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Title: Fossil biomass preserved as graphitic carbon in a late Paleoproterozoic banded iron formation metamorphosed at more than 550°C

Journal Article · · Journal of the Geological Society
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [5];  [6];  [6]; ORCiD logo [3]
  1. Univ. College London (United Kingdom). London Centre for Nanotechnology; Univ. College London (United Kingdom). Bloomsbury
  2. Naval Research Lab. (NRL), Washington, DC (United States)
  3. Univ. College London (United Kingdom). London Centre for Nanotechnology
  4. Carnegie Inst. for Science, Washington, DC (United States)
  5. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Advanced Light Source (ALS)
  6. Friedrich-Alexander-Univ. Erlangen–Nürnberg, Erlangen (Germany)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Metamorphism is thought to destroy microfossils, partly through devolatilization and graphitization of biogenic organic matter. However, the extent to which there is a loss of molecular, elemental and isotope signatures from biomass during high-temperature metamorphism is not clearly established. We report on graphitic structures inside and coating apatite grains from the c. 1850 Ma Michigamme silicate banded iron formation from Michigan, metamorphosed above 550°C. Traces of N, S, O, H, Ca and Fe are preserved in this graphitic carbon and X-ray spectra show traces of aliphatic groups. Graphitic carbon has an expanded lattice around 3.6 Å, forms microscopic concentrically-layered and radiating polygonal flakes and has homogeneous δ13C values around -22‰, identical to bulk analyses. Graphitic carbon inside apatite is associated with nanometre-size ammoniated phyllosilicate. Precursors of these metamorphic minerals and graphitic carbon originated from ferruginous clay-rich sediments with biomass. We conclude that graphite coatings and inclusions in apatite grains indicate fluid remobilization during amphibolite-facies metamorphism of precursor biomass. Finally, this new evidence fills in observational gaps of metamorphosed biomass into graphite and supports the existence of biosignatures in the highly metamorphosed iron formation from the Eoarchean Akilia Association, which dates from the beginning of the sedimentary rock record.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Carnegie of Canada; University College London; Carnegie Institution for Science
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; EP/K024701/1; NNA04CC09A; NNX08AO16G; NNX12AG14G
OSTI ID:
1603518
Journal Information:
Journal of the Geological Society, Vol. 176, Issue 4; ISSN 0016-7649
Publisher:
The Geological Society of LondonCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 5 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (1)

A TEM and EELS study of carbon in a melt fragment from the Gardnos impact structure journal August 2019

Linked Research (2)

Figures / Tables (14)

Table 1(p. 40)table Table 1
Table 2: Part 1(p. 41)table Table 2: Part 1
Table 2: Part 2(p. 42)table Table 2: Part 2
Table 2: Part 3(p. 43)table Table 2: Part 3
Table 2: Part 4(p. 44)table Table 2: Part 4
Table 3(p. 45)table Table 3
Figure 1(p. 46)figure Figure 1
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Figure 8(p. 53)figure Figure 8

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