How the earliest life on Earth became mineralized

Projektinformationen

ELEMIN

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 746033

DOI 10.3030/746033

Abgeschlossenes Projekt

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 24 Februar 2017

Startdatum 1 April 2017

Enddatum 14 September 2019

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Gesamtkosten € 166 156,80

EU-Beitrag € 166 156,80

Koordiniert durch

UNIVERSITAT WIEN
Austria

Ziel

The appearance of microbial life on Earth is manifested by stromatolites in ~3.5 billion year (Ga) old marine sediments in Pilbara, Australia. The processes involved in the mineralisation and preservation of these earliest signatures of life remain incompletely understood. It has been observed that the stromatolites are mineralised by several generations of carbonate and silica phases, but when and how the different cement phases formed is under debate. Knowing the time and conditions of mineralisation of the stromatolites is necessary to evaluate whether the cements represent primary phases truly indicative of past environmental conditions or a post-depositional overprint. As some of the mineral phases have been suggested to represent reliable archives of ancient Pilbara seawater, they can be used to reconstruct the habitats of the earliest life on Earth.
The goal of project ELEMIN is to reconstruct the syn- and post-depositional history of the Pilbara stromatolites and differentiate between primary and later-stage carbonate/silica mineral phases. High-resolution petrographic methods, such as electron backscatter diffraction mapping, in combination with radiometric isotope dating will be applied to date individual mineral phases and to identify pristine mineral phases that were directly precipitated from seawater ~3.5 Ga ago.
Trace elements and neodymium isotope compositions of these pristine mineral phases yield detailed insights into the local physico-chemical conditions prevailing at the site of stromatolite growth, such as redox conditions and the source(s) of elements dissolved in Pilbara seawater. Both proxies trace the origin of elements to either continental weathering or to submarine hydrothermal systems. This distinction is essential as it allows us to evaluate contrasting models for early life, suggesting either a peculiar ocean chemistry or submarine hydrothermal systems as the cradle of life.

Wissenschaftliches Gebiet

• humanities › history and archaeology › history
• natural sciences › chemical sciences › inorganic chemistry › inorganic compounds
• natural sciences › physical sciences › astronomy › planetary sciences › planets
• natural sciences › earth and related environmental sciences › oceanography › ocean chemistry

Programm/Programme

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility

Thema/Themen

• MSCA-IF-2016 - Individual Fellowships

Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung

H2020-MSCA-IF-2016

Finanzierungsplan

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

Koordinator

UNIVERSITAT WIEN

• Netto-EU-Beitrag: € 166 156,80
• Adresse: UNIVERSITATSRING 1 ; 1010 Wien ; Österreich
• Region: Ostösterreich › Wien › Wien
• Aktivitätstyp: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Gesamtkosten: € 166 156,80