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In situ Morphologic, Elemental and Isotopic Analysis of Archean Life

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Evolution of Archean Crust and Early Life

Part of the book series: Modern Approaches in Solid Earth Sciences ((MASE,volume 7))

Abstract

A number of key questions in Archean palaeobiology require study at the micrometre (µm) to nanometre (nm) scale. These include: identifying the transition from a prebiotic world to one containing life; distinguishing true signs of life from abiotic artifacts; identifying the first appearance of important groups of microbes (e.g. cyanobacteria) and metabolic pathways (e.g. sulfur processing, iron processing, anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis); and, determining the transition from a purely prokaryotic world to one including eukaryotes. Here I outline four complementary in situ microanalysis techniques that are now providing new evidence in our quest to solve these important scientific questions. The integrated use of these techniques is illustrated by way of a case study from the 3430 Ma Strelley Pool Formation of Western Australia.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the numerous people who helped to carry out the microanalyses for the case study, in particular, Matt Kilburn, John Cliff, Martin Saunders, Charlie Kong, Len Green, Sarath Menon, Derek Gerstmann, Nicola McLoughlin, Martin Whitehouse, Andrew Steele and Martin Brasier. I acknowledge funding from the Bergen Research Foundation, the University of Bergen, the University of Western Australia and the Australian Research Council. I also acknowledge the facilities, scientific and technical assistance of the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility at the Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation & Analysis, The University of Western Australia, a facility funded by The University, State and Commonwealth Governments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Geobiology and Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bergen, Allegaten 41, 5007, Bergen, Norway

    Dr. David Wacey

  2. Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, ARC Centre for Core to Crust Fluid Systems & Centre for Exploration Targeting, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, 6009, Crawley, WA, Australia

    Dr. David Wacey

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Correspondence to David Wacey .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Geology & Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA

    Yildirim Dilek

  2. Department of Earth Science & Centre for Geobiology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Harald Furnes

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Wacey, D. (2014). In situ Morphologic, Elemental and Isotopic Analysis of Archean Life. In: Dilek, Y., Furnes, H. (eds) Evolution of Archean Crust and Early Life. Modern Approaches in Solid Earth Sciences, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7615-9_12

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