Elements of Eoarchean life trapped in mineral inclusions
@article{Hassenkam2017ElementsOE, title={Elements of Eoarchean life trapped in mineral inclusions}, author={Tue Hassenkam and M. P. Andersson and Kim N. Dalby and David M A Mackenzie and Minik T. Rosing}, journal={Nature}, year={2017}, volume={548}, pages={78-81} }
Metasedimentary rocks from Isua, West Greenland (over 3,700 million years old) contain 13C-depleted carbonaceous compounds, with isotopic ratios that are compatible with a biogenic origin. Metamorphic garnet crystals in these rocks contain trails of carbonaceous inclusions that are contiguous with carbon-rich sedimentary beds in the host rock, where carbon is fully graphitized. Previous studies have not been able to document other elements of life (mainly hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and…
60 Citations
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By overlaying maps generated by the AFM-IR, it is shown how the location of 100's of nm sized contiguous domains of nitrile and possibly phosphonate overlap inside the inclusion of garnet crystals, providing spatial characterization for potentially the oldest biogenic remains in Earth's geological record.
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