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Microfósiles filamentosos en un depósito de sulfuro masivo volcánico de 3.235 millones de años de antigüedad
1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia. brasmuss@geol.uwa.edu.au
Nature
|June 23, 2000
Resumen
Los investigadores descubrieron microfósiles antiguos en un depósito hidrotermal de aguas profundas de 3.235 millones de años de antigüedad. Este hallazgo proporciona la primera evidencia fósil de vida microbiana precámbrica en aguas termales submarinas.
Área de la Ciencia:
- * La paleontología precámbrica.
- * Astrobiología * Astrobiología
- * Geobiología Geobiología.
Sus antecedentes:
- * El registro fósil de microfósiles del Arqueo es escaso, principalmente de entornos estromatólicos de aguas poco profundas.
- * No se han reportado microfósiles de sistemas hidrotermales de aguas profundas en rocas del Precámbrico.
- * Los microbios termófilos, potencialmente linajes antiguos, son comunes en las fuentes hidrotermales modernas.
Objetivo del estudio:
- * Informar sobre el descubrimiento de restos microfósiles en un depósito hidrotermal de aguas profundas del Precámbrico.
- * Investigar la naturaleza y el entorno de la vida microbiana temprana.
- * Para ampliar el registro fósil conocido de la biota hidrotermal submarina.
Principales métodos:
- * Análisis geológico de un depósito de sulfuro masivo volcanogénico de 3.235 millones de años.
- * Identificación y caracterización de filamentos piríticos como restos microfósiles probables.
- * Interpretación de la aparición de microfósiles dentro del contexto geológico.
Principales resultados:
- * Descubrimiento de filamentos piríticos, probablemente microorganismos fosilizados, en un depósito de hace 3.235 mil millones de años.
- * Estos microorganismos se interpretan como procariotas quimiotrópicos termofílicos.
- * Los fósiles habitaban en ambientes hidrotermales del fondo submarino.
Conclusiones:
- * Esto representa la primera evidencia fósil de vida microbiana en un sistema de aguas termales submarinas del Precámbrico.
- * Extiende el rango conocido de la biota hidrotermal submarina por más de 2.700 millones de años.
- * Apoya la hipótesis de que la vida temprana puede haberse originado en ambientes hidrotermales termófilos submarinos.
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