Nuclear geyser model of the origin of life: Driving force to promote the synthesis of building blocks of life

Radiolytic Synthesis of Cyanogen Chloride, Cyanamide and Simple Sugar Precursors

“…In contrast to the uranium deposits formed by oxygen‐driven precipitation like those found at Oklo, Hadean radioactive seams would have been formed via hydrodynamic sorting of uranium‐rich source rocks, such as uraninite, without need of intermediate precipitation steps ,. Regardless of the formation process, a fission zone comparable in size to those found at Oklo in Gabon has the ability to foster, a localized but highly radioactive environment for about 500,000 years. Others have proposed that higher output of solar energetic particles from the young Sun via more frequent solar flares and coronal mass ejections would have exposed the atmosphere of the early Earth to significantly higher fluxes of radiation in comparison to today .…”

“…There has been speculation that radiolytic chemistry may have played, a direct role in the complex chemical networks thought necessary for the origins of life on Earth. Ancient radioactive mineral deposits such as those containing monazite and uraninite could have provided, locally high fluxes of alpha, beta and gamma radiation on their surfaces.…”

“…There has been speculation that radiolytic chemistry may have played, a direct role in the complex chemical networks thought necessary for the origins of life on Earth. Ancient radioactive mineral deposits such as those containing monazite and uraninite could have provided, locally high fluxes of alpha, beta and gamma radiation on their surfaces. Organic accretion layers accumulated on the surfaces of radioactive mineral grains that have been found in the geological record serve as evidence that organic radiolysis reactions can occur in nature in microenvironments found in close proximity to radioactive mineral grain surfaces.…”

“…Organic accretion layers accumulated on the surfaces of radioactive mineral grains that have been found in the geological record serve as evidence that organic radiolysis reactions can occur in nature in microenvironments found in close proximity to radioactive mineral grain surfaces. Under the primordial conditions of the Hadean eon when the 235 U isotope was much more abundant, so‐called natural nuclear reactors that can promote self‐sustaining nuclear fission chain reactions may have been relatively commonplace . Over a dozen individual fission zones are known from the Oklo locality in Gabon ,.…”

“…Under the primordial conditions of the Hadean eon when the 235 U isotope was much more abundant, so‐called natural nuclear reactors that can promote self‐sustaining nuclear fission chain reactions may have been relatively commonplace . Over a dozen individual fission zones are known from the Oklo locality in Gabon ,. In contrast to the uranium deposits formed by oxygen‐driven precipitation like those found at Oklo, Hadean radioactive seams would have been formed via hydrodynamic sorting of uranium‐rich source rocks, such as uraninite, without need of intermediate precipitation steps ,.…”