
- Center for Space Sensors and Systems, University of Oslo, 2007 Kjeller, Norway
| | - R Bhartia
- Photon Systems Inc., Covina, CA 91725, USA
| | - T Bosak
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A J Brown
- Plancius Research, Severna Park, MD 21146, USA
| | - B C Clark
- Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
| | - A Cousin
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National d'Etude Spatiale, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - O Forni
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National d'Etude Spatiale, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - T S J Gabriel
- Astrogeology Science Center, US Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
| | - Y Goreva
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - S Gupta
- Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - S-E Hamran
- Center for Space Sensors and Systems, University of Oslo, 2007 Kjeller, Norway
| | - C D K Herd
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - K Hickman-Lewis
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.,Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - J R Johnson
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - L C Kah
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - P B Kelemen
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - K B Kinch
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - L Mandon
- Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique, Observatoire de Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Diderot, 92195 Meudon, France
| | - N Mangold
- Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Nantes Université, Université Angers, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - C Quantin-Nataf
- Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon: Terre, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Jean Monnet Saint Etienne, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - M S Rice
- Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225 USA
| | - P S Russell
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - S Sharma
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - S Siljeström
- Department of Methodology, Textiles and Medical Technology, Research Institutes of Sweden, 11486 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Steele
- Earth and Planetary Laboratory, Carnegie Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - R Sullivan
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - M Wadhwa
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - B P Weiss
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.,Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A J Williams
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - B V Wogsland
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - P A Willis
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - T A Acosta-Maeda
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - P Beck
- Institut de Planétologie et Astrophysique de Grenoble, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - K Benzerara
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005 Paris, France
| | - S Bernard
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005 Paris, France
| | - A S Burton
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - E L Cardarelli
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - B Chide
- Planetary Exploration Team, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - E Clavé
- Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Université de Bordeaux, 33400 Bordeaux, France
| | - E A Cloutis
- Centre for Terrestrial and Planetary Exploration, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - B A Cohen
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - A D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - V Debaille
- Laboratoire G-Time, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - E Dehouck
- Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon: Terre, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Jean Monnet Saint Etienne, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - A G Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, 28850 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - D T Flannery
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
| | - S Z Fleron
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - T Fouchet
- Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique, Observatoire de Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Diderot, 92195 Meudon, France
| | - J Frydenvang
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - B J Garczynski
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - E F Gibbons
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0E8, Canada
| | - E M Hausrath
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - A G Hayes
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - J Henneke
- National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - J L Jørgensen
- National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - E M Kelly
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - J Lasue
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National d'Etude Spatiale, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - S Le Mouélic
- Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Nantes Université, Université Angers, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - J M Madariaga
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - S Maurice
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National d'Etude Spatiale, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - M Merusi
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - P-Y Meslin
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National d'Etude Spatiale, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - S M Milkovich
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | | | - R C Moeller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - J I Núñez
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A M Ollila
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
| | - G Paar
- Institute for Information and Communication Technologies, Joanneum Research, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - D A Paige
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - D A K Pedersen
- National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - P Pilleri
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National d'Etude Spatiale, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - C Pilorget
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - P C Pinet
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National d'Etude Spatiale, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - J W Rice
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - C Royer
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005 Paris, France
| | - V Sautter
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005 Paris, France
| | - M Schulte
- Mars Exploration Program, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - M A Sephton
- Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - S K Sharma
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - S F Sholes
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - N Spanovich
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M St Clair
- Million Concepts, Louisville, KY 40204, USA
| | - C D Tate
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - K Uckert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - S J VanBommel
- McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | | | - M-P Zorzano
- Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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7
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Riedman LA, Porter SM, Czaja AD. Phosphatic scales in vase-shaped microfossil assemblages from Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Tasmania, and Svalbard. Geobiology 2021; 19:364-375. [PMID: 33634584 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Although biomineralized skeletal elements dominate the Phanerozoic fossil record, they did not become common until ~550-520 Ma when independent acquisitions of biomineralization appeared in multiple lineages of animals and a few protists (single-celled eukaryotes). Evidence of biomineralization preceding the late Ediacaran is spotty aside from the apatitic scale microfossils of the ~811 Ma Fifteenmile Group, northwestern Canada. Here, we describe scale-shaped microfossils from four vase-shaped microfossil (VSM)-bearing units of later Tonian age: the Togari Group of Tasmania, Chuar and Pahrump groups of southwestern United States, and the Roaldtoppen Group of Svalbard. These scale-shaped microfossils consist of thin, ~13 micron-long plates typically surrounded by a 1-3 micron-thick colorless envelope; they are found singly and in heterotypic and monotypic clusters of a few to >20 specimens. Raman spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy indicate these microfossils are composed of apatite and kerogen, just as is seen in the Fifteenmile Group scale microfossils. Despite compositional similarity, however, these scales are probably not homologous, representing instead, an independent acquisition of apatite mineralization. We propose that these apatite-kerogen scale-shaped microfossils are skeletal elements of a protistan cell. In particular, their consistent co-occurrence with VSMs, and similarities with scales of arcellinid testate amoebae, a group to which the VSMs are thought to belong, suggest the possibility that these microfossils may be test-forming scales of ancient arcellinid testate amoebae. The apparent apatite biomineralization in both these microfossils and the Fifteenmile scales is unexpected given its exceedingly rare use in skeletons of modern protists. This modern absence is attributed to the extravagance of using a limiting nutrient in a structural element, but multiple occurrences of apatite biomineralization in the Tonian suggest that phosphorus was not a limiting nutrient for these organisms, a suggestion consistent with the idea that dissolved seawater phosphate concentrations may have been higher at this time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh Anne Riedman
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Earth Science, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Susannah M Porter
- Department of Earth Science, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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8
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Gan T, Luo T, Pang K, Zhou C, Zhou G, Wan B, Li G, Yi Q, Czaja AD, Xiao S. Cryptic terrestrial fungus-like fossils of the early Ediacaran Period. Nat Commun 2021; 12:641. [PMID: 33510166 PMCID: PMC7843733 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-20975-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The colonization of land by fungi had a significant impact on the terrestrial ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles on Earth surface systems. Although fungi may have diverged ~1500-900 million years ago (Ma) or even as early as 2400 Ma, it is uncertain when fungi first colonized the land. Here we report pyritized fungus-like microfossils preserved in the basal Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation (~635 Ma) in South China. These micro-organisms colonized and were preserved in cryptic karstic cavities formed via meteoric water dissolution related to deglacial isostatic rebound after the terminal Cryogenian snowball Earth event. They are interpreted as eukaryotes and probable fungi, thus providing direct fossil evidence for the colonization of land by fungi and offering a key constraint on fungal terrestrialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Gan
- State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Taiyi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China.
| | - Ke Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Chuanming Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Guanghong Zhou
- School of Geography and Resources, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang, China
| | - Bin Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Gang Li
- Institute of High Energy Physics, CAS, Beijing, China
| | - Qiru Yi
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Shuhai Xiao
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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9
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Gangidine A, Havig JR, Fike DA, Jones C, Hamilton TL, Czaja AD. Trace Element Concentrations in Hydrothermal Silica Deposits as a Potential Biosignature. Astrobiology 2020; 20:525-536. [PMID: 31859527 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Uncovering and understanding the chemical and fossil record of ancient life is crucial to understanding how life arose, evolved, and distributed itself across Earth. Potential signs of ancient life, however, are often challenging to establish as definitively biological and require multiple lines of evidence. Hydrothermal silica deposits may preserve some of the most ancient evidence of life on Earth, and such deposits are also suggested to exist on the surface of Mars. Here we use micron-scale elemental mapping by secondary ion mass spectrometry to explore for trace elements that are preferentially sequestered by microbial life and subsequently preserved in hydrothermal deposits. The spatial distributions and concentrations of trace elements associated with life in such hydrothermal silica deposits may have a novel application as a biosignature in constraining ancient life on Earth as well as the search for evidence of past life on Mars. We find that active microbial mats and recent siliceous sinter deposits from an alkaline hot spring in Yellowstone National Park appear to sequester and preserve Ga, Fe, and perhaps Mn through early diagenesis as indicators of the presence of life during formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gangidine
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Jeff R Havig
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - David A Fike
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Clive Jones
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Trinity L Hamilton
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and the Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
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10
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Gangidine A, Havig JR, Hannon JS, Czaja AD. Silica Precipitation in a Wet-Dry Cycling Hot Spring Simulation Chamber. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E3. [PMID: 31947527 PMCID: PMC7175326 DOI: 10.3390/life10010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial hot springs have emerged as strong contenders for sites that could have facilitated the origin of life. Cycling between wet and dry conditions is a key feature of these systems, which can produce both structural and chemical complexity within protocellular material. Silica precipitation is a common phenomenon in terrestrial hot springs and is closely associated with life in modern systems. Not only does silica preserve evidence of hot spring life, it also can help it survive during life through UV protection, a factor which would be especially relevant on the early Earth. Determining which physical and chemical components of hot springs are the result of life vs. non-life in modern hot spring systems is a difficult task, however, since life is so prevalent in these environments. Using a model hot spring simulation chamber, we demonstrate a simple yet effective way to precipitate silica with or without the presence of life. This system may be valuable in further investigating the plausible role of silica precipitation in ancient terrestrial hot spring environments even before life arose, as well as its potential role in providing protection from the high surface UV conditions which may have been present on early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gangidine
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA; (J.S.H.)
| | - Jeff R. Havig
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA;
| | - Jeffrey S. Hannon
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA; (J.S.H.)
| | - Andrew D. Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA; (J.S.H.)
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11
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Muscente AD, Czaja AD, Tuggle J, Winkler C, Xiao S. Manganese Oxides Resembling Microbial Fabrics and Their Implications for Recognizing Inorganically Preserved Microfossils. Astrobiology 2018; 18:249-258. [PMID: 29570411 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In the search for microfossils of early life on Earth, the demonstration of biogenicity is paramount. Traditionally, only syngenetic structures with cellular elaboration, hollow sheaths/cell walls, and indigenous kerogen have been considered bona fide fossils. Recent reports of inorganically preserved microfossils represent a shift from this practice. Such a shift, if accompanied by a robust set of biogenicity criteria, could have profound implications for the identification of biosignatures on early Earth and extraterrestrial bodies. Here, we reaffirm the conventional criteria by examining aggregates of inorganic filaments from the Pilbara region of Western Australia. These aggregates are preserved in bedded chert, and the filaments measure up to 1 μm in diameter and 100 μm in length. The aggregates superficially resemble kerogenous microbial fabrics and mycelial organisms. However, the filaments consist of manganese oxide, lack cellular elaboration, and show no evidence for hollow sheaths or cell walls. We conclude that the filaments are fibrous minerals of abiotic origin. The similarities between these pseudofossils and some filamentous fossils highlight the need for strict application of the conventional criteria for recognizing microfossils. In the absence of kerogen, morphologically simple structures should, at least, show evidence of cellular features to be considered bona fide fossils. Key Words: Fossil-Manganese oxide-Pilbara-Precambrian-Pseudofossil. Astrobiology 18, 249-258.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Muscente
- 1 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard , Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- 2 Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - James Tuggle
- 3 Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science , Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Christopher Winkler
- 3 Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science , Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Shuhai Xiao
- 4 Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech , Blacksburg, Virginia
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12
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Vrazo MB, Diefendorf AF, Crowley BE, Czaja AD. Late Cretaceous marine arthropods relied on terrestrial organic matter as a food source: Geochemical evidence from the Coon Creek Lagerstätte in the Mississippi Embayment. Geobiology 2018; 16:160-178. [PMID: 29350453 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The Upper Cretaceous Coon Creek Lagerstätte of Tennessee, USA, is known for its extremely well-preserved mollusks and decapod crustaceans. However, the depositional environment of this unit, particularly its distance to the shoreline, has long been equivocal. To better constrain the coastal proximity of the Coon Creek Formation, we carried out a multiproxy geochemical analysis of fossil decapod (crab, mud shrimp) cuticle and associated sediment from the type section. Elemental analysis and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of kerogenized carbon in the crabs and mud shrimp; carbon isotope (δ13 C) analysis of bulk decapod cuticle yielded similar mean δ13 C values for both taxa (-25.1‰ and -26‰, respectively). Sedimentary biomarkers were composed of n-alkanes from C16 to C36 , with the short-chain n-alkanes dominating, as well as other biomarkers (pristane, phytane, hopanes). Raman spectra and biomarker thermal maturity indices suggest that the Coon Creek Formation sediments are immature, which supports retention of unaltered, biogenic isotopic signals in the fossil organic carbon remains. Using our isotopic results and published calcium carbonate δ13 C values, we modeled carbon isotope values of carbon sources in the Coon Creek Formation, including potential marine (phytoplankton) and terrestrial (plant) dietary sources. Coon Creek Formation decapod δ13 C values fall closer to those estimated for terrigenous plants than marine phytoplankton, indicating that these organisms were feeding primarily on terrigenous organic matter. From this model, we infer that the Coon Creek Formation experienced significant terrigenous organic matter input via a freshwater source and thus was deposited in a shallow, nearshore marine environment proximal to the shoreline. This study helps refine the paleoecology of nearshore settings in the Mississippi Embayment during the global climatic shift in the late Campanian-early Maastrichtian and demonstrates for the first time that organic δ13 C signatures in exceptionally preserved fossil marine arthropods are a viable proxy for use in paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M B Vrazo
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - A F Diefendorf
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - B E Crowley
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - A D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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13
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Smith AJB, Beukes NJ, Gutzmer J, Czaja AD, Johnson CM, Nhleko N. Oncoidal granular iron formation in the Mesoarchaean Pongola Supergroup, southern Africa: Textural and geochemical evidence for biological activity during iron deposition. Geobiology 2017; 15:731-749. [PMID: 28846192 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We document the discovery of the first granular iron formation (GIF) of Archaean age and present textural and geochemical results that suggest these formed through microbial iron oxidation. The GIF occurs in the Nconga Formation of the ca. 3.0-2.8 Ga Pongola Supergroup in South Africa and Swaziland. It is interbedded with oxide and silicate facies micritic iron formation (MIF). There is a strong textural control on iron mineralization in the GIF not observed in the associated MIF. The GIF is marked by oncoids with chert cores surrounded by magnetite and calcite rims. These rims show laminated domal textures, similar in appearance to microstromatolites. The GIF is enriched in silica and depleted in Fe relative to the interbedded MIF. Very low Al and trace element contents in the GIF indicate that chemically precipitated chert was reworked above wave base into granules in an environment devoid of siliciclastic input. Microbially mediated iron precipitation resulted in the formation of irregular, domal rims around the chert granules. During storm surges, oncoids were transported and deposited in deeper water environments. Textural features, along with positive δ56 Fe values in magnetite, suggest that iron precipitation occurred through incomplete oxidation of hydrothermal Fe2+ by iron-oxidizing bacteria. The initial Fe3+ -oxyhydroxide precipitates were then post-depositionally transformed to magnetite. Comparison of the Fe isotope compositions of the oncoidal GIF with those reported for the interbedded deeper water iron formation (IF) illustrates that the Fe2+ pathways and sources for these units were distinct. It is suggested that the deeper water IF was deposited from the evolved margin of a buoyant Fe2+aq -rich hydrothermal plume distal to its source. In contrast, oncolitic magnetite rims of chert granules were sourced from ambient Fe2+aq -depleted shallow ocean water beyond the plume.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J B Smith
- Paleoproterozoic Mineralization Research Group, Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Science and Technology - National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - N J Beukes
- Paleoproterozoic Mineralization Research Group, Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Science and Technology - National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - J Gutzmer
- Paleoproterozoic Mineralization Research Group, Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, Freiberg, Germany
- Department of Mineralogy, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany
| | - A D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - C M Johnson
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - N Nhleko
- Paleoproterozoic Mineralization Research Group, Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Geological Survey and Mines Department, Mbabane, Swaziland
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14
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungshik Kang
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering University of Cincinnati 45221 Cincinnati OH USA
| | - Andrew D. Czaja
- Department of Geology University of Cincinnati 45221 Cincinnati OH USA
| | - Vadim V. Guliants
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering University of Cincinnati 45221 Cincinnati OH USA
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15
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Wilmeth DT, Dornbos SQ, Isbell JL, Czaja AD. Putative domal microbial structures in fluvial siliciclastic facies of the Mesoproterozoic (1.09 Ga) Copper Harbor Conglomerate, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. Geobiology 2014; 12:99-108. [PMID: 24325309 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/14/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The Copper Harbor Conglomerate is a Mesoproterozoic (1.09 Ga) freshwater sedimentary sequence that outcrops in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The formation was deposited during infilling of the failed Midcontinent Rift and contains fluvial, lacustrine, and alluvial fan facies. This study describes and analyzes the formation of small domal structures preserved in fluvial sandstone facies within the lower portion of the formation. These domal structures range from millimeters to several centimeters in diameter and height, and are preserved in convex epirelief on fine-grained sandstone beds. The structures have a pustulose texture and a patchy distribution on bedding planes. Slabs containing the structures were collected in the field and analyzed in the laboratory through inspection of cut slabs, petrographic thin sections, X-radiographs, and RAMAN spectroscopy. Results of these analyses reveal that the domal structures often contain weak, wavy horizontal bedding and laminae, and lack any vertical structures. These results support a biogenic origin of the domal structures instead of through abiogenic processes such as loading, sand volcanoes, or adhesion warts. These structures are akin to what were traditionally labeled as 'sand stromatolites', but are now known as 'domal sand structures'. Along with previous descriptions of carbonate stromatolites, organic-rich paleosols, and microbial sand structures, our findings provide further evidence that mat-forming microbial communities thrived in the late Mesoproterozoic freshwater systems of the Midcontinent Rift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan T Wilmeth
- Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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16
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d’Abzac FX, Beard BL, Czaja AD, Konishi H, Schauer JJ, Johnson CM. Iron Isotope Composition of Particles Produced by UV-Femtosecond Laser Ablation of Natural Oxides, Sulfides, and Carbonates. Anal Chem 2013; 85:11885-92. [DOI: 10.1021/ac402722t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francois-Xavier d’Abzac
- Department
of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, 1215W Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Brian L. Beard
- Department
of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, 1215W Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Andrew D. Czaja
- Department
of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, 1215W Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- Department
of Geology and Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0013, United States
| | - Hiromi Konishi
- Department
of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, 1215W Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- Department
of Geology, Niigata University, 8050 Ikarashi 2-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - James J. Schauer
- 148
Water Science and Engineering Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, 660 North Park Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1484, United States
| | - Clark M. Johnson
- Department
of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, 1215W Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
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17
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Czaja AD, Johnson CM, Yamaguchi KE, Beard BL. Comment on "Abiotic pyrite formation produces a large Fe isotope fractionation". Science 2012; 335:538; author reply 538. [PMID: 22301304 DOI: 10.1126/science.1213032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Guilbaud et al. (Reports, 24 June 2011, p. 1548) suggest that the geologic record of Fe isotope fractionation can be explained by abiological precipitation of pyrite. We argue that a detailed understanding of the depositional setting, mineralogy, and geologic history of Precambrian sedimentary rocks indicates that the Fe isotope record dominantly reflects biological fractionations and Fe redox processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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18
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. Czaja
- Department of Geoscience, 1215 West Dayton Street, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, USA
| | - Clark M. Johnson
- Department of Geoscience, 1215 West Dayton Street, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, USA
| | - Kosei E. Yamaguchi
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Toho University, 2-2-1 Miyama, Funabashi, Chiba 274-8510, Japan
| | - Brian L. Beard
- Department of Geoscience, 1215 West Dayton Street, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, USA
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19
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Czaja AD, Kudryavtsev AB, Schopf JW. New method for the microscopic, nondestructive acquisition of ultraviolet resonance Raman spectra from plant cell walls. Appl Spectrosc 2006; 60:352-5. [PMID: 16613629 DOI: 10.1366/000370206776593753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Raman spectroscopy has long been used for the chemical analysis of organic matter, including natural products, using excitation wavelengths in the visible, infrared, or ultraviolet portions of the spectrum. The use of ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy (UVRR) to study bulk samples of plant tissue has typically been carried out by rotating homogeneous macro-samples beneath the laser beam in order to minimize the amount of UV radiation impinging on any one spot, thereby avoiding its potentially damaging effects on the organic matter analyzed. This paper extends the use of UVRR to the study on a microscopic scale of individual plant cell walls by use of the controlled micro-displacement of a sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Czaja
- Department of Earth & Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA.
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20
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Schopf JW, Kudryavtsev AB, Agresti DG, Czaja AD, Wdowiak TJ. Raman imagery: a new approach to assess the geochemical maturity and biogenicity of permineralized precambrian fossils. Astrobiology 2005; 5:333-71. [PMID: 15941380 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2005.5.333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Laser-Raman imagery is a non-intrusive, non-destructive analytical technique, recently introduced to Precambrian paleobiology, that can be used to demonstrate a one-to-one spatial correlation between the optically discernible morphology and kerogenous composition of permineralized fossil microorganisms. Made possible by the submicron-scale resolution of the technique and its high sensitivity to the Raman signal of carbonaceous matter, such analyses can be used to determine the chemical-structural characteristics of organic-walled microfossils and associated sapropelic carbonaceous matter in acid-resistant residues and petrographic thin sections. Here we use this technique to analyze kerogenous microscopic fossils and associated carbonaceous sapropel permineralized in 22 unmetamorphosed or little-metamorphosed fine-grained chert units ranging from approximately 400 to approximately 2,100 Ma old. The lineshapes of the Raman spectra acquired vary systematically with five indices of organic geochemical maturation: (1) the mineral-based metamorphic grade of the fossil-bearing units; (2) the fidelity of preservation of the fossils studied; (3) the color of the organic matter analyzed; and both the (4) H/C and (5) N/C ratios measured in particulate kerogens isolated from bulk samples of the fossil-bearing cherts. Deconvolution of relevant spectra shows that those of relatively well-preserved permineralized kerogens analyzed in situ exhibit a distinctive set of Raman bands that are identifiable also in hydrated organic-walled microfossils and particulate carbonaceous matter freed from the cherts by acid maceration. These distinctive Raman bands, however, become indeterminate upon dehydration of such specimens. To compare quantitatively the variations observed among the spectra measured, we introduce the Raman Index of Preservation, an approximate measure of the geochemical maturity of the kerogens studied that is consistent both with the five indices of organic geochemical alteration and with spectra acquired from fossils experimentally heated under controlled laboratory conditions. The results reported provide new insight into the chemical-structural characteristics of ancient carbonaceous matter, the physicochemical changes that accompany organic geochemical maturation, and a new criterion to be added to the suite of evidence by which to evaluate the origin of minute fossil-like objects of possible but uncertain biogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J William Schopf
- Department of Earth & Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA.
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Abstract
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is common in several plant families and is often associated with succulence. Few studies have examined the occurrence of CAM from a phylogenetic perspective. The genus Pelargonium is promising for such a study because members are characterized by dramatic variation in growth form (including geophytes, shrubs, and stem succulents) and because growth form diversity is expressed to the greatest extent in a monophyletic group comprising 80% of Pelargonium species. This clade, predominantly from the winter rainfall region of southern Africa, likely proliferated in response to Miocene or Pliocene aridification. We present a survey for CAM across Pelargonium, emphasizing the winter rainfall clade. Dawn/dusk fluctuations in titratable acidity were examined in 41 species, with detailed measurements of carbon uptake and stomatal conductance under progressive water stress in four species. No species exhibited obligate CAM. When well-watered, most species exhibited stomatal conductances and acid fluctuations characteristic of C(3) photosynthesis, though some exhibited more pronounced increases in nocturnal acidity, suggesting CAM cycling. In four species examined during dry-down, water stress led to increased nighttime acid levels and decreased daytime stomatal conductance. Ultimately, stomata closed and external carbon uptake ceased, consistent with CAM idling. These results are discussed from the perspective of the evolution of CAM flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia S Jones
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Unit 3043, 75 N. Eagleville Road, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269 USA
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22
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Cardon ZG, Czaja AD, Funk JL, Vitt PL. Erratum: Periodic carbon flushing to roots of Quercus rubra saplings affects soil respiration and rhizosphere microbial biomass. Oecologia 2002. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-002-1083-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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23
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Abstract
Unlike the familiar Phanerozoic history of life, evolution during the earlier and much longer Precambrian segment of geological time centred on prokaryotic microbes. Because such microorganisms are minute, are preserved incompletely in geological materials, and have simple morphologies that can be mimicked by nonbiological mineral microstructures, discriminating between true microbial fossils and microscopic pseudofossil 'lookalikes' can be difficult. Thus, valid identification of fossil microbes, which is essential to understanding the prokaryote-dominated, Precambrian 85% of life's history, can require more than traditional palaeontology that is focused on morphology. By combining optically discernible morphology with analyses of chemical composition, laser--Raman spectroscopic imagery of individual microscopic fossils provides a means by which to address this need. Here we apply this technique to exceptionally ancient fossil microbe-like objects, including the oldest such specimens reported from the geological record, and show that the results obtained substantiate the biological origin of the earliest cellular fossils known.
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Affiliation(s)
- J William Schopf
- Department of Earth & Space Sciences, and Institute of Geophysics & Planetary Physics (Center for the Study of the Evolution and Origin of Life), University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA.
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