A comment on “Metamorphic origin of anastomosing and wavy laminas overprinting putative microbial deposits from the 3.22 Ga Moodies Group (Barberton Greenstone Belt)”

Reply to comment on “Metamorphic origin of anastomosing and wavy laminas overprinting putative microbial deposits from the 3.22 Ga Moodies Group (Barberton Greenstone Belt)”

“…Similar lithology of the analyzed rocks from the same locality with the same geological context in Homann et al (2015) and in Saitoh et al (2021) indicates clearly that we did not use the least promising samples (in terms of putative biogenicity) as suggested by Homann and Heubeck (2021). Nevertheless, we also note that such "least promising" rocks should not be overlooked in general, because Archean altered rocks record complex post-depositional histories in various regional contexts and are useful to avoid leading a wrong perspective on early (and possibly extraterrestrial) life.…”

“…Furthermore, conclusions of this work were based solely on the analyzed sandstones collected from one outcrop from the Saddleback Syncline. Nonetheless, Homann and Heubeck (2021) contested the significance of these outcomes in providing further insights into the origin of Moodies anastomosing and wavy laminae.…”

“…The origins of the Moodies laminae and of carbonaceous material (CM) within these laminae should be separated clearly to discuss their biogenicity. The comments by Homann and Heubeck (2021) were based, at least in part, on misunderstanding on this point. For example, Homann and Heubeck (2021) used the term "carbonaceous laminae/laminations" repeatedly on their comments to impress their biogenicity on a reader.…”