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Cellular Microfossils and Possible Microfossils in the Paleo- and Mesoarchean

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Abstract

Representative Paleo- and Mesoarchean (>3.0 Ga) microfossils and possible microfossils retaining cellular structures from the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, and the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa, are reviewed. Rod-shaped, spheroidal, lenticular, and filamentous (and their subtypes) microfossils have been identified in those areas, and their sizes range from submicrons to 300 μm across. Depositional environments of host rocks vary from shallow marine or even terrestrial to deep-sea, with or without hydrothermal activities, providing no constraints on the geologic setting for the emergence of life. Although biological affinities such as cyanobacteria and sulfur bacteria have been proposed for a few types of Paleo- and Mesoarchean microfossils, those of most others are poorly understood.

Significantly, recent progress in Archean geobiology has revealed that the fossil record includes large (from 20 μm up to 300 μm along the major dimension), organic-walled spheroid and lenticular microfossils. If their biological affinities can be determined convincingly, they would provide us with new insights into the early biosphere and its evolution on the Earth and potentially on other planets. Further challenging and innovative studies are required in order to reveal the diversity of Paleo- and Mesoarchean ecosystems and to develop a taxonomy for such ancient microfossils.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (Grants-in-aid Nos 22340149 and 24654162) is gratefully acknowledged. I sincerely thank to Kathleen Grey for her constructive review and editing. Tsutomu Nagaoka and Natsuko Takagi are also acknowledged for their assistance for preparation of thin sections.

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  1. Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    Kenichiro Sugitani

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  1. Department of Applied Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan

    Akihiko Yamagishi

  2. Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University Geosciences, Miyagi, Japan

    Takeshi Kakegawa

  3. Department of Solar System Sciences, Institute for Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan

    Tomohiro Usui

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Sugitani, K. (2019). Cellular Microfossils and Possible Microfossils in the Paleo- and Mesoarchean. In: Yamagishi, A., Kakegawa, T., Usui, T. (eds) Astrobiology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3639-3_16

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